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Paleoindian Archaic Basketmaker II Basketmaker III Pueblo I Pueblo II Pueblo III
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The Archaic Period: 5500 to 1000 B.C.HousingBecause Archaic peoples traveled throughout the year in search of food, their homes had to be easy to build and easy to take down. And so Archaic houses were simple structures consisting of a framework of branches covered with animal hides, reeds, or brush (Figure 1). They were usually built over a shallow basin, which meant their floors were slightly belowground. Fire hearths and storage pits are sometimes found both inside and outside the houses. Some houses during the Archaic period were built in open areas, but others were constructed in natural rock alcoves, which provided protection from the elements.
Because the materials used in the construction of Archaic houses decay over time, and because sites dating from this time are very old, often the only remnants archaeologists find are stains in the earth. Small, round, dark spots arranged in a circle are where the posts that formed the structure walls rotted or burned in place; archaeologists call these stains “postholes.” In addition, patches of fire-blackened or -reddened earth sometimes mark the locations of hearths or campfires (Figure 2).
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