The Topanga Culture: Final Report on Excavations, 1948Treganza, Adan E. (Adan Eduardo)
History
The Topanga Culture: Final Report on Excavations, 1948
Treganza, Adan E. (Adan Eduardo)
California -- Antiquities; Topanga Canyon (Calif.)
_LAn-9._--Located on a small rocky knoll, formed by a spur descending from
the range on the west side of the canyon, the site is .5 (unless
specified, all mileages noted are in air miles) of a mile northwest of
LAn-8 and .3 of a mile due south of the ranch house of R. Kiewit. Water is
available at a spring, .25 of a mile northwest, rising from the bed of an
intermittent creek that drains into Topanga Creek.
In appearance the site is very different from LAn-8. The mound soil has
been consolidated to a near-clay, so that it varies only from the
surrounding clayey soil in being somewhat darker. It extends over an area
of 100 square feet, but few artifacts are evident on the surface. Those
collected consist of 8 single-edged scraper planes and 1 bifacial chopper.
Of the planes, 2 were additionally utilized as choppers on the edge
opposite that which had been worked. All artifacts were basalt with the
exception of 2 quartzite planes. Patination was evident on all the basalt
specimens, though not as heavy as on similar implements from a number of
the other sites.
_LAn-10._--This site is situated on the adjoining ridge, only .13 of a
mile northwest of LAn-9 and is correspondingly closer to the spring, which
from here is due north. Both in physiographic location and appearance the
two sites are very similar.
The area covered by mound soil stretches along the ridge some 250 feet and
is 70 feet wide. But the soil is compact and consolidated and only
slightly dark. A portion of the site area has been somewhat disturbed by
the construction of a milk house, stockyard, and fences. Artifacts picked
up from the surface consist of manos, choppers, scraper planes, and
hammerstones. Of the manos, 5 are bifacial--3 with parallel wear surfaces,
2 wedge-shaped in cross section--and of these, 2 are trifacial, with the
two sides that form the keeled back meeting at right angles. In cross
section, all the used areas are only slightly convex. Most show
considerable wear and good shoulder development, display pecking on their
grinding surfaces, and all but 2 granitic specimens are of sandstone. A
single monofacial chopper of basalt is well battered along its edge. Out
of 7 single-edged planes, 2 have been secondarily worked and used as
choppers on an edge other than that developed on the periphery of the
plane, and 6 are basalt and 1 is quartzite. One small, flat scraper has
two localized adjacent concavities struck from its margin and is also of
basalt. Of the 3 core hammerstones, 2 are basalt and 1 is quartzite.
Considerable chemical alteration is obvious on even the flaked surfaces.
_LAn-11._--Located in the vineyard of the Kiewit Ranch, this site is less
than .2 of a mile west of north from LAn-10. The spring already mentioned
is immediately to the east, and another, on the property of S. Barton, is
.3 of a mile north-northeast.
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