ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS 20:2 THE TOPANGA CULTURE REPORT ON EXCAVATIONS, 1948 BY A. E. TREGANZA AND A. BIERMAN UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS BERKELEY AND LOS ANGELES - 1958 FINAL W THE TOPANGA CULTURE FINAL REPORT ON EXCAVATIONS, 1948 BY A. E. TREGANZA AND A. BIERMAN ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS Vol.20, No.2 lk", : UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS Editors (Los Angeles): C. W. Meighan, Harry Hoijer, Eshref Shevky Volume 20, No. 2, pp. 45-86, plates 17-24, 6 figs., 3 maps Submitted by editors July 15, 1957 Issued March 27, 1958 Price, $1.00 University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles California Cambridge University Press London, England Manufactured in the United States of America CONTENTS Introduction. Review of Earlier Work at the Tank Site ...................... Location and Description of Sites .......................... Summary of Sites ................................ Field Techniques .................................. Features. Burials . Page 45 47 47 51 51 ................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 54 Description of Artifacts. . . .................. 55 Flaked Tools ............ Scraper Planes........ Scrapers. Choppers. Crescentic Stone or "Amulet". Drill or Reamer ........ Hand Pick ........... Projectile Points........ Small "Dart" Points . Large Blades and Large Points 55 56 56 59 59 59 59 59 61 61 Ground or Pecked Stone . ... Manos and Metates. Mortars. Pestles. Abrading Stones ...... Cog Stones ......... Stone Disks. ........ Rubbing Stones ....... Core Hammerstones . ... Cobble Hammerstones . . . Slate Pendants ....... Miscellaneous Artifacts Bone Implements ........ Other Remains ........ Unworked Bone and Shell Fossil Remains...... Pigments. 63 63 65 65 65 65 66 67 67 67 67 67 68 68 68 68 68 Excavation of Site LAn-2. . . ................... 69 70 Disposal of the Dead [ iii] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS Page Description of Artifacts ...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Flaked Tools ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Projectile Points ............................. . 70 Ground or Pecked Stone ............................ . 71 Metates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Manos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Mortars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Pestles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Rubbing Stones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Stone Disks ................................ . 71 Pendants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Other Remains ............ ... .... ... .... ... ... . 71 Unworked Bone and Shell Remains .................... . 71 Summary and Conclusion ......... .. .. .. ... .. .. .. ... .. . 72 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 MAPS 1. Topanga Canyon ......... ... .. ... .. .. ... .. ... . facing 49 2. Tank Site LAn-1 ......... .. .. ... .. .. ... .. .. .. . facing 53 3. Site LAn-2 .................. ...... ...... ..... . 69 FIGURES 1. Location of Features and Burials ...... .. . . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . 55 2. Scraper Plane Types .............................. . 57 3. Scraper Types .............. .... .... .... ..... .. . 58 4. Projectile Points ................................ . 60 5. Metate Types .................................. . 62 6. Mano Types ................................... . 64 TABLES 1. Burials LAn-1 .............. .... .... .... ..... .. . 54 2. Frequency of Scraper Planes by Depth ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 3. Frequency of Flaked Artifacts by Depth .................... . 59 4. Projectile Points ................................ . 61 5. Mano Types ................................... . 63 6. Burial Data on Site LAn-2 ........ .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . 70 7. Flaked Tools and Materials from LAn-2 ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 8. Suggested Chronology of Early Milling and Hunting Cultures of Southern California ............. . 74 iV THE TOPANGA CULTURE FINAL REPORT ON EXCAVATIONS, 1948 BY A. E. TREGANZA AND A. BIERMAN INTRODUCTION Fe year 1946 marked the discovery of the Tank Site obert F. Heizer and Edwin M. Lemert. Their work synthesized in a paper entitled "Observations on aeological Sites in Topanga Canyon, California" ser and Lemert, 1947). Here, so far as the small ple from test pits and surface collections permitted, briefly defined the Topanga Culture, described the cts related to it, and indicated its possible cultural ations. Heizer and the senior author of the present were convinced that the Tank Site could fruitfully ther examined in the light of large-scale excava- This was considered necessary to determine more lythe context of the Topanga artifacts, and the of the occupation here expressed. The answers se two problems should contribute importantly to derstanding of the archaeology of southern Cali- the spring of 1947 R. L. Beals, of the University of rnia, Los Angeles, and R. F. Heizer, of the Uni- t of California, Berkeley, agreed to serqt a joint _2 into the field the following summer. This cooper- 'between the two institutions marked a new step in ring the progress of archaeological research in rnia, and gave students an opportunity to