The Topanga Culture: Final Report on Excavations, 1948 — John Shaqi
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.)
_Feature 23 (pl. 20, d)._--This feature constituted by far the largest
single concentration of stone, being about 8 feet in diameter. In addition
to quantities of unworked pieces of granite and sandstone, the following
artifacts were noted: 53 metate fragments (31 deep basin, 13 shallow
basin, and 9 slab), 15 manos, 11 scraper planes, 4 side scrapers, 5
bifaced chopper, and 2 abrading stones.
_Feature 24 (pl. 18, d)._--Large, decomposed fragments of fired sandstone
(18 × 12 × 11 inches); 2 metate fragments; core tools; and fragments of
human long bones.
_Feature 25 (pl. 19, a)._--Cache of 6 manos.
_Feature 26 (pl. 20, a)._--One slab metate; metate fragments; manos; core
tools; and limonite pigment.
_Feature 27._--Killed, inverted, deep-basin metate; slab metate; 2 scraper
planes; 1 mano; 6 core hammerstones; 1 cobble hammerstone; 1 bifaced
chopper; fossil mammal bone; and fragments of human bones.
_Feature 28 (pl. 20, c)._--Killed, inverted, shallow-basin metate;
fragments of 2 slab metates; 1 shallow-basin type; 4 mano fragments; and 2
core hammerstones. This feature is of interest due to its very shallow
depth (4 inches to top of metate). No disturbance could be detected,
indicating either that when Mr. Trujillo plowed the site (1920) his plow
was drawing less than 4 inches or the deposit has undergone some
degradation since the time of his activity.
_Feature 29._--Inverted, deep-basin metate; hammerstone; granules of red
ocher; and fragments of human long bones.
_Feature 30._--Single, inverted, shallow-basin metate.
_Feature 31._--Inverted, deep-basin metate; 9 complete manos and 3
fragments; 2 scraper planes; 6 core hammerstones; 7 chunks of altered
sandstone; and fragments of human leg bones.
_Feature 32._--Fragments of highly altered metates and 3 chunks of burned
sandstone. Unknowingly, a section of this feature was moved during our
1947 operations.
BURIALS
The number of burials recovered was disappointing in view of the previous
summer's find. In 1947 our efforts had been confined to digging a wide
L-shaped trench peripheral to the central section of the site, from which
six fully extended burials were removed, as well as a disturbed burial and
reburial. Considering this a favorable sample, we anticipated the central
region at least to be as productive. It proved, on the contrary, to be
almost lacking in burials. The few interments we did expose came, again,
from the peripheral sectors. This peripheral occurrence of burials
suggests the possibility of marginal cemeteries rather than burial plots
in the central living area, a feature often characteristic of later
cultures.
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