Archaeological Investigations at AZ U:6:61 (ASU), a Prehistoric Limited Activity Site in South-Central Arizona

摘要

The report documents the archaeological investigations at AZ U:6:61(ASU), an extensive artifact scatter on a Quaternary river terrace above the Salt River in south-central Arizona. The study involved the technological and functional analysis of the lithic assemblage and the statistical analysis of the spatial distribution of artifacts and features within the site area. The distribution of artifacts also was examined in the nonsite portions of the study area. The analyses indicate that the site represents a multicomponent, low intensity occupation of the terrace oriented toward the exploitation of the natural food resources of the desert and riverine environments and the lithic raw material resources of the terrace gravels. The time range for prehistoric utilization of the area may extend from the late Archaic to the Hohokam Classic Period.