Phase III: Test Excavation Program
The final phase of the CRSS consisted of excavations in residential contexts. The test excavation program, the most localized scale of the project, included off-mound stratigraphic test units targeting midden deposits adjacent to residential structures.
The Phase III excavation units consisted of 1 x 2 meter units, typically located on the peripheries of residential complexes. These excavations provided samples of residential refuse that were crucial for reconstructing precise occupational chronologies and changes in regional political and economic systems. Artifacts recovered in the test excavations provided a nuanced understanding the organization of local production and distribution, the degree of integration of households and communities into interregional exchange networks, and changing patterns of political affiliation. |