A Late Prehistoric Homestead on the Santa Barbara Coast

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2001

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in cooperation with the Sierra National Forest, California Department of Transportation, and Madera County, rebuilt portions of Road 222 (Forest Highway 74) in eastern Madera County, California. During construction through Chepo Saddle, Native American monitors discovered archaeological remains associated CA-MAD-410/411, a large and complex prehistoric settlement. Because of design constraints, construction materials requirements, and the location of the discovered remains, the discovery area could not be avoided during construction. Because of the potential significance of these remains, and in accordance with FHWA policy, construction was halted in the vicinity of the discovery. In consultation with the California State Historic Preservation Officer and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, it was determined that additional archaeological investigations would be necessary to evaluate the significance of the finds and treat the adverse effects of road construction. Applied EarthWorks, Inc. completed the emergency archaeological investigations at Chepo Saddle. The scope of work included preparation of a historic properties treatment plan, Native American consultation and coordination, surface inventory, extended survey and boundary definition, test excavations, limited data recovery excavations, construction monitoring, and preparation of various reports and interpretive materials. The investigations focused initially on the area where artifacts were first discovered by the construction monitor. Subsequently, the work was expanded to encompass other portions of CA-MAD-410, -411, and -2213 affected, or potentially affected, by the road reconstruction project. The settlement complex at CA-MAD-410/411 covers more than 25 acres at the head of Crane Valley. Cultural deposits cover a series of terraces and slopes between Slide Creek and Taylor Mountain. Nine related but distinguishable loci of prehistoric occupation and use were defined within the known site area. Dense midden deposits were found in three of these loci, and less dense midden and nonmidden anthrosols are present at other loci as well. An obsidian lithic scatter covers most of the area, although it is variably dense and diffuse and not always visible on the ground surface. More than 100 bedrock mortars, milling slicks, and cupule petroglyphs were identified in five discrete areas. Several historical features also are present; however, the historical features were not affected by highway construction and were not treated during this project. The sampled portions of the site appear to contain a continuous record of settlement in Crane Valley from circa 120 B.C. to A.D. 1835. Within that period three occupational components were identified. The later components are similar to other sites sampled in Crane Valley, although the artifact assemblage parameters vary significantly, particularly with regard to the numbers and types of steatite beads and other ornaments, numbers and types of projectile points, and internal structure of the settlement and site deposits. Initial occupation at CA-MAD-410/411 appears to have occurred during the first or second century B.C., as evinced by a variety of dart-sized projectiles, bifacial manos, large obsidian bifaces, a large quartz crystal, and a domed scraper occurring together along with raw obsidian slabs. Most of these items are considered markers of the Chowchilla Phase at Buchanan Reservoir (Moratto 1972) and Crane Flat assemblage in the Yosemite region (Bennyhoff 1956; Hull and Moratto 1999:117). These artifacts plus a small group of obsidian hydration rim thicknesses between 4.7 and 6.2 microns suggest that initial use of the site complex occurred around 120 B.C. and continued until A.D. 700. This assemblage is provisionally assigned to the Crane Flat Phase. Site use during this interval likely constituted sporadic, seasonal visits by small groups engaged in hunting, plant collecting, and possibly trading. Use of the site complex after A.D. 800 is evinced by major clusters of obsidian hydration readings between 1.2 and 4.5 microns, accompanied by extensive midden deposits containing numerous small arrow points, steatite beads, ornaments, and vessels, small flake tools, and various other late prehistoric diagnostics. Intensive residential occupation at CA-MAD-410/411 probably occurred during this period, from A.D. 800–1835. Two cultural components appear to be represented within that span of time. A cluster of obsidian hydration readings between 1.2 and 2.8 microns equates to the period from A.D. 1515 to 1835. Activities at this time were strongly residential, focused on acquiring, processing, and consuming acorns, other plant materials, and small to medium-sized game. Residential structures likely were built, although house floors, daub, or other architectural evidence was not revealed by the limited sampling. Isolated fragments of human bone indicate that at least portions of the site also served mortuary functions. A second cluster of obsidian hydration readings between 3.3 and 4.5 microns translates to occupation dates of A.D. 800-1310. This component also evinces residential functions, although they appear less intensive than during the subsequent phase. Overall artifact densities and tool frequencies decrease in the lower midden levels, suggesting that population was lower or that settlements were more mobile at that time. Data from CA-MAD-410/411 has provided important information on the cultural history of Crane Valley, the nature of local cultural adaptations, and changing land use, settlement, and subsistence during the late Holocene. Moreover, data from the site has improved our understanding of several significant evolutionary changes evident in the cultural history of the region.

