Oversized Pitstructures in the Central Mesa Verde Region

Author(s): Caitlin Sommer

Year: 2019

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Adopting the Pueblo Fettle: The Breadth and Depth of the Basketmaker III Cultural Horizon" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Basketmaker III period (A.D. 500-725) in the northern U.S. Southwest was typified by new technologies, new social and religious practices, and groups of people from distinct cultural backgrounds living in close proximity for the first time. In this sociopolitical milieu, new architectural forms played an important role in the development of larger communities. Oversized pitstructures, such as the one on the Ridgeline site (5MT10711), were one such kind of architecture. These structures had floor areas of greater than or equal to 60 square meters, making them significantly larger than other domestic structures within a community. This paper explores the rise and role of oversized pitstructures in the central Mesa Verde region.

Cite this Record

Oversized Pitstructures in the Central Mesa Verde Region. Caitlin Sommer. Presented at The 84th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Albuquerque, NM. 2019 ( tDAR id: 451310)

Spatial Coverage

min long: -124.365; min lat: 25.958 ; max long: -93.428; max lat: 41.902 ;

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 26008