﻿PIT 
  HOUSES 
  — 
  JUDD. 
  405 
  

  

  At 
  this 
  point 
  the 
  banquette 
  had 
  been 
  widened 
  to 
  36 
  inches 
  (91.4 
  cm.) 
  

   and 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  outstanding 
  wall 
  of 
  clay 
  probably 
  affords 
  a 
  

   reasonably 
  accurate 
  idea 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  space 
  between 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  

   bench 
  and 
  the 
  original 
  valley 
  surface. 
  A 
  second, 
  though 
  now 
  

   shattered, 
  block 
  of 
  adobe 
  left 
  by 
  the 
  original 
  excavators 
  connected 
  

   the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  bench 
  with 
  the 
  posthole 
  previously 
  mentioned. 
  It 
  is, 
  

   of 
  course, 
  quite 
  impossible 
  to 
  establish 
  the 
  conditions 
  which 
  obtained 
  

   here 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  occupancy, 
  that 
  is, 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  width, 
  or 
  function, 
  

   of 
  these 
  two 
  protruding 
  sections 
  of 
  unexcavated 
  earth. 
  Being 
  to- 
  

   ward 
  the 
  east, 
  they 
  may 
  have 
  formed 
  or 
  supported 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  steps 
  

   connecting 
  with 
  an 
  entrance 
  through 
  the 
  roof, 
  but 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  so 
  

   little 
  remained 
  after 
  caving 
  of 
  the 
  bank 
  leaves 
  this 
  uncertain. 
  One 
  

   is 
  inclined 
  to 
  the 
  belief, 
  rather, 
  that 
  the 
  large 
  post 
  which 
  stood 
  just 
  

   within 
  the 
  wall 
  at 
  this 
  place 
  was 
  provided 
  with 
  notches 
  and 
  served 
  

   as 
  a 
  ladder. 
  

  

  In 
  roof 
  construction 
  this 
  second 
  Chaco 
  Canyon 
  pit 
  house 
  is 
  not 
  

   unlike 
  others 
  of 
  the 
  type 
  found 
  elsewhere. 
  Two 
  posts, 
  7 
  inches 
  and 
  

   8-J 
  inches 
  (17.1 
  and 
  21.5 
  cm.) 
  in 
  diameter, 
  stood 
  about 
  2 
  inches 
  

   (5.08 
  cm.) 
  inside 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  bench 
  at 
  the 
  northwest 
  and 
  north- 
  

   east 
  quarters, 
  respectively 
  (fig. 
  2) 
  ; 
  since 
  the 
  room 
  has 
  been 
  almost 
  

   equally 
  divided 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  assumed 
  that 
  corresponding 
  posts 
  also 
  

   stood 
  in 
  that 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  dwelling 
  now 
  missing. 
  Vertical 
  sections 
  

   had 
  been 
  gouged 
  from 
  the 
  adobe 
  bench 
  and, 
  after 
  the 
  posts 
  had 
  been 
  

   placed 
  and 
  blocked 
  in 
  with 
  stone 
  and 
  earth, 
  the 
  front 
  of 
  each 
  cut 
  

   was 
  closed 
  with 
  stone 
  slabs 
  and 
  plastered 
  over. 
  Among 
  the 
  slabs 
  

   covering 
  the 
  northwest 
  upright 
  was 
  a 
  metate, 
  worn 
  through 
  at 
  the 
  

   bottom, 
  set 
  on 
  end 
  with 
  its 
  grinding 
  surface 
  toward 
  the 
  post. 
  Sev- 
  

   eral 
  coats 
  of 
  smoked 
  plaster 
  had 
  been 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  slightly 
  con- 
  

   cave 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  bench, 
  and 
  its 
  upper 
  surface 
  was 
  hard 
  and 
  smooth 
  

   as 
  though 
  from 
  long 
  usage. 
  

  

  Twenty-two 
  small 
  posts 
  of 
  about 
  2 
  inches 
  diameter 
  had 
  been 
  

   placed 
  around 
  the 
  exposed 
  banquette 
  at 
  an 
  average 
  distance 
  of 
  20 
  

   inches 
  (50.8 
  cm.) 
  from 
  its 
  face. 
  These 
  were 
  set 
  approximately 
  

   14 
  inches 
  apart 
  and 
  all 
  stood 
  in 
  an 
  upright 
  position 
  extending 
  and 
  

   inclining, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  to 
  cross 
  pieces 
  supported 
  by 
  the 
  four 
  principal 
  

   posts 
  already 
  noted. 
  The 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  carries 
  the 
  infer- 
  

   ence 
  that 
  that 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  roof 
  between 
  the 
  posts 
  was 
  flat 
  or 
  

   narly 
  so. 
  And 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  unreasonable 
  to 
  assume 
  that 
  the 
  small 
  

   uprights 
  reaching 
  above 
  the 
  bench 
  originally 
  supported 
  layers 
  of 
  

   brush 
  and 
  grass, 
  overlaid 
  with 
  loose 
  earth 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  excava- 
  

   tion. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  recalled 
  that 
  the 
  bench 
  in 
  this 
  pit 
  house 
  was 
  approxi- 
  

   mately 
  16 
  inches 
  below 
  the 
  valley 
  surface 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  construc- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  floor 
  of 
  the 
  dwelling 
  was 
  35 
  inches 
  lower. 
  These 
  

   55379—24 
  27 
  

  

  