Abstract

Ceramics from three Utah great houses, Bluff, Cottonwood Falls, and Edge of the Cedars, were analyzed and compared with ceramics from Three Kiva Pueblo, which is not a great house site but was occupied contemporarily. Data on jar and bowl rim diameters were considered to understand great house feasting dynamics. Cooking jars with large rim diameters were more common at Three Kiva than they were at the great houses. This suggests that Three Kiva residents prepared large batches of food more frequently than great house residents. Distributions of Mancos Black-on-white bowl diameters were very similar at great houses and Three Kiva, but Three Kiva had bowls with larger diameters than those found at the great houses. Jar sizes suggest it is possible that feasting at great houses took place with a potluck model; however, bowl sizes suggest that Three Kiva also hosted feasts. Data on ceramic origins were considered to look for direction and strength of relationships with outside regions. All of the great houses had higher proportions of imported ceramics than Three Kiva, suggesting that great house residents interacted with people from other regions more frequently. All sites had large proportions of imported ceramics from the Kayenta region. All great house sites had Chuskan and Cibolan sherds, suggesting interaction with Chaco Canyon. Proportions of imported ceramics and the regions from which they came varied for each site, indicating that site residents maintained independent connections to people living in other regions.

Degree

College and Department

Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Anthropology

Rights

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