Small Site Function and Duration of Occupation in the Hohokam Northern Periphery

Abstract

A site typology developed for the Hohokam core area in the Phoenix Basin is evaluated for sites in the northern periphery using excavated data from small sites on the New and Verde rivers. Assumed differences in the tasks carried out at limited activity locations, field houses, farmsteads, and hamlets are examined using the ceramic and lithic assemblages recovered at these sites. This study evaluates the applicability of the Hohokam site typology to sites outside of the Phoenix Basin and the appropriateness of functionally based site typologies in general. An alternative interpretation of small sites is offered relying on differences in duration of occupation, rather than differences in function. Additionally, the analysis suggests the New River and Verde River areas may have been exploited in different ways by the Hohokam.