Statement of Problem with a Focus on the Hohokam

Given that so many different groups made fermented beverages in the New World, and the fact that agave was abundant in Hohokam communities, it is reasonable to ask: were prehistoric vessels used for fermentation in the Hohokam area? To test this idea, we will look at the size and surface characteristics of prehistoric vessels recovered from the Marana Community in the northwest portion of the Tucson Basin.

     Images:
          · 7_02, Hohokam vessels from Snaketown, illustrating the many forms that were made.
          · 7_04, flute/ball players from Huntington Site. Is one of these players potentially sipping a drink
           through a straw?

The Ceramic Assemblage from Room 2, Compound 1, Marana Mound

The ceramic assemblage from Room 2 in Compound 1 consists of a number of very large plain ware jars. These have been classified as {type name} by Hohokam archaeologists. They are too fragmentary to be reconstructed in full, but a couple of vessels have been partially reconstructed.

     Images:
          · 3_05, A General View of the Marana area, showing Zone 2.
          · Large reconstructed vessel from Marana Mound (need full provenience and catalog number)
          · Photograph of sherds from one unreconstructed vessel from Marana Mound, Room 2,
           Compound 1

Reconstructing Size from Ceramic Vessels

Volume is the best way of representing vessel size. However, when dealing with fragmentary vessels, rim radius or diameter is often used as a proxy for vessel size. The two variables are closely correlated, especially for jars. If one has a large assemblage of reconstructed vessels from the archaeological area one is working in, it is possible to come up with a predictive formula to convert rim diameter measurements to vessel volume. However, very few jars from the Tucson Basin have been recovered whole or reconstructed. Thus, we will use rim diameters as the best proxy for vessel size.

3. Data on Marana vessel sizes
     Images:
          · Histogram of rim diameters
          · Bivariate graph (similar scale to Matt's Tarahumara vessels)

4. Data on surface attrition and use alteration.
     Images:
          · Close-ups of Marana surface attrition and possible use-alteration (need to be taken)

(Continued)