partici- active field research. In June, 1947, the senior , assisted by Miss Consuelo Malamud, a graduate tat UCLA, initiated excavation at the Tank Site. graduate and graduate students from both campuses university as well as from San Francisco State acted as volunteer workers. The results of this gation have appeared under the title, "The Topanga e: First Season's Excavation of the Tank Site, (Treganza and Malamud, 1950). activities of the first season should have brought a fairly representative sample from the site, but posed certain limitations, and much of what was red only added to the list of problems. Further, Site as a unit was, presumably, known with certainty, but there was little comparative material hto frame the results. Therefore, three major fevidence remained to be investigated: (1) Addi- excavation was necessary to verify the possible aphy noted and to fill out the burial data and .the typology established on the basis of the finds Moreover, the Tank Site had demonstrated 4o be a deposit of unusual interest and importance; er added knowledge could be gained from it would able. (2) LAn-2, just west of the Tank Site, re- more intensive examination. From surface col- and test pits it was apparent that this site af- clues to the interpretation and extension of the aphy noted at the Tank Site, and it might repre- I sent a cultural development heretofore undescribed for the area. (3) A survey of the canyon should be under- taken so that the Topanga Culture could be viewed beyond its narrowly known confines. The problem was to gain an estimate of the number of lithic sites within the can- yon drainage, and the points of similarity and difference between these and the Tank Site. With the above three problems in mind, archaeologi- cal investigations were renewed in Topanga Canyon on the same cooperative basis as the previous year. We are indebted to the following students, drawn from the three state institutions mentioned above, for volunteering their time and energies in behalf of the project: Richard Bachenheimer, Alan Beals, Hal Eberhart, Robert Farrell, David Frederickson, William King, Harland Kinsey, Joseph Kreisler, Donald Lathrap. Albert Mohr, Arnold Pilling, and Barbara Wyman. The authors acted, respec- tively, as field director and assistant field director. Agnes Bierman and Albert Mohr are responsible for most of the field photography, mapping, and surveying. The general conclusions reached in 1947 were not substantially altered by the additional excavation. Nor did it help to solve all the dubious aspects of the Topanga Culture. As might be expected, it led, rather, to the formulation of further questions. However, new speci- mens and more complete data add fullness to this report, and it is hoped these will increase its utility for compara- tive studies. With respect to physiographic location and archaeo- logical assemblage, the Tank Site does not conform to other sites previously known for the general environs. Comparisons with the earliest horizon yet recognized to the north, the Oak Grove of the Santa Barbara region (Rogers, D. B., 1929), seem to offer the most satisfac- tory parallels as related to mortuary practices and mill- ing activities; however, inasmuch as the Oak Grove Culture is not characterized as having a well-defined flake and core industry we are forced through necessity to seek further comparative data as expressed in the cultural inventory of the San Dieguito complex in the ex- treme southern coastal area of southern California and among the remains from the region of ancient Lake Mohave in the eastern desert. It is both interesting and a problematical that here at Topanga we find in a single cultural complex an almost complete record of all the recognized cultural elements typifying early man in southern California. In addition to this early-man com- plex there remains a residue of material which appears to be best associated with cultural traits characteristic of a "middle" time position. Such middle cultures can be tentatively identified with Point Dume, the lower levels of Malaga Cove, the Little Sycamore, the Hunting i45] 1. ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS Culture of Santa Barbara, the Pinto-gypsum of the desert, and the La Jolla phases of San Diego although the latter are at present poorly defined. At the Tank Site (LAn-1) these traits, which are of "middle" position, have been named Topanga Phase II, and significantly enough they are confined to the upper 18 inches of the deposit. Site LAn-2, excavated this season, proved to be almost ex- clusively Phase II from top to bottom. Since these two sites occupy almost contiguous positions and with the distribution of cultural elements being such as it is, the suggested cultural stratigraphy observed in 1947 seems to be fairly well confirmed. In addition to the economic and subsistence aspects we now know something concerning the socioreligious patterns as practiced at the Tank Site. Disposal of the dead is expressed in three forms: (1) primary inhu- mation in the flesh; (2) partial reburials under metates; and (3) fractional burials with interment of leg bones only. This variation in a single site is of interest. Formality appears present only in the first form; here all the bodies were fully extended with the heads orien- tated toward the south. Other than manos and metates, mortuary offerings were rare. In only one