Bedrock Mortars as an Indicator of Territorial Behavior in Late Holocene California

Summary

Bedrock mortars were an integral part of intensive acorn economies in Native California and are a prominent feature of the Late Holocene archaeological record. Construction of these milling features also indicates a strong investment in particular locations on the landscape. Ethnographic evidence suggests the importance of local acorn crops led to ownership and defense of property and resource rights in many areas. Human Behavioral Ecology offers a framework for examining the conditions that may have initiated these processes and their broader effects on Native culture. When and where bedrock milling features occur may provide evidence for evolving territorial behavior during the Late Holocene and further insights into how prehistoric Californians used technology and behavioral changes to solve the difficult problem of making a back-loaded resource both palatable and profitable.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Territorial Behavior and Ecology   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15581