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-29._--This is the largest of the caves, 60 by 16 feet, and is 400
feet southwest of LAn-27 and somewhat lower. A thin erosional or aelian
layer covers the surface of the deposit, which bears scrapers, marine
shell fragments, and burnt bone; the interior of the cave is completely
carbonized.
_LAn-30._--Only 30 feet southwest of LAn-29 is another small cave, 20 by
10 feet, with fire-blackened walls and shallow deposit containing
scrapers, marine shell, and flakes.
_LAn-31._--This is a low circular cave with two entrances, some 80 feet
southwest of LAn-30. The dark ashy deposit covers a floor 10 by 15 feet
where pockets attain a maximum depth of 24 inches, and extends some 20
feet beyond the cave mouth. Aside from marine shell and flakes, it
contained a few cores and scrapers.
_LAn-32._--The last of the caves is 200 feet west of LAn-31 and slightly
lower. Here a long shallow overhang leads to a dry circular room with
blackened walls. The deposit covers an area 15 feet in diameter, is dark,
ashy, and dry, and yielded a few scrapers, some cores, and a quantity of
marine shell fragments.
_LAn-33._--In a sandstone cliff overlooking the valley, 3 potholes have
been used as bedrock mortars. They are .25 of a mile west-southwest of the
spring on the Barton School property, and the same distance west-northwest
of the spring on the Kiewit Ranch, surrounded on the west by oaks. Again,
neither surface artifacts nor other habitation deposits are evident in the
immediate vicinity.
SUMMARY OF SITES
On the basis of physiographic location, nature of deposit, artifact types,
and the degree of implement patination, sites LAn-2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11,
12, 14, and 24 resemble the Tank Site and, therefore, could probably be
classed as representative of one of the phase developments of the Topanga
Culture. Sites LAn-8, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, and 32, because
of the friable, dark soil, presence of steatite, quantities of mammal bone
and mollusk shell, or associated bedrock mortars, have been classed as
late protohistoric sites and are not considered within the scope of this
paper. Several sites, e.g., LAn-17, were of dubious mixed origin and would
require more extensive examination to determine their cultural affinities.
Where omissions in the numbering occur, e.g., 7, it is because sites were
reported for an area and later failed to materialize as much.
FIELD TECHNIQUES
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