VAFB-1998-01: Plant Processing on the San Antonio Terrace: Archaeological Investigations at CA-SBA-2767

Summary

CA-SBA-2767 was discovered at the edge of the San Antonio Terrace on Vandenberg Air Force Base during grading for Reach 6 of the Coastal Branch Aqueduct Project. The site is notable for numerous rock features, including two earth ovens, six fire-altered rock concentrations, and nine scatters of fire-altered rock. Also identified was a stack of large cobbles, apparently cached for use as heating elements. The features are surrounded by a low-density artifact scatter encompassing approximately 17,400 m2. Tools from the site include two projectile point fragments, six bifaces, one core, three unpatterned flake tools, and four ground stone implements. Faunal remains are poorly represented with only 32 specimens, mostly intrusive rodent bones. Yellow nutgrass (Cyperus esculentus) tubers, a resource previously unknown in the archaeological, ethnographic, and ethnohistorical record for the Central Coast, were abundant in the earth ovens. Various charred seeds were found in two of the fire-altered rock concentrations.

The combination of low artifact densities and numerous fire-altered rock features containing plant remains suggests that the site was used specifically for processing plant foods. Radiocarbon dating reveals that the site was used between A.D. 1205 and 1460, corresponding to Arnold’s (1992) Middle–Late Transitional Period and King’s (1990) Late Period. The presence of a special-use site during this time supports Glassow’s (1990) model of prehistoric land use, which suggests that the number of special-use locations increased during the Late Period as human population increased. Likewise, technological organization at CA-SBA-2767 is similar to that noted by Bamforth (1986, 1991) at hunting sites on the San Antonio Terrace, in that the lithic assemblage expresses economizing behavior and toolstone conservation. This behavior appears to reflect a lack of immediate access to toolstone sources due to scheduling conflicts rather than to tool curation. Use of the site around 600 years ago, a period marked by increased human population and social complexity, probably reflects an increase in dietary breadth due to population pressure and/or environmental stress.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Department of the Air Force Cultural Resources Archive   •
• Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) - Cultural Resource Report

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Vandenberg Air Force Base

Landowner(s): Vandenberg Air Force Base

Repository(s): Vandenberg Air Force Base

Prepared By(s): Applied EarthWorks, Inc.

Submitted To(s): Central Coast Water Authority, Buellton, California

Record Identifiers

Vandenberg AFB Report No.(s): VAFB-1998-01

File Information