ASM Occasional Electronic Papers No. 1: Homol'ovi IV

Chapter Seven:
Architecture, cont.

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Surface 2B

Elevation and Surface Characteristics: Plaza surface 2B is probably a natural surface It was not uncovered anywhere along the N103-112 E69-70 trench but it showed up in profile. Elsewhere on the site plaza surface 2B was uncovered and found to be very ephemeral and consensus is that this was a natural, not a cultural, level.

Features and Artifacts: No features are associated with surface 2B, which provides additional support y to its interpretation as non-cultural. Artifacts appear to be the result of slope wash or secondary trash deposition following the erosion that apparently created the surface.

Fill: Stratum 3, level 1, above plaza surface 2B had alternating lenses of ash and reddish-brown trash fill. The fill is natural and has nothing to do with use of the surface.

Discussion: Above plaza surface 2A is a trash fill within which plaza surface 2B and 3 show up in profile. Plaza surface 2B is an ephemeral surface everywhere at the site and it is usually recognized only in profile. It is about 5 cm above plaza surface 2A and is interpreted as a natural erosional surface instead of a cultural plaza surface.

Surface 3

Elevation and Surface Characteristics: Where the surface was identifiable in N110-112 E68-69, it is thin and irregular and yellowish red 5YR 4/6 with a scattering of caliche flecks not found in N110-112 E69-70. Plaza surface 3 has a steep slope on the north end, elevation ranged from 101.02 to 100.72. On the south it disappears.

Features and Artifacts: There was a feature, plaza feature 3, and a couple of artifacts that showed up on the surface. Feature 3 is an adobe capped circular pit. The pit is shallow and the fill gave no evidence of its use. There were sherds, lithics, ollivella and snail shell, minerals, and a corn cob in its fill.

Fill: To the west, the fill above plaza surface 3 is a hard, compact adobe stratum, possibly a collapsed adobe wall. The wall fall munsell is 5 YR 4/4, reddish brown. Farther east, a thin layer of ash rests immediately on plaza surface 3.

Discussion: This is a cultural surface but was not an intentionally made surface just like plaza surface 2A. Plaza surface 3 does not extend as far as plaza surface 2. On the north it terminates in plaza surface 4 at about N108 E70 and N110.55 E69.90.

Surface 4

Elevation and Surface Characteristics: In the north the elevations range from a high of 101.29 to a low of 101.25 while in the east the high is 101.29 and the low is 101.13. The elevation at the nail on the north profile is 101.26 at N112 E67.63 and at the nail on the east profile 101.17 at N111.41 E68.

Features and Artifacts: Plaza surface 4 contained feature 7, a shallow pit about 10 cm deep filled with clean sand and adobe with stick impressions, like roof fall material. Its function is unknown. Feature 6, a roasting pit, is also associated with plaza surface 4. This feature had nine massive upright sandstone slabs placed in a circle of approximately one-meter diameter. These sandstone slabs were approximately 50 cm long. Sandstone slabs were layered horizontally in the bottom of the pit. Lots of large pieces of charcoal were found towards the bottom of the pit. Many corncobs were found just south of the feature on this surface. In general it appears as though the feature was cleaned out. Very few artifacts were found to be in direct association with plaza surface 4.

Structure 2, one of the two subterranean structures excavated at Homol'ovi IV, originated in Plaza surface 4. Additionally, the floor of structure 101, one of the latest surface structures built at Homol'ovi IV, rests on surface 4, suggesting major usage associated with this surface.

Fill: Fill directly above plaza surface 4 consisted of a gray-green ash that extended from N112 E66.15 to N112 E67.92. Directly below the ash layer, was a mottled type soil consisting of reddish clay, charcoal and caliche. In the east profile plaza surface 4 was under a soft sandy soil.

Discussion: Plaza surface 4 is the next largest plaza surface having only a slightly smaller extent than plaza surface 2. In the south end of N105-112 E69-70, plaza surface 4 disappears into plaza surface 2. Plaza surface 4 was only uncovered in N110-112 E68-70 but it showed up in profile in the rest of the E69-70 trench. Across most of the site plaza surface 4 is identifiable by multiple ash pockets that lie on top of the surface and occasionally within the fill above the surface. The surface is reddish brown to 5YR 4/ 4 and yellowish red5YR 4/6. Caliche flecks help identify the surface. Plaza surface 4 has a fairly gentle slope to where it meets plaza surface 2 from 101.25 in the north to 100.48 in the south.

Surface 5

Elevation and Surface Characteristics: The elevation taken at N111.23 E68 is 101.35 and the elevation taken at N111 E66.15 is 101.34. The surface was of a harder clay consistency, and reddish brown 5YR 4/3 and 2.5YR 4/4.

Features and Artifacts: Point located artifacts include sherds, bones, lithics, mineral (limonite) and pecking stones. No features were associated with plaza surface 5;

Fill: The fill consisted of sand and very tiny gravel.

Discussion: Underneath plaza surface 5 was a sandy soil similar to deposits above the surface, but without gravel. It is possible that structures 4 and 5 were built on surface 5 or a similar plaza surface because the structures overlie plaza surface 4.

Chapter: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

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