Systematic radiocarbon dating of coastal shell middens is a useful method for obtaining basic chronological information about archaeological sites that are threatened by coastal erosion, or for conducting reconnaissance in an area where little is known about the settlement history. This study focuses on radiocarbon dating of archaeological sites across the marine terrace adjacent to Carrington Point, Santa Rosa Island, California. This area has seen limited archaeological research compared to other portions of the island. Results suggest that settlement of this area was not constrained by known environmental or cultural patterns. When compared to other areas where similar systematic radiocarbon dating has been performed, no single factor can explain settlement decisions throughout the Northern Channel Islands. Although resource use at a single site may be heavily determined by environmental factors and regional settlement patterns are influenced by broad cultural trends, midscale patterns may also be contingent on historical patterns or nearby land use. Settlement of marginal areas such as the Carrington Point terrace represents a steady, consistent background to land use in more productive parts of the Northern Channel Islands.

The earliest dispersal of humans into North America is a contentious subject, and proposed early sites are required to meet the following criteria for acceptance: (1) archaeological evidence is found in a clearly defined and undisturbed geologic context; (2) age is determined by reliable radiometric dating; (3) multiple lines of evidence from interdisciplinary studies provide consistent results; and (4) unquestionable artefacts are found in primary context 1,2. Here we describe the Cerutti Mastodon (CM) site, an archaeological site from the early late Pleistocene epoch, where in situ hammerstones and stone anvils occur in spatio-temporal association with fragmentary remains of a single mastodon (Mammut americanum). The CM site contains spiral-fractured bone and molar fragments, indicating that breakage occured while fresh. Several of these fragments also preserve evidence of percussion. The occurrence and distribution of bone, molar and stone refits suggest that breakage occurred at the site of burial. Five large cobbles (hammerstones and anvils) in the CM bone bed display use-wear and impact marks, and are hydraulically anomalous relative to the low-energy context of the enclosing sandy silt stratum. 230

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2019

During the course of the excavations of the San Quirce open-air archaeological site in Spain, an unusual negative structure was identified in the Holocene level dated ca. sixth millennium cal BC. A fire pit alongside a single post-hole and intense fire-burning activity was recorded. Yet, the most striking feature of the structure is the absence of any artifactual or faunal record associated to it, something without a known archaeological parallel. Its interpretation represents an archaeological challenge addressed through a multidisciplinary approach including geoarchaeological, paleobotanical techniques and experimental archaeology. Fifteen stratigraphically distinguishable combustion events showing a diachronic fire record, the significant structure's dimensions and particularly the post-hole, indicate its anthropic origin. Archaeomagnetic and micromorphological data allowed reconstructing and temporally sequencing some formation and post-depositional processes, some involving water flows. Maximum heating temperatures between 480 and 525°C were determined in one of the combustion features studied. The identification of grassy tufts would suggest a seasonal settlement of the site. We cannot yield a definite explanation for the artifactual absence, but the available data and an experimental archaeology recreation suggest that the structure could be used as a small hut/open-air bivouac, over which short-lived occupations were repeatedly carried out. Keywords Open-air camp. Sixth millennium cal BC. Start of Neolithic. Combustion structures. Duero River basin Highlights • This paper analyzes the Holocene level dated ca. Sixth millennium cal BC. • A fire pit alongside a single post-hole and intense fire-burning activity was recorded. • The most striking feature of the structure is the absence of any artifactual or faunal record. • Its interpretation represents an archaeological challenge addressed through a multidisciplinary approach. • The available data and an experimental archaeology recreation suggest that the structure could be used as a small hut/open-air bivouac.

We establish a high-precision radiocarbon chronology for 2 house depressions at CA-SCRI-333, a large prehistoric village on the western end of Santa Cruz Island, California, USA. SCRI-333 is a large mound composed of a shell midden with more than 50 house depressions evident across its surface. We develop a chronology of occupation and activity for 2 of these depressions (6 and 32) based on a stratified sequence of accelerator mass spectrometry 14C dates. Carbonized twig and marine shell (Mytilus californianus) samples were selected from well-defined stratigraphic sections. Analytical error for these measurements is ±20 14C yr. We use a Bayesian statistical framework to propose an age model for the deposition of 2 features that may be associated with house construction. These data indicated that the features were not contemporaneous and suggest that house construction may have been sequential during the site’s occupation, a hypothesis that needs to be tested further. The methodologies used in this study have the potential to increase the chronological precision of household archaeology at SCRI-333, on the northern Channel Islands, and around the world.

We establish a high-precision radiocarbon chronology for 2 house depressions at CA-SCRI-333, a large prehistoric village on the western end of Santa Cruz Island, California, USA. SCRI-333 is a large mound composed of a shell midden with more than 50 house depressions evident across its surface. We develop a chronology of occupation and activity for 2 of these depressions (6 and 32) based on a stratified sequence of accelerator mass spectrometry 14C dates. Carbonized twig and marine shell (Mytilus californianus) samples were selected from well-defined stratigraphic sections. Analytical error for these measurements is ±20 14C yr. We use a Bayesian statistical framework to propose an age model for the deposition of 2 features that may be associated with house construction. These data indicated that the features were not contemporaneous and suggest that house construction may have been sequential during the site’s occupation, a hypothesis that needs to be tested further. The methodologies used in this study have the potential to increase the chronological precision of household archaeology at SCRI-333, on the northern Channel Islands, and around the world.

