Home / National Park Service Exhibits / Grand Canyon National Park (GRCA) / Archaeology / Contents of a House 21
In this exhibit you will find the remains of an eleventh century pit house excavated on the South Rim in Grand Canyon National Park. Although the artifacts displayed here are not spectacular by standard definitions, they are the pieces that when put together, tell the story of who, how, and when people lived here. Casual removal of such artifacts from the surfaces of sites alters the story, so please, leave artifacts where you find them.
- Corrugated Sherds
Tusayan Gray Ware, manufactured in the Kayenta cultural area of northeastern Arizona, was the most abundant of the imported ceramic wares found on site. The sherds shown here are all Tusayan Corrugated (A.D. 1050-1175), though several show a zoned pattern involving bands of pinched corrugations and unpinched bands. - Floyd Black-on-gray
This type of pottery (Floyd Black-on-gray) was made between A.D. 800 and 1025 and is associated with the Cohonina archaeological culture. - Pit House
This pit house on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon was home to perhaps four to nine people sometime in the early eleventh to mid-twelfth century (A.D. 1050-1130). Residents of the house appear to have been of the Cohonina archaeological culture, based on ceramic artifacts, with ties to the Kayenta of northeastern Arizona, with whom they traded for decorated pottery, and perhaps the Hohokam to the south, through whom they may have acquired shell and obsidian. The pit house contained a deep floor, a large hearth, and a thick roof, suggesting it was able to keep its residents warm even in the often harsh winter months experienced on the South Rim. The hearth certainly could have generated a large amount of heat for warmth and for cooking relatively large amounts of food. Prior to abandonment of the site, the hearth was filled, the floor covered with sediment and small stones, and the pit house burned, likely by its residents, who took most of their belongings with them when leaving for a new location. Reference: Downum, Christian E. (2011) Archaeological Excavations at Site B:16:105, Grand Canyon National Park. Archaeological Report 1247. Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff. - Awl
This image shows the two sides of a bone awl recovered from the hearth of the pit house. The awl, blackened from burning, was broken during excavation, but could be refit, as shown here. Made from the metapodial of an artiodactyl (deer species), the awl measured 105 mm long and was decorated with a series of worn and polished ridges on one edge. Awls served a variety of purposes and were used prehistorically the manufacture of clothing, baskets, and sandals. - Medicine Black-on-red
Another type of imported ceramic found at the site was Tsegi Orange Ware, also manufactured in the Kayenta cultural area. Types represented include Medicine Black-on-red (shown here), which dates to A.D. 1050-1125, and Tusayan Black-on-red (A.D. 1065-1200). - Deadmans Gray Jar Sherds
Pictured here are the remains of a Deadmans Gray jar recovered from the upper fill of the pit house. This vessel may have rested on the roof before it collapsed and represents the most common pottery type found at the site. - Awl, Close View
A detailed view of the worn or polished ridges on the side of the awl recovered from the pit house hearth. - Tsegi Orange Ware
The mend holes in these Tsegi Orange Ware sherds may indicate the value of traded wares, as holes like these were drilled on either side of a crack and then threaded with cotton or yucca thread or sinew to bind the crack and prolong the life of the vessel. - Polishing Stone
This small, round stone found on the surface of the site may have been a smoothing or polishing stone, tools used most commonly in pottery manufacture. Other ground stone artifacts recovered from the site include grinding tools, such as manos and metates, used to process seeds, corn, and other foods, and abrading tools used in stone tool manufacture and perhaps hide processing. - Tusayan White Ware
Tusayan White Ware is a ceramic type associated with the Kayenta archaeological culture of northeastern Arizona. These likely arrived at the site through trade. - Floyd Black-on-gray, Close View
This photograph shows the broken edge of a piece of Floyd Black-on-gray pottery. The larger pieces that look like sand are called temper, which is used to strengthen ceramic vessels. Temper also helps archaeologists identify ceramic wares and types, and in some cases, can be used to determine where the vessel itself was made. - Shell
A single shell was recovered from the surface of the site. This was an intact and unmodified Turritella sp. (possibly T. leucostoma) shell measuring 25.73 mm long. - Stone Bead
One of the artifacts recovered from the hearth of the pit house was this stone bead. Sediment still clings to the bead, which was likely made of steatite, a soft stone commonly used for beads in the prehistoric northern Southwest. - Projectile Points
Surprisingly, the projectile points (used to tip darts and arrows) recovered from the site are not typical of Cohonina-style points, and instead resemble styles used by earlier peoples (right) and Kayenta or Fremont hunters (left). - Structure
A smaller, rectangular structure was associated with the pit house. This consisted of a small, shallow building built of poles and brush and outlined with masonry. Inside, a large hearth occupied much of the interior, leading to the conclusion that this structure was used primarily for cooking. Analysis of samples taken from within the structure indicate that juniper, pine, oak, and a woody member of the rose family (perhaps cliffrose) were used as fuel, and that maize, prickly pear, and members of the Cheno-Am group(goosefoot and amaranth) were likely cooked as food, as were yucca, mesquite, blueberries, and possibly sheep and bison, as well.