webb] ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF NORRIS BASIN 79 



the primary floor. In sections of the collapsed wall every post was 

 shown by its charred remains, the basal end terminating exactly in a 

 post mold at the boundary. But these posts in falling had been held 

 up off the primary floor by as much as a foot or more of red clay. 

 Although the clay was under the fallen and burned wall and rested 

 on an unburned floor, yet it was hardened and discolored as a result 

 of the considerable heat action. The clay immediately over portions 

 of this structure showed much less effect of burning. Further, por- 

 tions of this fallen structure were not all at the same level above the 

 primary floor. The conclusion seemed inevitable that this structure 

 before burning had been covered with earth. While the structure 

 was burning, the clay on top of the building, due to its position, was 

 subject to considerable heat. As the burning progressed, holes in the 

 wooden structure allowed some portion of this burned clay, on the 

 roof of the building, to fall through to the primary floor. Finally, 

 the whole building collapsed, with the result that where the roof 

 clay had fallen in on the primary floor it prevented the charred walls 

 from reaching that level when they fell later. Careful observation 

 here seemed clearly to demonstrate that this was what happened on 

 this site, and definitely suggests that the roof of the structure was 

 covered with earth before the burning. It would seem utterly im- 

 possible for earth to have been carried and placed on this structure 

 while it was burning, which would have been necessary if the condi- 

 tion here presented was to have been attained. In plate 41 are shown 

 portions of this structure, a foot or more above the structure floor, 

 held up by the burned earth underneath the charred remains. 



As soon as excavation inside the secondary structure was begun, 

 another clay seat of two steps, shown in plate 131, &, was discovered 

 on the primary floor. This seat against the south wall of the pri- 

 mary structure was symmetrically located and is shown in figure 34, 

 which is a ground plan of the primary floor. The seat was well 

 preserved, very hard and dry, and had been fire-hardened. However, 

 after having been exposed for several days and subjected to the 

 action of the weather, with intervals of rain and hot sun, it began 

 to crack and finally to crumble badly. It was, however, clear that 

 the seat was well made originally. It had been made with smooth 

 surfaces and comparatively square corners. The dimensions of this 

 seat are shown in figure 35. 



Attention should be called to the large post mold nearly a foot in 

 diameter located at the northwest corner immediately adjacent to 

 this seat. This mold was too near the primary wall to serve any 

 ordinary useful purpose in wall construction, and it definitely sug- 

 gests some association with the seat. This mold is shown in a close- 

 up of this seat in plate 131, a, shown with seats from other sites. 



