Good Example Of Archeological Site Analysis Essay

There is evidence from the excavation to show that the site was occupied continuously. The lower most layer is a layer of sterile soil. This is an indication of a period in which there were no inhabitants in the site. However, the subsequent layers show evidence of the evolution of the inhabitants of the site over several hundreds of years. The commonality of some artifacts in two subsequent layers is an indication of the fading of one civilization over time and the rise of another civilization with different activities.
There is also evidence of various activities at the excavated sites. Different civilizations engaged in different economic activities as is shown by the artifacts in different layers. One of the predominant activities in the excavated site is agriculture. This is evidenced by artifacts such as corn cobs. Corn cobs are evidence of the growth of maize for food. It is also arguable that the civilizations to which these artifacts belonged processed some of their foods into different forms. For instance, there is evidence of stone grinders which can be used to grind dry corn into a finer consistency.
Another predominant activity for which there is specific evidence of its occurrence in the excavation site is pottery. Pottery as an activity among the civilizations that lived in the excavated site is indicated by Afero phase ceramics, Salado phase ceramics and Roca phase ceramics. These are phases between 600 BC and 600 AD. It is arguable that pottery as an activity during this time was used to create pots that were used for numerous functions, among which is the storage of things such as the maize and other food products from their agricultural activities.
There is also evidence of herding or hunting in the excavated site. There is presence of Camelid bones in various layers that were excavated. Camelids are animals belonging to the Camelidae family. Some examples include alpacas and Llamas. These animals can either be domesticated by people or roam the wild. The ones domesticated promoting activities such as herding which hunting is done to capture the wild Camelids for food. It is for this reason that the presence of Camelid bones does not offer a distinction between the two activities. Instead, the presence of these artifacts indicates that the civilizations that lived in the excavated area engaged in either hunting or herding or both activities.
The progression through the phases in the excavated site gives an indication of climate change. One of the indications that serve as evidence for climate change over time is the change in the type of soil. The change from brown soil in layer F to light brown soil in layer E is an indication of loss of humus of plant material. This is probably due to the occurrence of drought which caused the vegetation to dry over sustained periods of time. As the layers progress from D to A, the soil becomes even lighter and granular. This is an indication of sustained loss of humus and the presence of sandy soil which is predominantly found in dry areas. Additionally, as the layers progress, there is an indication of lesser plant remains in the form of roots. This is consistent with the theory of dried vegetation. This evidence points towards climate change.