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.)
Pendants are known only in fragmentary or unfinished form, none of which
resemble the types from the Tank Site. A single unfinished specimen,
composed of slate, is subrectangular in outline with irregular wavy edges,
the dimensions being 10 cm. long by 2 cm. wide by 5 cm. thick. On both
surfaces of the smaller end biconical drill holes had been started. The
entire surface shows evidence of irregular scratchy abrasive marks. A
single specimen composed of laminated shale is incomplete and suggests
merely a rectangular form. In addition, three steatite fragments appear to
represent some form of pendant. If complete, all would probably have had a
long tapering rectangular form. The thickness varies from 1 to 3 cm.
OTHER REMAINS
Shell and bone artifacts were absent; this may be partly due to the
limited excavation. No evidence of textiles was detected.
_Unworked Bone and Shell Remains_
Like the Tank Site, both these elements were rare, especially shell, which
is known only through two unidentifiable fragments. A few deer bones
occurred, the lower mandible of a wild cat (Lynx rufus), and the canine
and incisor teeth of either a fox or coyote. The preservation of mammal
bone, like that of human, was very poor.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
The final Topanga report remains primarily descriptive in order to make
the data more useable for comparative purposes. Although this concluding
report describes some new material, adds considerably to artifact
frequencies, and defines Phase I and Phase II of the Topanga Culture, the
basic conclusions reached earlier remain essentially unchanged, and the
previous general conclusions need not be repeated here (Treganza and
Malamud, 1950). This summary is the senior author's opinion and does not
necessarily reflect the views of either of the coauthors of the Topanga
reports.
An extended archaeological survey in upper Topanga Canyon and its main
tributaries revealed ten additional habitation deposits comparable to the
Tank Site, LAn-1. More recent excavations along the adjacent coast and in
the interior valleys (Walker, 1951; Wallace, 1954; Peck, 1955) have
produced artifacts comparable to both phases of the Topanga culture.
Therefore, the Topanga Culture, as we have defined it here, is not limited
to the Tank Site but contains local expression as well as relationships
outside the immediate area.
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