Basketmaker III period
ancient culture of the southwest United States
The Basketmaker III period (500 to 750 CE) also called the "Modified Basketmaker" period, was the third period in which ancient Pueblo people were cultivating food, began making pottery and living in more sophisticated clusters of pit-house dwellings. Hunting was easier with the adoption of the bow and arrow.
The Basketmaker III period is preceded by the Late Basketmaker II period, and is followed by the Pueblo I period.
Architecture
In the Basketmaker III period, people continued to live in pit-houses, but the architecture changed. Now the houses were larger, included division on the space into sections, a large central hearth, addition of vestibules, and slabs of stone were used to line the walls.
Most pit-houses were built out in the open on tops of mesas. Pit-houses were built in a hole several feet deep between 8 and 20 feet (2.4 and 6.1 m) in diameter. A log frame was built to support side walls and a roof that were covered with woven reeds, grass and, lastly, mud for weatherproofing. In the center of a roof was an opening used for ventilation and an entrance to the dwelling. Some pit-houses had an attached storage room.
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