Chronology and Cultural Variation in Basketmaker Ii

Chronometric dates, architecture, durable material culture, and rock art are examined to assess variation in Basketmaker II between approximately 1000 B.C. and A.D. 500. Data from alcove and open sites in eight eastern and western regions of the Colorado Plateau are compared. The overall similarities indicate that Basketmaker II is a shared system in which local and regional populations participated momentarily and over time. The system was in place by 400 B.C. and had solidified by 200 B.C. The architecture, artifacts, and rock art point to the presence and exchange of specific ideas, and practices. The Basketmaker II system probably emerged from existing Archaic patterns and became more homogeneous as a successful and sustainable identity developed.