Life in the Ballona: Archaeological Investigations at the Admiralty Site (CA-LAn-47) and the Channel Gateway Site (CA-LAn-1596-H)

Summary

The Admiralty site (CA-LAn-47) lies at the edge of the historic Ballona Lagoon. Situated between the mouths of Ballona and Centinela creeks and the Pacific Ocean, the region known as the Ballona was a sheltered environment that hosted a diverse array of terrestrial and aquatic plants and animals. The seasonal rhythms of the lagoon marched in harmony with the never-ending tug-of-war between the ebb and flow of the oceanic tides and the freshwater emptied from the mouths of rivers and streams. Human beings have been part of this rhythm for thousands of years. It is only in the last several hundred years, however, that people have sought to alter this balance to achieve mastery over the environment for their goals alone. To some this achievement is a testament to the success of the human species. To others it is a token of our arrogance that puts ourselves above all others.

The story of the Admiralty site is one of a different time and culture: a time when people were part of the natural cycle, a culture that strove for balance, not dominance. At the time it was occupied, the site was one of many such sites along the coastline of southern California. Today it is one of the few survivors of this lost age. Although the scientific importance of the site can be measured in terms of the information provided about past lifeways and cultures, its cultural value to the descendants of its inhabitants is much harder to calculate.

The 1989 excavations of the Admiralty site strove to maintain a balance between scientific objectives and the preservation of a cultural heritage. Along the way these goals sometimes clashed, and we were forced to make choices. Although we made no pretense that the course chosen was the only one, it was certainly not one charted in haste. To the extent that we have shed light on a heritage shrouded in darkness, we have succeeded.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SRI Press

Keywords

Temporal Coverage

Calendar Date: 1050 to 1150

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): SRI Press

Contributor(s): James E. Ayres; Ralph E. Brooks; Susan M. Colby; Linda Scott Cummings; William C. Johnson; Bruce A. Jones; Elsie C. Sandefur; Chester W. Shaw, Jr.; Mark T. Swanson; Ronald H. Towner; Steven Troncone

Prepared By(s): Statistical Research, Inc.

Submitted To(s): J. H. Snyder Company

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