MACROFLORAL ANALYSIS AT THE ALISO JUNCTION EARTH OVEN SITE, FS NO. 05-01-55-159, CALIFORNIA

Summary

The Aliso Junction Earth Oven Site (FS No. 05-01-55-159), located on a creek terrace at

the junction of Aliso Creek and a seasonal unnamed creek, is situated in Aliso Canyon in the San

Gabriel Mountains of Southern California. The site is thought to have been inhabited at the time

of historic contact by the Tatavium, a little known Native California culture group who probably

spoke a Serran language of the Takic branch of Northern Uto-Axtecan linguistic family. The site

consists of three loci containing fire affected soil, fire affected rock, and charcoal. An earth oven

feature was identified at the site, and two 1m squared units were excavated to examine the feature. The

feature consisted of an earthen firing pit, heating stones/darkened sediments/charcoal, and a stone

cobble cooking platform. Conventional radiocarbon analysis of two charcoal samples from the

feature yielded approximate dates of 940 ± 40BP and 1000 ± 40 BP. Two macrofloral and six

charcoal samples were analyzed from the fill of this oven. Macrofloral and charcoal analyses are

used to provide information concerning the type of fuel/tinder burned in the earth oven, as well as

possible foods cooked in the oven.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• PaleoResearch Institute

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