9510

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9510
• Author: Jones, A. T.
• Title: A Cross Section of Grand Canyon Archeology
• USFW Year: 1986.
• USFW - Doc Type: Excavations at Five Sites Along the Colorado River.
• Copyright Material: NO

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an expl anation sometimes offered for' the abandonment of the canyon by
the Ana sazi . Other researchers (Madsen 1975) support a later date,
approximately A.D. 1300, for the movement. Thi s controversy suggested
some questi ons. Do the dates obtained from as soci ated contexts
corroborate the current chronology with its gaps in occupations?
Judging from the apparent depth of the deposits, the sites were occupied
numerouS times. Are preceramic components present? No habitation sites
of the salile age as the Late Archa ic spl i t.,twi g fi gurines have been found
below the rims.
The solution to historical problems requires a firm chronology so
that other questions may be tackled with confidence. Using a diachronic
approach, change through time can be examined. For exampl e, as cul tural
affil i ati on of the si tes changed, woul d the economic ori entati on have
changed? The vari ed materi al preserved in shel tered si tes gives a more
complete picture of the types of resources util i zed, the types of tool s
used .to process them and, hence, the entire behavioral process from
collecting to consumption to discard. Given a sufficiently large
sample, we hoped to determine what proportion of the diet was
contributed by products from hunting, gathering or agriculture, and in
what seasons the sites were occupied. Resources not locally available
indicate trade or movement from another area, either by migration or
seasonal movement. We were interested in detennining the nature of the
relationship between specific groups and the size of the interaction
sphere. Were the people self.,sufficient or did they rely on other
groups for items important to their existence?
The subsi stence studi es hel ped detennine whi ch faunal and floral
products were used by man, and which were introduced by noncultural
agenci es. Wi th these data and a good chronology, our knowl edge of
paleoenvironmental conditions was augmented. We wished to discover
how the environment changed through time, and in turn how thi s
affected man's behavior and his use of the resources in thi s marginal
environment. Did fluctuations in rainfall and temperatures precipitate
different adaptive strategies, including abandonment between A.D. 1150
and A. D. 1300?
The various cl asses of data to be presented hel ped answer the above
questions. The orientation is a good example of using a management

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