instance (Treganza and Malamud, 1950, burial 3) did we find what could be called a positive artifact association, that of a chert blade and a quartz crystal. Artifacts of apparent nonutilitarian usage leave us with the convenient, but not to satisfactory, classification of "ceremonial." It is only through inference that we can assume functional use in ceremonies of such objects as cog stones and a variety of stone disks. Since the spindle-shaped charm stone and the stone cogs and disks appear to be nearly mutually exclusive of one another in their distribution between central and southern California, it is not improbable that the latter constitute the "charm- stones" of the south. Too frequently typological construct and metric meas- urements lead to sterility of interpretation divorced of any humanistic concept. At one time the Tank Site was occupied by a living culture and to some degree the occupants must have participated in activities other than those surrounding a fulfillment of a food economy. To this point it is difficult to explain large lithic concentra- tions consisting of unworked stone, broken metates and manos, core tools, and occasional sections of human long bones. Such occurrences are too large and too fre- quent to have resulted from mere chance, and for this reason we have given them the term "features." The material content of these aggregations suggests refuse dumps of worn out and broken implements, but if so they would collectively have occupied a considerable part of the central living area. Conceivably their central lo- cation could suggest some ceremonial involving the con- cept of a "shrine." That these features could represent some manifestation of the "Annual Mourning Ceremony" seems most dubious. Irrespective of the probability that the Mourning Ceremony is ancient in southern California the differences in cultural inventory and time between the Tank Site and the early and historic phases of the Gabrielino are such that it would be wishful thinking to imply any historical connection. Earlier the Topanga Culture as depicted by the Tank Site has been characterized as largely constituting a seed-gathering economy. This characterization rests upon the presence of a large number of manos and me- tates as opposed to the decided rarity of projectile points and the near absence of mammal bone in the site deposit. Some what of a problem is the high ratio of core and flake tools. In American archaeology it has been popular to assume that flaked lithic assemblages automatically imply a hunting and skin-dressing economy. Possibly this assumption represents an Old World hangover with its overemphasis upon faunal associations merely because of their tangible nature as opposed to the lack preservation of organic plant remains. In the light of evidence, the situation at the Tank Site strongly sugge the possibility of alternative interpretations up to the point where we might consider a dual usage, or if the data permit, emphasize either a plant or animal econor During the first season's excavations it was ourbe4 that the area excavated at the Tank Site was, so far as we knew, undisturbed, and any conclusions reached rested upon that basis. It is significant to note that during this season, as a result of our regional survey, contacted a man named Trujillo, a resident of Topang Canyon for some sixty years, and from him we gained considerable information pertaining to the Tank Site the Topanga Culture in general. Mr. Trujillo informe d us that it was his practice for some years before 1920 plant a small hay crop over the area we were presen excavating, and prior to the first planting he had rem numerous oaks and pointed out a now dead, native bla walnut that was alive during his earlier days of cultia tion. Mr. Trujillo was fully aware that this was an archaeological site and told us he was forced to move many metates and large stones away from the area un cultivation. This action on his part may account in so measure for the somewhat reduced number of large stones in the very upper levels of the site (0 to 8 inch As the habitation deposit occupies the very top of a kn the frequent plowing must have increased surface ero to some degree. Unknown to us earlier were two springs near the T Site which possibly had some bearing on the original selection of this local. It was through Mr. Trujillo th these springs and several additional Topanga Culture sites were found. Mr. Trujillo, in his own way, had c to recognize these metate- and mano-bearing sites to old and contrasted, as he says, "with the sites downa the creek where the soil is soft and dark with some s shell and where mortars occur and the burials are all folded up." Such characteristics are typical of sites occurring in the protohistoric and historic period. Probably most significant of this season's work w the partial excavation of LAn-2 located on the same r and about 350 yards below the Tank Site. Through ou efforts here we were able to confirm the suspected st tigraphy in the Tank Site and, at least partly, define Phase II of the Topanga Culture. Of greatest contrast the appearance of flexed burials and the exclusive oc- currence of light projectile points. Although core and flake tools are still present, a definite shift occurs it material from which they are made and the tools the selves do not dominate the cultural inventory. From the Tank Site the artifact yield