Excavation of Archaeological Site 5HF1100 on the Bucci Ranch, Huerfano County,Colorado

摘要

Emergency salvage excavations were undertaken of surviving portions of 5HF1100 inApril of 1993. When discovered in 1991, two hearths were eroding from an arroyo cut bank; progressive erosion was documented in subsequent site visits over the next two years. Investigations in 1992 consisted of excavation of a 1 m x 5 m block, profiling a nearby arroyo segment, and instrument mapping. Very few artifacts were found in association. A few burned juniper berries and Echinocereus seeds found in hearths suggest plant processing, although the evidence is meager. Three radiocarbon assays on samples taken from hearths in 1991 and 1993 suggest a principal date of occupation in the terminal Late Archaic or earliest Early Ceramic period, ca. A.D. 70-450 (calibrated). A thin unit bearing sparse quantities of charcoal and overlying the features by 30-40 cm may be a second, minor component. Little remains of site 5HF1100, and excavation is regarded as complete.