This page summarizes a frequency-seriation based chronology for the Utopia II site that was developed by DAACS (see Neiman, Galle, and Wheeler 2003 for technical details). At Utopia II, DAACS seriated ceramic assemblages, with more than five sherds, from excavated features. This made it possible to assign larger samples of artifacts to phases than if the analysis had been conducted at the level of stratigraphic groups and individual contexts, where sample size are much smaller.

The seriation chronology is derived from a correspondence analysis of MCD-type frequencies in the eight features that met the sample size criterion. Seriated assemblages were assigned to phases. Phases are groups of assemblages that have similar correspondence-analysis scores and are therefore inferred to be broadly contemporary. Phases assigned by DAACS have a P-prefix that precedes the phase number (e.g. P01 equals Phase 1).

The stratigraphic relationships among stratigraphic groups and unassigned contexts are summarized in the Harris Matrix for the site. Phase assignments from the seriation are shown on the Harris Matrix in color, facilitating comparison of the seriation chronology and the stratigraphic chronology of the site.

Based on the correspondence analysis, DAACS divided the occupation of Utopia II into two temporal phases. The first phase is comprised of assemblages from subfloor pits beneath both Structures 1 and 10 (F02, F03, F14, F09, F32). The second phase was in turn divided into two subphases, based on apparently significant (synchronic) variation between the assemblages from the pits (F36 and F04) under Structures 1 and 10 and the single subfloor pit (F21) under Structure 20. The causes of this variation remain to be determined. Could Structure 20 be an overseer's or driver's house?

Both phases have a TPQ of 1720, based on sherds of Buckley coarse earthenware and William Rogers stoneware. The latter is coded as "American Stoneware" in DAACS. Mean ceramic dates for both phases place them in the middle of the 18th century. Note that in computing the MCDs quoted below, "American Stoneware" was assigned a manufacturing range of 1720 to 1750, which are the dates of the William Rogers pottery at Yorktown. The MCDs seem anomalously late. This may be explained by the fact that most of the MCD types found on the site have manufacturing spans that encompass nearly all of the 18th century.

Binford pipestem dates from the four features with samples of twenty or more stems range from 1722 to 1742. In this case, the pipestem dates are probably more accurate than the MCDs.

The following table presents a seriation chronology for the Utopia II Site. We use the indefinite article to signify that it is not the only chronology possible, nor even the best one possible.