per cubic foo almost doubled that of the 1947 season. From the re moval of approximately 2,496 cubic feet of mound we obtained 5,895 typable artifacts (all specimens and or nal data for 1947-1948 are now deposited in the Muse of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley) on the average of 2.3 artifacts per cubic foot of dirt r moved. Compared to other California mounds, this figure is exceptionally high. Only in the Sacramento Valley among Late Horizon sites where baked clay o jects were manufactured as a substitute for stone do figures run correspondingly as high, and even here o has to consider a single class of artifacts rather tha full range as expressed in the Tank Site. One explana for the great increase for this season is that most our excavations were conducted in the shallow part the site (O to 8 inches) where the bulk of the artifa occurred. I .i I 46 TREGANZA AND BIERMAN: THE TOPANGA CULTURE REVIEW OF EARLIER WORK AT THE TANK SITE Concerted excavation at the Tank Site was first car- kidon from June 19 to August 5, 1947. The immediate was to explore as fully as time permitted the nature extent of the deposit. In the main, interest revolved tutting long trenches, test pitting, and expanding in able areas. The compact nature of the soil and the artifact yield retarded clearing. Nevertheless, 5,000 cubic feet of mound earth was removed which an artifact content of one finished implement to 1.5 cubic feet. 'Within the limitations imposed by archaeological con- ns, the excavation made possible certain inferences ding the over-all pattern and associated complexes vd from an open site typified by crude percussion- d core tools and basic milling implements. The ped stone has been compared to that described for iSan Dieguito and Lake Mohave cultures. It includes ewhat ill-defined variety of scraper planes, ers, choppers, projectile points, and large blades. Topanga series of scrapers and planes was numeri- large enough and exemplified a sufficient degree of al variation to warrant a breakdown into descriptive gories or types. Ground- and pecked-stone pieces isted mainly of manos and metates. Here too, tity and diversity allowed a reduction to types. The al validity and developmental implications of the gy presented are limited although some such con- rtions were discussed. Specimens represented sparingly, as was true with a number of forms of dtools, and especially mortars, pestles, cogged s, disks, and ornaments, have been described indi- ly. For additional details and for information not ed here the reader is referred to the earlier hed report (Treganza and Malamud, 1950). the basis of eight burials, all in poor condition, two modes of interment were recognized: primary inhu- mation and reburial. Difficult to characterize concisely are the various manifestations defined as features. They include unusual aggregates of stone and/or implements, hearths, or any circumstance that appeared atypical of the relatively homogeneous midden deposit as it was understood in 1947. A physical analysis of the mound mass and its con- tents indicates a considerable degree of antiquity for the occupation represented. The midden material is ex- tremely compact, and there is a suggested development of a soil profile. With the exception of fragmentary. occasional bits of shell, charcoal, bone, and a trace of ashaltum, all organic substances have long since dis- appeared from the site. What little mammal bone remained was almost inevitably in a poor state of pres- ervation, generally fragmentary, and considerably de- composed. Marine shell, crushed and friable, was encountered in occasional pockets in the lower limits of the deposit and under inverted metates. This shell probably represents evidence of the occasional use of shellfish as a dietary item. No shell artifacts were found below 6 inches and all shell refuse was found below 48 inches. The few artifacts as were found in the upper levels were only in a fair state of preservation and can probably be assigned to Phase II occupation. As our primary interest was in the Tank Site, and our time limited, archaeological reconnaissance in the vicinity was necessarily curtailed. Four lesser sites yielding core tools, and manos were noted along the small tributary system on which the Tank Site is lo- cated. One of these, LAn-2, was test-pitted. An addi- tional site, LAn-6, typified by "Topanga-like" artifacts. was recorded on the western periphery of the San Fernando Valley just over the divide from Topanga Canyon. LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION OF SITES be prefix and numbers used in this paper to designate meological deposits will follow the system now being I by the University of California Archaeological ty. All data on sites are filed in the central office Survey, Department of Anthropology, University of fornia, Berkeley. In this paper, LAn stands for Los ies County. ,n-l (Tank Site).-Our type locality, the Tank Site, pes a well-drained knoll high up on the eastern side anga Canyon (elevation 1,214 feet) some 4 miles from the Pacific Coast. The tract of land upon the site lies is known locally as the "92 acres" reganza and Malamud, 1950; and maps 1 and 2). -2 (map 3).