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Appendix F
Excavation of 1954
William J. Wallace and Donald W. Lathrap
Early in 1954, the old factory building covering the western
section of the West Berkeley mound was torn down. This afforded an
opportunity for further digging in the deeper levels of the midden
so on Saturday and Sunday, March 27-28, the Fall semester class in
archaeological field methods worked at the site.
Obviously the shellmound had been cut down considerably when
the factory was constructed many years ago. The surface underneath the
building was essentially level, with a drop of only two to five inches
in one direction and four in the other. A datum point established at
the northeast corner of the area to be excavated lay two feet higher
than the ground surface mark scratched on the nearby brick building
during the 1950 investigation. As the midden extended three feet below
the surface at this point, the 1954 excavation must have been in the
13-18 foot portion of the shellmound. The depth occurrence of certain
artifact classes, particularly net sinkers, seems to confirm this
correlation.
Fourteen 5 X 5 foot pits were excavated (Figure 1). Three
were dug to a depth of 36 inches; the remainder were taken almost to
subsoil. The depth of the deposit ranged from 41 to 48 inches, or
perhaps slightly more, for in no place was absolutely sterile earth
reached. The method of excavation was by straight shoveling in six-
inch levels. Depth was recorded from ground surface.
Description of Artifacts
Approximately 173 artifacts were recovered. A surprisingly
large number of different classes are represented, though most by a
single specimen. Only three represent types not found earlier.
Chipped Stone Objects
Projectile point - stemmed, leaf-shaped, expanding stem, rounded base
with broad U-shaped side notches. This was found at a depth of 20
inches. It is made from obsidian and is rather coarsely flaked.
Dimensions are: length 5. 06 cm.; width 1. 97 cm.; thickness .65 cm.
The specimen weighs 6.8 grams.
Projectile point - stemmed, leaf-shaped contracting stem with square
or slightly rounded base. The specimen has rather ill-defined shoulders
116
Cement Building
Old Starch
Factory
Wooden Building
N
Da tum
Ql/r4~
Ala 307 - Plan of 1954 Excavation
t)
?-I
Fi.
Datum A (1950)
0           10
Ft
117
formed by lateral notching. Also of obsidian, it is coarsely flaked
with some of the original stone surface remaining on one side. It
is 7.64 cm. long; 3.33 cm. wide, and 2.8 cm. thick and weighs 20.1
grams. This point was recovered 14 inches beneath the surface.
Projectile point - stemless with concave base. Like the above it is
made from obsidian and is coarsely flaked. Dimensions are: 4.34
cm. long; 2.50 cm. wide; .90 cm. thick. It weighs 9.3 grams. This
example came from a depth of 17 inches.
Scraper - A large, rather crude chert flake scraper was recovered
in the 0-6 inch layer. Irregular in outline, it is retouched along
part of one of the longer sides.   It measures 3. 7 X 10. 5 cm.
Chopper - A small chopper of blue-green chert is made from an
untrimmed core.  A sharp edge was formed by striking flakes off from
one surface only.  It is 3.99 cm. long, 3.81 cm. wide, and 2.80 cm.
thick. This specimen was found in the 24-36 inch level.
Chopper - An almost identical example, also of blue-green chert, was
found at a depth between 36 and 48 inches. It is somewhat larger
than the above, measuring 4.24 X 4.30 cm., and 2.70 cm. thick.
Pecked and ground stone objects
Notched net sinkers - Twenty-seven examples of this class of artifact
were obtained. Their depth occurrence follows:
0-12 inches - 14
12-24 inches - 11
24-36 inches - 2
36-48 inches - 0
Grooved net sinkers - Grooved sinkers were less numerous with only 10
specimens collected. Their depth range is listed below:
0-12 inches - 6
12-24 inches - 3
24-36 inches - 0
36-48 inches - 1
One example was fashioned from a fragment of a small mortar.
Pestle - A cylindrical pestle, its ends rounded by use was obtained
5 inches below the surface. It is 12.4 cm. long and 6.35 cm. in
diameter. Three cavities are pecked into the sides of the specimen.
Pestle fra~gments - Four unclassifiable sections of pestles were
collected. Three came from a 12 inch depth, the other was found 23
inches down.
Mortar fragients - Two unclassifiable mortar- fragments were found.
One was recovered 6 inches below the surface, the second in the 24-36
inch layer.
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Charmstone - A perforated charmstone was unearthed at a depth of
24 inches. Of bluish glaucophane schist it is ovoid and has well-
finished surfaces. The specimen is 7.55 cm. long, 4.45 cm. wide and
2.33 cm. thick.
Charmstone - An ovoid sandstone pebble is grooved along its long
axis and is carefully shaped though with a fairly rough surface.
One end is broken away but it originally measured about 6 cm. long.
It is 4.10 cm. across and 3.35 cm. thick. This artifact is not
duplicated in the earlier collections. An analogous specimen was
unearthed in the smaller of the Stege mounds (Loud 1924:Plate 19,
Fig. 15).
Unworked or slightly modified stone objects
Pebble hammerstone - An elongate pestle-like sandstone hammer,
pecked or battered along one edge, was found 14 inches down. Its
dimensions are: length 10.58 cm.; width 4.16 cm.; thickness 2.73 cm.
