Ceramic: Worked Sherds, AMNH29.0

Summary

Worked Sherds From Aztec West Ruin, Accession AMNH 29.0, Catalog Numbers: 9815-9818 (Morris FS 3299-3302), 9820-9838 (Morris FS 3304-3322), 9840-9841 (Morris FS 3324-3325). Analyzed by Lori Reed, 2004. Image AMNH29-chip-disk-A: sherd disks formed by chipping, no evidence of grinding (a. AMNH29.0/9836 PII/IIIstyle b/w; b. AMNH29.0/9830 Mesa Verde style b/w; c. AMNH29.0/9835 PIII style b/w; d. AMNH29.0/9837 Mesa Verde style b/w; e. AMNH29.0/9831 Mesa Verde style b/w; f. AMNH29.0/9827 Mesa Verde style b/w). Image AMNH29-chip-disk-B: sherd disks formed by chipping, no evidence of grinding (a. AMNH29.0/9828 Mesa Verde style b/w; b. AMNH29.0/9832 Mesa Verde style b/w; c. AMNH29.0/9826 Mesa Verde style b/w; d. AMNH29.0/9825 Mesa Verde style b/w). Image AMNH29-9823-chip-disk-C: large sherd with all edges chipped, no evidence of grinding. Image AMNH29-chip-disk-D: sherd disks formed by chipping, no evidence of grinding (a. AMNH29.0/9821 Wingate Black-on-red; b. AMNH29.0/9815 Wingate Polychrome interior view). Image AMNH29-chip-disk-E: AMNH29.0/9815 Wingate Polychrome exterior view. Image AMNH29-grind-disk-A: sherd disks formed by chipping and intermittent grinding (a. AMNH29.0/9841 corrugated gray; b. AMNH29.0/9834 PIII style b/w; c. AMNH29.0/9838 Mesa Verde style b/w; d. AMNH29.0/9829 PIII style b/w). Image AMNH29-grind-disk-B: red ware sherd disks formed by chipping and intermittent grinding (a. AMNH29.0/9817 St Johns Black-on-red; b. AMNH29.0/9818 White Mountain Red Ware indeterminate b/red; c. AMNH29.0/9820 Wingate Black-on-red; d. AMNH29.0/9816 White Mountain Red Ware indeterminate b/red). Image AMNH29-chip-disk-C: sherd disks formed by complete grinding of all edges (a. AMNH 29.0/9833 McElmo B/w; b. AMNH29.0/9824 PIII style b/w). Image AMNH29-perforated: oval to square sherds shaped by grinding with four perforated holes evenly spaced at corners (a. AMNH29.0/9840 corrugated gray; b. AMNH29.0/9822 Mesa Verde style b/w). Recovered from Earl Morris excavations of refuse deposits above Room 138, Aztec West Ruin. Earl Morris’ description of Room 138 at the time of excavation is as follows: “On the floor of Room 138 was a film of refuse containing Chaco potsherds…Thence upward, mixed with dust, wall wreckage, and rubbish from a deposit which had been in the second story, there was an almost inextricable tangle of pine timbers, splints, and cedar bark. There had been no fire above this area and all three ceilings had fallen into the first story room. Having been deeply buried, the wood was perfectly preserved. All of the ceilings had been of the same pattern: two pine log supports with pine poles resting upon them. As has been the case wherever observations have been possible, the supports of the successive ceilings were smaller than those of the ones beneath.”(Morris 1928:389).

Reference: Earl Morris, 1928, Notes on Excavations in the Aztec Ruin, Volume XXVI, Part V, Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History, New York.

Keywords

Temporal Coverage

Calendar Date: 1110 to 1140 (Late Chacoan)

Calendar Date: 1140 to 1280 (Post-Chacoan)

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Gary Brown

Contributor(s): Lori Reed; Anne Grulich; Aztec Ruins National Monument, Aztec, NM; Aztec Ruins National Monument

Principal Investigator(s): Laurie Webster

Repository(s): American Museum of Natural History, New York City, NY

Notes

Rights & Attribution: Artifact was collected from Aztec West Ruin excavations by Earl Morris between 1916 and 1922. Morris' excavations were sponsored and funded by the American Museum of Natural History, New York.

Rights & Attribution: High resolution images of the item are archived and available to researchers through the National Park Service, Aztec Ruins National Monument.

Rights & Attribution: Publication or use of the image is restricted; permission may be obtained through consultation with American Museum of Natural History and Aztec Ruins National Monument.

Source Collections

Original Item: American Museum of Natural History, New York

Image: NPS, Aztec Ruins National Monument, Aztec, New Mexico

Related Comparative Collections

Aztec Ruins Collections housed at Hibben Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

Aztec Ruins Collections housed at American Museum of Natural History, New York

Aztec Ruins Collections housed at Aztec Ruins National Monument, Aztec, New Mexico

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