Schoolhouse Point Mesa Data: Shell Artifacts from All Contexts

The Schoolhouse Point Mesa archaeological sites are part of an extensive settlement system on the southern banks of the Salt River. The Arizona State University, Office of Cultural Resource Management, Roosevelt Platform Mound Study (RPMS) divided the Schoolhouse Point Mesa settlement complex into two groups: the Schoolhouse Management Group and the Livingston Management Group. The Schoolhouse Management Group includes those sites on the west side of Pinto Creek Wash, while the Livingston Management Group includes sites on the east side of the wash. Schoolhouse Point Mound (AZ U:8:24(ASM), AR-03-12-06-13a(USFS)) is the largest site in the Schoolhouse Management Group and on the mesa. The mound is treated in a separate report volume and its data are reported separately (Please see https://core.tdar.org/project/394037). The Schoolhouse Point Mesa report volumes and data document the remaining 23 archaeological sites in the Schoolhouse Management Group. Nineteen of the sites are located on the mesa, while four are west of the mesa on the terraces overlooking the Salt River.

The Schoolhouse Point Mesa Data table Shell Artifacts from All Contexts presents a summary of the shell artifacts recovered from all investigated contexts (both screened and unscreened) at Schoolhouse Point Mesa sites (except Schoolhouse Point Mound, which is reported separately). The table lists archaeological sites designated by Arizona State Museum (ASM) site numbers (without the "AZ" common to all ASM numbers) (e.g., U:8:205 = ASM site number AZ U:8:205). It then lists designated archaeological contexts - strata - at each site. The strata represent major natural or cultural depositional events such as erosional fill, roof fall, floor contexts, and sterile substrate. Strata are depicted as horizontal rows of interconnected boxes on a Harris Matrix. In this table, the archaeological contexts - strata - are identified by a combination of numbering systems: the ASM site number, a colon, the feature number, and the stratum letter designation (EX: U:3:198:006A, U:3:198:006B). Within a feature, each stratum is designated by the feature number (e.g., 10, 11, 12, etc.) and a letter that designates a particular stratum (e.g., A, B, C). The letters are assigned in descending order. Mixed levels and artifacts collected out of context are designated by a "?". Artifacts from each feature (or mixed context) are tallied according to strata. Please see column metadata for further detail. Please also see the Schoolhouse Point Mesa strata data tables for further data about each stratum, including the assigned stratum type, at the following tDAR urls:
https://core.tdar.org/dataset/394455
https://core.tdar.org/dataset/394457
https://core.tdar.org/dataset/394458
https://core.tdar.org/dataset/394376

The table then provides the frequency (count) of different shell artifact types for each stratum. Note that it provides a count of shell artifacts, and not individual pieces of shell.

The Schoolhouse Point Mesa Data tables were originally published in the Roosevelt Platform Mound Monograph Series No. 8 titled "The Archaeology of Schoolhouse Point Mesa, Roosevelt Platform Mound Study: Report on the Schoolhouse Point Mesa Sites, Schoolhouse Management Group, Pinto Creek Complex." The tables were published in an appendix at the end of the volume. Please see the report volume at the following tDAR URL: https://core.tdar.org/document/394293