Pebble hammerstone - A small quartzite pebble hammer, modified by
use only, is 4.64 cm. long, 3.85 wide and 3.30 cm. thick.  It was
pecked upon the surface.
Bone ob-jects
Awl, deer or elk cannon bone, split head - The handle of this specimen
consists of the quartered proximal end of the bone. The specimen is
11.70 cm. long. It was found at a depth of 12 inches.
Awl, deer or elk cannon bone, head intact - On this specimen the
distal end of the bone of an immature animal forms the handle. The
object is 10.89 cm. long and was recovered 21 inches down. No example
of this form of awl was obtained in previous digging. However,
flakers which may represent blunted awls of this type were found.
This bone implement is of rare occurrence in California sites, being
reported only for one Bay site (Emeryville) and one Santa Barbara
County locality (Gifford 1940:168).
Awl, unclassifiable tip - A long sharp tip of a well-polished mammal
bone awl was obtained at a depth of 36 inches.
Spatula - A highly polished bone object has a rounded tip and squared
base. One edge is ground to a sharp cutting blade.   It is 11.53 cm.
long and came from a depth of 40 inches.
Spatula - A second spatulate object made from a section of split
mammal bone is similar in form to the above but is sharpened on both
edges. The butt is broken away but it appears to have originally
measured about 9.35 cm.
Split mammal bone tools - Three splinters of bone are flaked along
119
the edges. Their depth provenience follows:
12-24 inches - 1
24 inches - 1
36-48 inches - 1
Antler objects
Wedge - A fragmentary wedge made from the base of an antler is
beveled by grinding on one side. It is 8.78 cm. long. The specimen
was found at a depth of 28 inches.
Wedge - A portion of the blade of a second wedge came from the 24-36
inch level.
Flaker (?) - A cut antler tine, 4.14 cm. long, may have served as a
flaker though its tip is not noticeably scarred. This object was
found at a depth of 17 inches.
Flaker M?) - A fragmentary tool made from a branched tine has a
blunted working end which may indicate use as a flaker. It came from
18 inches down.
Curved blade - A well-polished section of a large curved blade was
collected at a depth of 16 inches.  Its width at the squared base is
4.15 cm.
Shell objects
The only shell items recovered during the 1954 excavations
were abalone beads and ornaments found with a child burial (X-2)
at a depth of 28 inches. The species of Haliotis is not identifiable
in most cases but where it can be recognized it is that of the Black
Abalone (HaZiotis cracherodii).
Rectangular Haliotis beads - The fragmentary condition of many of the
specimens made an exact count impractical, but approximately 100 were
collected. Each has a central perforation. A selected sample yielded
the following measurements:
length range: l.-1.16 cm.
width range:  .80-1.05 cm.
perforation range: .19-. 28 cm.
Rectangular Haliotis beads - Two rectangular Haliotis beads each with
two central perforations were found. In the first example the holes
are side by side; on the second one is above the other. Their edges
are plain. The dimensions are:
1.25 X 1.54 cm., perforations 25, *26 mm.
.96 X 1.23 cm., perforations 24, 28 mm.
No specimens analogous to these were collected previously. Four
beads of this form were collected at one Early horizon site (C 107) in
120
the lower Sacramento Valley region (Heizer 1949:17); a few specimens
have also been unearthed in the Santa Barbara region (Gifford 1947:29).
Circular Haliotis pendants, two central perforations - Four examples
of this class of ornament were collected. One has shallow incisions
around the border of one surface; the remainder have plain edges.
Their diameters are: 1.28, 1.60, 1.80 and 2.27 cm.
Feature
A single feature (designated X-1) was noted. This consisted
of a possible house floor which covered three pits and parts of a
fourth. It has been described as a layer of "reddish brown clay, ash
mixed with midden." No postholes were noted.
Burials
Five burials -- two adults, two children and one infant -- were
uncovered.
Burial Xl - Infant, depth 16 inches; position indeterminate but
appeared to lie on back, with skull oriented south-southeast; no
associated artifacts.
Burial X2 - Child; depth 28 inches; flexed on face with femora bent
up under body and arms up under chest and oriented northeast; square
Haliotis beads in single row around neck, shingled mass of beads under
chin; red ocher.
Burial X3 - Adult female, depth 36 inches; tightly flexed on left side
and oriented to west; red ocher but no grave goods.
Burial X4 - Child; depth 11 inches; flexed on left side and oriented
southwest; red ocher but no associated artifacts.
Burial X5 - Adult female, depth 27 inches; tightly flexed on right
side and oriented north; trace of red ocher under pelvis but no
accompanying mortuary offerings.
121
Bibliography
Gifford, E.W.
1940
Californian Bone Artifacts. University of California
Anthropological Records 3 (2). Berkeley and Los
Angeles .
Californian Shell Artifacts.
Anthropological Records 9 (1).
Angeles.
University of California
, Berkeley and Los
Heizer, R. F.
1949
Loud, L. L.
1924
The Archaeology of Central California I: The Early
Horizon. University of California Anthropological
Records 12 (1). Berkeley and Los Angeles.
The Stege Mounds at Richmond, California. University
of California Publications in American Archaeology
and Ethnology 17 (6). Berkeley.
1947