-This site lies on the "92 acres," 350 yards west-southwest of the Tank Site, on the ridge but at a lower elevation. At this point the narrows almost to a hogback about 75 feet wide, ating in a small knoll. There were signs of occu- for a distance of 300 feet along the ridge. The limits could not be determined since the vegetation n bulldozed off earlier and the deposit had been d. Excavation at this site established the basis of Culture Phase 11. -3.-This site is located on the Trippet Ranch 'thin the city limits of Los Angeles. It occupies e ridge as the Tank Site but lies at a higher elevation and some 450 yards to the east. The western edge of the site and the nearby canyon are covered with live oaks, sage, and manzanita. Most of the surface has been disturbed, for the land was formerly planted to grain. The limits of habitation are marked by compact light-brown soil, which discolors slightly the yellow sur- rounding earth. There is no perceptible rise in contour. Artifacts typical of the Tank Site were observed weath- ered out of the occupation surface. The former living area was estimated about a hundred square yards. The deposit appeared only a few inches deep; however, this was probably a village site, though occupied only for a short time. An abundance of tarweed, restricted to the deposit area, might well be considered a vegetation association. LAn-4.-This site is located in the saddle of of ridge which separates the Topanga Canyon drainage from that of the Santa Ynez Canyon, about one-half mile east- southeast of the Tank Site. The saddle is well covered with live oaks and manzanita. The habitation deposit is marked by a slight discoloration of the soil and yielded a few manos like those of the Tank Site. At best, the site was probably just a temporary camping spot. LAn-5.-As at LAn-4, the evidence of occupation, consisting of typical manos, was found in a small saddle of a ridge directly across the ravine from, and about 47 , .. I . , I , I '. E I , : v *I J . " s - \ . / I *%%s z i / ,i%@ >'/ ! (e j I I : .1 ". . . e..r ..,,e , 1 ??7; - ?-. I I,., 1? - I ??, "O . I} 4, . !- - 4?. - . I ,I , . I , : X TREGANZA AND BIERMAN: THE TOPANGA CULTURE ubaf mile south of, the Tank Site. Large live oaks e predominant vegetation. No extensive habitation was noted, though the evidence might well have been n under leaf mould. -6.-This site is of interest since it may indicate crrence of the Topanga Culture in the San Fernando y. The deposit is located on the periphery of a s grove in the eastern foothills of the valley, near d. Cultural associations consisted of Topanga-like ers and choppers composed of a tough, light-colored ite. There were no signs of occupation. It is not obable that this was a quarry site; an outcrop of ite is close at hand. However, no quantities of [ct refuse were noted; nor did any core or flake tools hosed of rhyolite occur in the Tank Site series to st trade or contact between the two sites. !e two San Fernando Valley sites, the Big Tahunga 'orter Ranch sites, reported on by Mr. Edwin Walker ker, 1936, 1945) of the Southwest Museum, appear re no relation to LAn-6 or bearing on the problem Topanga Culture. -8.-Topanga Post Office and a number of smaller now stand directly on this site, though parts of still evident where it extends south to the highway. pt in the dry summer, water is available in the just across the road and there are two springs less baff a mile to the west. low mound has been badly cut through by latter- oad and building operations, thus an area of only 200 square feet remains uncovered. Even here the ce has been considerably disturbed, but, at the same a large number of artifacts have been exposed and be found scattered over the dark, friable midden Interspersed with rejects and shell fragments. The cts noted consist of general core tools and a blemano fragment. One shell disk bead (diameter, ;.; thickness, 1 mm.; diameter of perforation, 1 mm.; ifiable shell) was collected. -9.-Located on a small rocky knoll, formed by a descending from the range on the west side of the a, the site is .5 (unless specified, all mileages are in air miles) of a mile northwest of LAn-8 and a mile due south of the ranch house of R. Kiewit. r is available at a spring, .25 of a mile northwest, from the bed of an intermittent creek that drains opanga Creek. appearance the site is very different from LAn-8. ound soil has been consolidated to a near-clay, so varies only from the surrounding clayey soil in somewhat darker. It extends over an area of 100 feet, but few artifacts are evident on the surface. collected consist of 8 single-edged scraper planes bifacial chopper. Of the planes, 2 were additionally ed as choppers on the edge opposite that which had worked. All artifacts were basalt with the exception artzite planes. Patination was evident on all the specimens, though not as heavy as on similar im- ts from a number of the other sites. -10.