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Ancient Basketmaker Village Found in Arizona Petrified Forest

Archaeologists have unearthed a village believed to be about 1,300 years old at Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona.
Image: Projectile point
A projectile point with a serrated edge was among the artifacts found at Petrified Forest National Park.NPS
/ Source: Reuters

PHOENIX — Archaeologists have unearthed a village believed to be about 1,300 years old and containing more than 50 sandstone-walled homes at Petrified Forest National Park in northeastern Arizona, one of the researchers said Friday. The discovery was made by a team that surveyed part of the park during the summer. The homes and other artifacts found at the site are thought to date to betwen the year 200 and 700. "The ceramics at the site tell us that what we found falls within that time," said Amy Schott, an archaeologist who works for the park.

Surveyors say the village could have had as many as 125 inhabitants. Schott said the homes are believed to have been inhabited during the so-called Basketmaker era, when Native American communities in the area were beginning to grow crops for food and establish settlements. Along with ancient pottery, the researchers found rudimentary tools made of stone and petrified wood, as well as pendants crafted from shells. No human remains were found, Schott said.

Image: Arizona site
Artifacts dating back 1,300 years or more were unearthed in Petrified Forest National Park.NPS

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— Reuters