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The Tonto Creek Archaeological Project (TCAP), funded by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), was conducted by Desert Archaeology, Inc., in advance of the 1994-1996 realignment of Arizona State Route 188 in the Tonto Basin of east-central Arizona. From 1992 to 1996, portions of 27 archaeological sites were investigated. Site components ranged in date from the Middle Archaic period to the Late Historic era. Most dated to the Colonial, Sedentary, and early Classic periods, circa A.D. 750-1325. A total of 108 pithouse, pitroom, and mason surface structures were excavated, as well as numerous other cultural features. These are discussed in Anthropological Papers No. 22, which contains the site and non-mortuary feature descriptions as well as background information on project methods, chronology, and the local environment. More than 300 burials were recovered, with early Classic inhumations accounting for nearly 90 percent of the sample. The burial descriptions and analyses of osteodontic remains and artifact classes recovered primarily from mortuary contexts are presented in Anthropological Papers No. 24. The artifact classes include shell and ground stone jewelry, bone artifacts, wooden objects, and clay-lined painted baskets. Anthropological Papers No. 23 (Volume 1) reports on the various analyses conducted on the ceramic assemblage recovered from both domestic and mortuary contexts in the project area. This volume, Anthropological Papers No. 23 (Volume 2) discusses the analyses of flaked and ground stone, pollen, botanical, and faunal remains. Among the important findings of the flaked stone analysis (Chapter 9) is the association of "high" side-notched projectile points with Miami/Hardt phase contexts. This point type is one of the few diagnostic artifacts from this pivotal and inadequately resolved interval. The proliferation of projectile points during the Classic period, in terms of both quantity and types, and potentially more lethal design suggests increased conflict shortly before final abandonment of the project area. The meager Classic period faunal assemblage (Chapter 13) is dominated by small animals, indicating the heightened interest in projectile points is not related to an increase in large game hunting. Temporal trends in ground stone (Chapter 10) include an increase, over time, in the proportion of designed artifacts over expedient tools. The variety of tools and the range of activities in which they are utilized also increase. By the Classic period, a significant portion of the ground stone tool assemblage was used in nonfood-processing activities such as architectural construction, shaftsmoothing, hideworking, and woodworking. Several unique contexts are also described in detail, including a cache of ground and unworked stone items recovered from a floor pit in a small pre-Classic pithouse that may have been used as a sweat lodge. Sagebrush was the only economic pollen type recovered from this structure. A large and varied collection of macrobotanical remains (Chapter 11) and pollen (Chapter 12) was recovered from the project area. The presence of maize in Early Agricultural contexts at the Boatyard site indicates this cultigen has a long history in the Tonto Basin, extending back at least into the first millennium B.C. Although maize continues to be an important resource throughout the prehistoric sequence, the TCAP macrobotanical record documents a dramatic increase in agave and wild grass exploitation during the perhaps "not-so" Sedentary period. Notable trends in the Classic period botanical assemblage include continued high maize and agave ubiquities and a substantial increase in cotton ubiquity. The latter may be related to an expansion of irrigation systems in the adjacent Tonto Creek floodplain as indicated by elevated Evening Primrose Family pollen counts.

The Tonto Creek Archaeological Project (TCAP) area was located in the Tonto Basin of east-central Arizona. The project, funded by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), was undertaken by Desert Archaeology, Inc., in advance of the 1994-1996 realignment of Arizona State Route (SR) 188. The area available for investigation was a 61-m- (200-ft-) wide corridor, centered on the planned route for the realigned highway. This corridor, on Tonto National Forest land, followed a 13.3-km (8-mi) stretch of the western terrace overlooking Tonto Creek. From 1992 to 1996, portions of 27 archaeological sites were investigated in the project area. To coordinate archaeological investigation with the construction timetable, the TCAP area was divided into three sections (south-to-north): Sycamore Creek, Punkin Center, and Slate Creek. The Punkin Center section contained most of the sites, and over 80 percent of the field effort was expended in this section. Site components ranged in date from the Middle Archaic period to the Late Historic era. The majority dated to the Colonial, Sedentary, and early Classic periods, circa A.D. 750-1325. A total of 108 structures and 315 burials were excavated, in addition to numerous other cultural features. The architectural sample included pre-Classic period pit structures, as well as early Classic period pitrooms and surface masonry rooms. Early Classic inhumations accounted for nearly 90 percent of the excavated mortuary features. Other mortuary features included 21 Colonial period cremations and 13 pre-Classic inhumations. Eight sites in the Punkin Center section yielded the vast majority of burial features.Only two of the 315 burials were encountered outside of the Punkin Center section. A large assemblage of mortuary offerings was recovered from TCAP burials. Nearly 1,150 whole and reconstructible ceramic vessels, 37,500 pieces of shell and ground stone jewelry, and 187 projectile points were recovered from mortuary contexts. Additionally, painted wooden objects, three clay-lined and painted baskets, and several ground stone tools were collected. This collection was thoroughly documented prior to its repatriation to the Salt River-Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in 2000. This volume contains the descriptions of mortuary features from the project area and many of the analyses related to the mortuary assemblage.

