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63 <br /> eastern Colorado. This unexpected association makes the site's <br /> temporal placement problematic and significant since this is the <br /> earliest recorded date for a ceramic artifact in the foothills <br /> region (Cassells and Farrington 1986:136-138) . <br /> Mean radiocarbon age estimates of 2, 660 +/- 90 years and 990 <br /> +/- 60 years B.P. were obtained from buried charcoal excavated <br /> from two different stratigraphic levels on site SBL2431 (Grant <br /> 1990) . The upper or younger component was associated with <br /> pottery and artifact styles indicative of the Early Ceramic <br /> period; no pottery was found within the earlier component. These <br /> results were consistent with expectations based on previous <br /> findings throughout eastern Colorado. However, the radiocarbon <br /> age estimate of 2, 660 +/- 90 years B.P. was obtained from <br /> charcoal that was over 2 meters (5.56 feet) below the ground <br /> surface. Archaeological sites in eastern Colorado rarely attain <br /> such depth and significantly earlier radiocarbon ages are <br /> typically recovered from much shallower cultural strata. <br /> Radiocarbon data from both of these sites raises unique questions <br /> about the Study Area. Site 5BL876 provides limited evidence that <br /> ceramic technology may have been introduced to groups living on <br /> Indian Mountain markedly earlier than is generally believed to <br /> have occurred within the foothills region. Site 5BL2431 provides <br /> evidence that sites on the valley floor may be subject to <br /> depositional processes that are not typical of other sites in the <br /> region, and that Late Archaic and earlier components may be <br /> deeply buried. The following questions will direct research <br /> efforts aimed at establishing a more detailed chronology: <br /> 1) Is additional evidence of early ceramic technology <br /> present within the Study Area? <br /> 2) Do deeply stratified sites such as SBL2431 occur <br /> throughout the valley floor? <br /> 3) Is the apparent paucity of preceramic sites and isolated <br /> artifacts indicative of changes in settlement patterns <br /> through time, the effects of collector activity, <br /> depositional factors, or interactions among all of these? <br />