-This site is situated on the adjoining ridge, .13 of a mile northwest of LAn-9 and is correspond- closer to the spring, which from here is due north. physiographic location and appearance the two are very similar. area covered by mound soil stretches along the some 250 feet and is 70 feet wide. But the soil is Ct and consolidated and only slightly dark. A of the site area has been somewhat disturbed by truction of a milk house, stockyard, and fences. ts picked up from the surface consist of manos, choppers, scraper planes, and hammerstones. Of the manos, 5 are bifacial-3 with parallel wear surfaces, 2 wedge-shaped in cross section-and of these, 2 are tri- facial, with the two sides that form the keeled back meet- ing at right angles. In cross section, all the used areas are only slightly convex. Most show considerable wear and good shoulder development, display pecking on their grinding surfaces, and all but 2 granitic specimens are of sandstone. A single monofacial chopper of basalt is well battered along its edge. Out of 7 single-edged planes, 2 have been secondarily worked and used as choppers on an edge other than that developed on the periphery of the plane, and 6 are basalt and 1 is quartz- ite. One small, flat scraper has two localized adjacent concavities struck from its margin and is also of basalt. Of the 3 core hammerstones, 2 are basalt and 1 is quartzite. Considerable chemical alteration is obvious on even the flaked surfaces. LAn-11.-Located in the vineyard of the Kiewit Ranch, this site is less than .2 of a mile west of north from LAn-10. The spring already mentioned is immediately to the east, and another, on the property of S. Barton, is .3 of a mile north-northeast. This site has much in common with LAn-9and LAn-10. The sloping knoll on which the site is situated is part of the ridge that forms the north bank of the intermittent creek. The leeched, indurated soil is hardly recogniza- ble as occupational deposit, but the fact that it forms a site is obvious from its slightly darker coloring and the scattered surface artifacts and reject material. These are thinly strewn over an area of 200 feet by 100 feet, and are found to a depth of 2 feet in the bank resulting from a road cut at the base of the site. The 10 single-edged planes that come from the sur- face range from large to small, 9 of which are basalt and 1 a pink mudstone. A single massive double-ended plane of basalt is much battered on its worked edges, which are flaked back on their upper side. Battering is also in evidence along the flaked edge Qf 4 bifacial choppers, 3 of which are basalt and 1 quartzite. Out of 4 basalt flake scrapers, one has been much used; and of 4 core hammer- stones, 2 are basalt, 1 is quartzite. and 1 is mudstone. Manos were represented by 3 bifacial types, the grinding surfaces of 2 being parallel, and 1 meeting at an angle to effect a wedge-shaped cross section. All are well- shouldered, 1 displaying a pecked depression on a single wear surface; 2 are of sandstone, 1 of which is carbon- ized; and the third is of an igneous rock. Again, on all the basalt specimens the patination is very marked. LAn-12.-The largest site yet found in the canyon is on the property of Mr. Miller on the road to the Trippet Ranch, .25 of a mile southeast of the Tank Site across an intermittent creek. It was noted that in the creek bed, just downstream from the Miller residence, pools of water, which, according to Mr. Trujillo were spring fed, an exceptionally dry summer season. The site extends from the ridge where the house is located into the knoll west of the orchard, covering an area of 400 by 300 feet to a depth of at least 30 inches. Artifacts are plentiful on the ploughed and cultivated surface, and the highly indurated mound soil is dark and clayey. Where the deposit has been cut by recent de- velopments, little worked stone is found in the banks; and a 5-foot square pit netted only one fragment of a ground slate pendant, though the deposit extended below the 30 inches to which the excavation proceeded. From the walls of the pit it could be noted that some soil profile had already developed. Tools from the surface included general core tools, U ; 49 ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS manos, and metates. A basin metate had been reported; and a fragment of one, of sandstone and shaped on its outer surface, was found. Of 9 manos and mano frag- ments, 5 are bifacial and relatively thin and 4, mono- facial. All but 2 of the monofacial artifacts are sand- stone, these being of a granitic rock. In cross section the majority of grinding surfaces are unusually convex, especially as they reach the edge and roll partly up the side. A single basalt pestle fragment was obtained. Scraper planes are well represented by 10 with a U- shaped edge development, some well-battered along the worked margin; and 25 single-edged planes, some of which are very large and most displaying flaking back on their edges, generally on the upper surface of the used edge. Four of quartzite and 1 of felsite porphyry are single-edged, the remainder are basalt. The 4 side scrapers are thin flakes, 2 of basalt, 2 of chert. The 3 choppers are of basalt, 1 having served additional use as a hammerstone, and the 4 hammerstones are basalt cores. Patination is noticeable on all, and smoothed flake scars are not uncommon. LAn-13.--Six bedrock mortars were found here in a sandstone outcrop of the south bank of the creek, 200 feet upstream from the Kiewit Ranch. As the area is covered by a relatively dense oak grove, the fact that no artifacts were found on the surface in the vicinity may be due in part to the thick fall of dead leaves. However, the soil here beneath the leaf mold is no different from that of the region as a whole, being of a light-colored clayey consistency. LAn-14.