Anthropological Papers No. 30(2), Center for Desert Archaeology, Tucson., 2006

The U.S. 89 Archaeological Project investigated 41 prehistoric sites located approximately 30 km north of Flagstaff, Arizona. All sites were on Coconino National Forest (CNF) land. The project was conducted by Desert Archaeology, Inc., for the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) prior to the widening and improvement of 26.7 km (16.6 miles) of U.S. 89, between the southern boundary of Wupatki National Monument in the north, and the town of Fernwood in the south. Archaeological fieldwork occurred over two primary field seasons in 1997 and 1998, with a very brief field season in 1999. A total of almost 12 person-years of labor was expended on the fieldwork. The U.S. 89 project area crosses diverse environmental zones, ranging from juniper-sage grasslands in the north at approximately 5,700 ft (1,737 m) asl, to ponderosa pine forests at over 7,200 ft (2,195 m) asl in the south. Mixed pinyon pine and juniper woodlands comprise the middle elevations. Five elevation zones were defined, using increments of 500 ft as a proxy for changes in precipitation, temperature, and vegetation. All project area sites are also within 25 km of Sunset Crater Volcano, with the closest sites only 5-6 km away. Sunset Crater erupted for a few years sometime between A.D. 1050 and 1125. Basalt lava from the eruption covered an area of approximately 8 km2, while another 2,300 km2 was covered by cinder and ash deposits. Sunset Crater cinders were found on all project area sites. An isopach map of cinder depth constructed for this project indicates that, minimumally, the U.S. 89 sites were covered with from 5-50 cm of volcanic material, which had a significant impact on prehistoric settlement, subsistence, and economic systems. Prehistoric adaptation to environmental variability and to the Sunset Crater eruption were primary research themes. A wide range of site types are present in the project area, including large, permanent habitations, containing 10-30 masonry rooms and pithouses, smaller homesteads or seasonal farmsteads with 2- 8 structures, single-room fieldhouses, limited-activity areas, special-use sites, and agricultural field systems. A total of 73 structures was excavated, which included 41 pithouses, 26 masonry rooms, and 6 ramadas. Close to 100,000 artifacts were recovered, with ceramics the dominant artifact type, comprising more than 80 percent of the assemblage. The earliest sites were occupied around A.D. 400, with the occupation continuing into the early to mid-A.D. 1100s. The most intensive occupation was between A.D. 1050 and 1125, the approximate time of the Sunset Crater eruption. The project area also crosses what has long been considered to be a boundary between two distinct archaeological culture areas: the Sinagua to the south and the Cohonina to the north and northwest. Dr. Harold S. Colton, the founder of the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA), first recognized this boundary in the 1930s, and placed it at Deadman Wash, which crosses the approximate center of the U.S. 89 project area. Although later researchers have moved the boundary to the Coconino Divide, roughly 8 km south of Deadman Wash, it is still well within the current project area. About half the intensively investigated U.S. 89 sites lie south of this point, and about half lie to the north. This affords an excellent opportunity to address the question of the cultural affiliation of project area inhabitants, as well as the legitimacy of archaeological culture areas in general, and every analyst on the project was asked to examine this question using their particular data set. The results of the U.S. 89 investigations are presented in a series of anthropological papers: Anthropological Papers No. 30, Part 1 and Part 2, contain background information on the project and descriptions of the 41 investigated sites; Anthropological Papers No. 31 presents the results of the flaked stone, ground stone, shell, animal bone, and mortuary analyses; Anthropological Papers No. 32 presents the analysis of the ceramic assemblage, including petrographic ceramic sourcing studies and form and function analyses; Anthropological Papers No. 33 contains the environmental analyses, with chapters on the botanical assemblage (pollen and flotation studies), prehistoric agriculture, the eruption of Sunset Crater Volcano, and a detailed paleoenvironmental reconstruction; and Anthropological Papers No. 37 presents the overall project synthesis and conclusions. In Anthropological Papers No. 37, the data presented in the preceding volumes are used to reconstruct the settlement, subsistence, and economic systems of the prehistoric populations who inhabited the U.S. 89 project area and the Flagstaff area in general. The two parts of Anthropological Papers No. 30 present the project background, environment, and descriptive information about the testing and excavation of the 41 project area sites. Part 1 includes the two sites in Elevation Zone 1 (5,700-6,199 ft [1,737-1,889 m] asl) and 11 sites in Elevation Zone 2 (6,200-6,699 ft [1,890-2,042 m] asl), the lower elevation zones in the northern half of the project area. Part 2 includes the nine sites in Elevation Zone 3 (6,700-7,199 ft [2,042-2,194 m] asl, north), the nine sites in Elevation Zone 4 (7,200+ ft [2,195+ m] asl), and the 10 sites in Elevation Zone 5 (6,700-7,199 ft [2,042-2,194 m] asl, south). These volumes contain site and feature descriptions, maps, general artifact data, and interpretations of site function and dating. Diagnostic ceramics from critical contexts that were used to date the sites are presented by feature.