"OF EARTH AND FIRE"

It's been an archaeological puzzle for over 50 years.
Recent excavations near Roosevelt Lake, northeast of Phoenix, may shed new light.

Ceramics

Bits of broken pottery, called sherds, are like pieces to the archaeological puzzle. Just as a car can be determined to be old or new by its style, researchers can date pottery by its style. Clay, and inclusions added to strengthen it, can be traced to their sources, providing evidence of where pottery was made and traded. Archaeologists gain clues about cultural interactions when a society’s style of pottery begins to be used and made elsewhere.

Tonto Basin Timeline

Early in the Tonto Basin’s history, all pottery was made locally. Around AD 800, ceramics from the Hohokam region began to be imported. The use of these vessels declined with the introduction of ceramics from Puebloan areas around AD1100. Salado polychrome pottery was introduced about 1280, and was soon being manufactured in the Basin. Studies of the manufacture and trade of these varied ceramic types yield clues to the mix of local and non-local influences that make up the Salado Horizon.

	Red-on-buff AD 700-1050 These early imports to the Tonto Basin came from the Hohokam areas to the south, like the Phoenix Basin.
	Black-on-white AD 1050-1300 These vessels were imported from areas north of Tonto Basin, on the Colorado Plateau.
	Salado Polychromes AD 1280-1450 During the Salado period in the Tonto Basin, several styles of these red, black, and white vessels were produced. They were first imported from areas north of the Basin, and later made locally.

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