45 Geoarchaeology: Sites, Substrate, Sources, and Context (Posters)
GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF FLOOR VARIABILITY IN A FORMATIVE SUNKEN COURT COMPLEX, TARACO PENINSULA, BOLIVIA
Paper number: 45-11
Program: Theme Sessions
Time: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Authors
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Melissa Goodman-ElgarWashington State University, Pullman, WA
Abstract
This study assessed variability in the composition of floor deposits from two Formative sunken court structures using a suite of bulk pedological analyses and soil micromorphology. The Taraco Archaeological Project revealed the two sunken courts in 2003 through a series of discontinuous test pits that followed internal stone walling to occupation surfaces. A variety of flooring deposits, including multiple flooring events, were visible in profile. Characterization of floor deposits enables a more nuanced reconstruction of the structures and the artifacts they contain. These floors add to studies of other Formative floors to further the understanding of Bolivian Formative construction practices.