Globular Basket
The discovery by Lee and Jones of this globular basket in early summer 1939 led to the professional archaeological investigation of Mantle's Cave. The basket was shallowly buried in sand. It contained noose peg snares, a net bag, three fish hooks and fishing line, and three bundles of games snares with over a hundred snares in all. This was called Cache 2.
The basket has a constricted mouth and a leather strap. It is a close-coiled basket that has a split-rod foundation and interlocking stitches. It has a normal continuous center, the work direction is right to left, the work surface is concave, and the rim finish is false braided. It appears that both the fag and moving ends are bound under. The interior of this basket has been waterproofed with pitch. It measures 14 cm in height, and 34 cm in diameter at the mouth of the basket. Its widest circumference is 64 cm and the base diameter is 19 cm. The differences in diameter were accomplished by changing the widths of the rods. There are 2-3 stitches per centimeter. The basket exhibits several repairs, while most of the objects found within the basket show little wear from use.
What is particularly noteworthy about this basket is that it shows a blend of Fremont, Ancestral Puebloan, and possibly Numic influences in its construction. The majority of the attributes observed in the construction of the basket are considered Fremont with three exceptions: the globular shape of the basket, the false braid trim, and pitch used to coat the interior. The first two attributes are common in Ancestral Puebloan baskets while the use of pitch is seen in Numic baskets.
A game snare from this basket was dated. It produced a calibrated carbon-14 date of 888-1150 A.D. (.99), which we interpret as dating to about 1019 A.D.