140 TWO summers' WORK IN PUEBLO RUINS [eth. ann. 22 



tery, washing away the superficial soil and leaving a great niimlier of 

 small bowlders. Digging among tliese stones was very difficult, and 

 many of the burial objects of pottery were broken in extracting them 

 from the earth. This part of the stream bed is not floodeil except at 

 times of freshets, and it is covered with a .scanty vegetation, composed 

 mainly of small clumps of .sage brushes. This vegetation gave indi- 

 cation of the existence of graves, for a skeleton was found under 

 almost eveiy bush, often buried less than a foot below the surface. 



A second larger cemeterj' was found on the opposite side of the 

 ruin at about the same distance from the houses as was the first. The 

 l)urials at this place were very deep, but the soil was a sandy allu- 

 vium in which the pottery was better preserve<l. As far down as the 

 soil was penetrated skeletons and pottery were found. The greatest 

 difficulty in getting them was due to the caving in of the ejubank- 

 ments. Most of the finest specimens were obtained at this point, but 

 the supply was by no means exhausted. 



The bodies were buried extended at full length, and witJi no effort 

 at a common orientation. Most of the skeletons were jiooi'ly pre- 

 served, even the larger bones crumbling as they were removed from 

 the graves. A number of perfect skulls, including those of adults 

 and children, male and female, were, however, obtained from both cem- 

 eteries. No evidence was noticed of an attempt to cover the bodies 

 with logs, as was done at the Chaves pass ruins, or with flat stones, 

 as was so common at llomolobi. No fragment of a wrapping of mats 

 or basketry Wiis foiind. 



A cooking j)ot found in this cemetery contained a lump of clay, 

 rib bones of some mammal, a stone polisher, and many cedar twigs. 

 Witliin this bowl were two smaller vessels turned upside down. 



Most of the pottei'y found in th(^ cemeteries of Four-mile ruin was 

 covered with a tenacious, wliite, calcareous deposit, which was easily 

 removed by washing. 



Collections 



POTTERY 



Principal Types 



The pottery of Four-mile ruin is essentially the same as tliat found 

 at llomololii and Chevlon in ISfMi, and consists of about the same 

 proportion of decorated and of rough, coiled ware, the former 

 predominating. 



The rough ware differs but little from that of the pueblos already 

 mentioned, Imt there is a great increase in the nnmbei' of specimens 

 of this ware with a smooth blackened interior. The percentage of 

 this kind of pottery increases as we go south from the ruins about 

 the inhaiiited villages of the Hopis, and is greatest in the ruins on the 

 Gila-Salado watershed. The blackened interior resembles the black 



I 



