Nonstructure 1217, extramural surface

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Features

Hearth (Feature 1) Top of page
General description
Very steep-sided, partly rock-lined, burned pit in extramural use area.
Use history
Used for cooking, food processing, heat, light or all of these. The use-associated fill was left in place, and refuse fill covered the feature and accumulated on the use surface around the pit. An extramural enclosing wall (Feature 1 of Nonstructure 1216) was constructed on the refuse fill sometime later.
Associated features
Excavation procedure
Recorded in provenience data, which are available through the "Field Data: Provenience Data" query in the multisite research database.
Portion excavated
Only the portion within the excavation unit; feature continues outside the unit to the south and east.
Horizontal location
Along the southeast edge of the excavation unit; 6 m southwest of the great tower.
Vertical location
Surface 1, a constructed extramural use surface.
Construction
A steep-sided basin was excavated into the construction sediment (Nonstructure 1217, Segment 1, Stratum 3) that forms Surface 1 of Nonstructure 1217. At least one slab was used to line the southwest wall of the pit; other stones may have originally lined the pit. No other stones were in place in the portion of the feature excavated.
Remodeling/ modification
No
Thermal alteration
Yes. Slight fire reddening of feature walls. Stones in fill are charcoal-stained, but natural color of the stone was not altered by heat.
Sooting
No
Sealed
No
Preservation
Excellent.
Degree of preservation
Shape in plan view
Actual:  unknown.
Inferred:  basin-shaped.
Shape in cross section
Actual:  unknown.
Inferred:  round.
Shape comments
Inferred shape in plan view is circular or oval.
Dimensions
 
Actual
Complete?
Inferred
Comments
Length
100
No
110
Inferred size is approximate.
Width
20
No
Height
No
Depth
24
No
Stratigraphy
Stratum
Interpretation
Inclusions
Disturbance
Color
Texture
1
Much of the fill was use-associated; some of the fill rocks probably came from the feature walls; upper part of the fill is indistinguishable from refuse fill resting on Nonstructure 1216, Surface 2 around and above the feature
Burned adobe nodules; charcoal flecks and nodules; sandstone gravel; small sandstone rocks less than 10 cm diameter; larger rocks up to 20 cm long
Few small roots; insect activity
Dark grayish-brown
Silty loam