-Three-tenths of a mile northeast of Mineral Springs is a basalt quarry and possible habitation site. The spring water is potable and affords the nearest available water source. Over an area of 100 by 75 feet, surrounding the basalt outcrop, the sandy soil is some- what darker. Whether this is owing to the decomposition of organic refuse strewn about a habitation site or merely to rock weathering, or in part to both, was indetermin- able. The only evidence of former activity are several percussion bulbs and a number of specimens displaying a small amount of regular chipping, which suggest crude scrapers. All of these pieces, moreover, have under- gone considerable patination so that they are now quite yellowed even on their flaked surfaces. In general ap- pearance and degree of patination the artifacts from this site show marked resemblance to those from San Fernando, LAn-6, just over the divide. Four-tenths of a mile to the south, .2 of a mile south- west of the home of M. Biencourt, an isolated chopper was picked from the surface of a spur ridge leading to Garrapata Creek. It is a large bifacial tool, battered on the slightly fashioned working edge, of basalt and pati- nated. No further indication of aboriginal habitation could be discovered in the near vicinity. Lithic tools and rejects, however, were found on the slope just south- east of the Biencourt residence, apparently weathering from a higher source. Investigation at the time was not feasible, however, and further investigation has not as yet been possible. LAn-16.-Now almost completely destroyed or dis- turbed by bulldozing and animals, this site is centered in the chicken run of the W. R. Hamilton Ranch, some 3 miles up the Fernwood-Pacific Road, 1.7 air miles southwest of Topanga Post Office. It sits on a somewhat more level shelf of an otherwise steep slope, the east bank of a ravine from which a permanent spring emanates 12 miles from the site. Over an area 60 feet in diameter, dark friable mound soil is still in evidence, though arti- facts are now scarce. Three deep bedrock mortars, and some seven smaller, have been worn into a sandstone outcrop toward the upper end of the site, and a single pestle, and scraper plane of quartzite, came from the surface. LAn- 17.-LAn- 17 surrounds the spring on the Barto School property to an indeterminable extent. Recent building and cultivation have obliterated or disturbed considerable portions of the old habitation site; however from what remains, it appears very similar to LAn-8, .3 of a mile southeast. Artifacts lie on the surface of the dark, friable midden deposit, which contrasts with the surrounding light clayey coil, though the discolora- tion may have been intensified to some extent by seepa and decay of organic matter derived from the heavy oak grove. The artifacts noted consist of a shallow basin metate, manos, only a few general core tools, and a bed rock mortar in a boulder, some 300 feet from the sprin LA-21 and LAn-21.-Located on a level shelf adjac to the west bank of Garapata Creek, the site is .72 of a mile east-northeast of Mineral Springs. The upper half is separated from the lower by a 4-foot sandstone face that divides the site midway between the bank and its upper extremity. In all, an area of 50 feet by 75 feet is covered with dark, friable, sandy midden deposit to an undetermined depth, which contrasts with the surround- ing light, brown-colored sand. Surface finds included only some scrapers, and a quartz core hammerstone, along with a few cores and more concentrated chert flakes; by far in the majority were head-fractured, carbonized rock fragments. A shallow 10-foot test trench again yielded only fired, fractured rock. A number of springs are located in this vicinity, all, at present, permanent and potable. Two are within a quarter of a mile, one upstream and one downstream. Two others are within a three-quarter mile radius, one upstream on the old Santa Maria Ranch, and the other Mineral Springs, to the west across a low range. LAn-23.-This site is on the east side of Garrapata Creek located in a small cave near the top of a large sandstone outcrop. The habitation deposit consists of loose, ashy dark soil charged with clam and abalone shells, and mammal and bird bones. Artifacts recove were typical of the late protohistoric period. This site was partly examined by R. F. Heizer in 1946 and called by him "Cave 1" (Heizer and Lemert, 1947, p. 238). LAn-24.-This site is in the open adjacent to LAn- It consists of a refuse deposit some 75 square yards ii area. Surface and subsurface artifacts resemble those of Topanga Phase II. This was Heizer's "Upper Site" (Heizer and Lemert, 1947, p. 238). LAn-25.-A cave site, LAn-25 is .4 of a mile east LAn-23 in the same sandstone ridge. It has a northwe exposure and is very near the top of the outcrop. A small opening leads into a circular room 15 feet in di- ameter; the walls and ceiling are somewhat smoke- blackened. However, the cave probably bore little habitation, for the floor deposit is hardly discolored includes very little charcoal, only two flakes and no facts. Water is available at the Santa Maria spring a,. half a mile north, but the ascent to the cave is difficul because of the thick brush and sheer rock faces. LAn-27.-This is one of a series of caves reported by W. King and D. Lathrop. They stretch along the no bank of Garrapata Creek for .25 of a mile on the pro of M. Biencourt, just south of the owner's house, all a more or less southerly exposure. Water is availab from the spring in the creek bed a few hundred feet u stream and from Mineral Springs, less than a half a to the west. As none contain deposit of any depth, and 50 TREGANZA AND BIERMAN: THE TOPANGA CULTURE jority are relatively low overhangs, these caves prob- y served only as temporary shelters. LAn-27.