This volume presents analyses of the ceramics collected from excavations conducted by Desert Archaeology, Inc. as part of the Tonto Creek Archaeological Project (TCAP) in the Tonto Basin, Gila County, of east-central Arizona. The project was funded by the Arizona Department of Transportation prior to the widening and realignment of State Route 188 from 1994 to 1996. Over the course of fieldwork from 1992 to 1996, 27 sites were investigated through mapping, surface collection, and excavation. Site components ranged in age from the Middle Archaic to the late Historic era. This volume reports on materials from ceramic period components at prehistoric sites, generally dating from about A.D. 700 to A.D. 1350. A synthetic period-level approach is taken, rather than site-by-site treatment; site-specific discussions are found in Anthropological Papers Number 22, Volumes 1 and 2. The primary goal in this volume is to examine basin-wide temporal trends of functional and stylistic change in ceramic assemblages, patterns of production and distribution, and general ceramic technology. The Pioneer, Colonial, Sedentary, and early Classic periods are represented in the ceramic assemblage. Investigated sites include seasonal farmsteads and year-round habitation sites, as well as several limited-activity sites. Occupational, functional, and temporal variation are well established in the data set. In addition to extensive sherd collections from domestic contexts (architectural and general refuse), 1,259 whole and reconstructible vessels from all contexts were analyzed, including 1,044 from mortuary contexts. Analyses focused on temporal trends in ceramic assemblages, production and exchange, functional variation, and stylistic variation. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the ceramic collection. General temporal trends are summarized, the project area is placed in regional context, and basic research questions are formulated. Chapter 2 addresses chronological issues, including site dating, temporal trends in settlement, and temporal variation in ceramic wares and vessel forms. Chapter 3 details the petrographic analysis used to model production and exchange of utilitarian pottery manufactured within the Tonto Basin. A synthetic treatment of ceramic production and exchange is presented in Anthropological Papers Number 25. Chapter 4 presents a detailed analysis of whole and reconstructible vessels, including variation in form and size. Chapter 5 explores functional variation in the whole vessel collection. A study of the worked sherds, particularly perforated disks (or "spindle whorls"), is presented in Chapter 6. A stylistic analysis of decorated whole vessels is the topic of Chapter 7, focusing on attributes that distinguish "local" or Tonto Basin design structures from nonlocal designs. Chapter 8 synthesizes the preceding chapters. Conclusions are drawn from the detailed analyses that bear on the general research questions posed in Chapter 1. Temporal and regional implications of these results are also discussed.

The Tonto Creek Archaeological Project (TCAP) area was located in the Tonto Basin of east-central Arizona. The project, funded by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) was undertaken by Desert Archaeology in advance of the 1994-1996 realignment of Arizona State Route 188. The area available for investigation was a 61-m-wide (200-ft) corridor centered on the planned route for the realigned highway. The corridor followed a 13.3-km (8-mi) stretch of the western terrace overlooking Tonto Creek floodplain. The two volumes of Anthropological Papers Number 22 contain the site and non-mortuary feature descriptions in addition to background information regarding project methods, chronology, and the local environment. Volume 1 contains the introductory material and the Slate Creek and Sycamore Creek site descriptions. Volume 2 is devoted entirely to sites investigated in the Punkin Center section. Mortuary features descriptions are presented in Archaeological Papers Number 24.

The Tonto Creek Archaeological Project (TCAP) area was located in the Tonto Basin of east-central Arizona. The project, funded by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) was undertaken by Desert Archaeology in advance of the 1994-1996 realignment of Arizona State Route 188. The area available for investigation was a 61-m-wide (200-ft) corridor centered on the planned route for the realigned highway. The corridor followed a 13.3-km (8-mi) stretch of the western terrace overlooking Tonto Creek floodplain. The two volumes of Anthropological Papers Number 22 contain the site and non-mortuary feature descriptions in addition to background information regarding project methods, chronology, and the local environment. Volume 1 contains the introductory material and the Slate Creek and Sycamore Creek site descriptions. Volume 2 is devoted entirely to sites investigated in the Punkin Center section. Mortuary features descriptions are presented in Archaeological Papers Number 24.