-This is a high-roofed cave, 25 feet wide and feet deep, with a maximum floor deposit of 12 inches. e slope in the front of the cave also bears dark, loose posit, which appears to have a greater depth than that the cave itself. Surface finds include a few scrapers. well as some flakes and marine shell fragments. LAn-28.-100 feet west of LAn-27, and slightlyhigher, Dother cave, only 8 by 5 feet. The rock floor bears artifacts, the only evidence of possible habitation the intensely fire-blackened roof. As extensive fires are not uncommon in this region the blacken- y well be the result of unintentional firing. n-29.-This is the largest of the caves, 60 by 16 and is 400 feet southwest of LAn-27 and somewhat r. A thin erosional or aelian layer covers the sur- of the deposit, which bears scrapers, marine shell ents, and burnt bone; the interior of the cave is etely carbonized. n-30.-Only 30 feet southwest of LAn-29 is another cave, 20 by 10 feet, with fire-blackened walls and o deposit containing scrapers, marine shell, and n-31.-This is a low circular cave with two en- es, some 80 feet southwest of LAn-30. The dark deposit covers a floor 10 by 15 feet where pockets a maximum depth of 24 inches, and extends some beyond the cave mouth. Aside from marine shell flakes, it contained a few cores and scrapers. -32.-The last of the caves is 200 feet west of 51 LAn-31 and slightly lower. Here a long shallow overhang leads to a dry circular room with blackened walls. The deposit covers an area 15 feet in diameter, is dark, ashy, and dry, and yielded a few scrapers, some cores, and a quantity of marine shell fragments. LAn-33.-In a sandstone cliff overlooking the valley, 3 potholes have been used as bedrock mortars. They are .25 of a mile west-southwest of the spring on the Barton School property, and the same distance west-northwest of the spring on the Kiewit Ranch, surrounded on the west by oaks. Again, neither surface artifacts nor other habi- tation deposits are evident in the immediate vicinity. SUMMARY OF SITES On the basis of physiographic location, nature of deposit, artifact types, and the degree of implement patination, sites LAn-2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, and 24 resemble the Tank Site and, therefore, could probably be classed as representative of one of the phase develop- ments of the Topanga Culture. Sites LAn-8, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, and 32, because of the friable, dark soil, presence of steatite, quantities of mammal bone and mollusk shell, or associated bedrock mortars, have been classed as late protohistoric sites and are not considered within the scope of this paper. Several sites, e.g., LAn-17, were of dubious mixed origin and would require more extensive examination to determine their cultural affinities. Where omissions in the numbering occur, e.g., 7, it is because sites were reported for an area and later failed to materialize as much. FIELD TECHNIQUES r major purpose in continuing field work at the Site was to establish with greater certaintly the ionships between the diverse artifact types and es, and other manifestations, already recognized. thope that the general region in which burials had lcated in 1947 would continue to be productive in "spect, we expanded from there in all directions, ,lally toward the center of the mound. Digging in the northwestern part of the site was furthered with tent of verifying the suggested stratigraphy and Lng, possibly, a deep undisturbed burial in better on than those from the upper soil horizons. e procedure of excavation and notation was essen- unaltered from that previously employed. A grid dinates had already been established with refer- permanent data. Burials and features were again on standard University of California archaeo- forms. A slight change, however, was made in od of recording and cataloguing field data. fnally a data sheet had been completed for each interval of a 5-foot grid section, on which arti- ere plotted in exact horizontal location. In work- the material it became clear that the specific distribution of isolated implements lacked pat- It was therefore considered adequate, when g to the field, to designate provenience by ex- unit and level only. In addition, the method of ing was simplified and so organized that 90 per the tabulation of data could be completed in the This was possible because the specimens derived e 1947 field work had already been classified and constituted a sample on which expectations could reason- ably be based. The procedure followed was to strip each 5-foot section in 6-inch levels, and to sack together all the arti- facts from one such test unit. At the end of the day the level bags were taken to camp where the artifacts were washed, labeled, and tabulated. All items were marked in India ink according to section number and level inter- val, e.g., 15R10-1, a specimen from the 0- to 6-inch level of the pit; 15R10-2 would indicate the 6- to 12-inch level, etc. A tabulation sheet was kept for each excava- tion unit. This sheet listed the most frequently occur- ing types or categories, allowing for the notation of rare forms, and was ruled vertically to indicate depth inter- vals. Artifacts were entered according to type, or category, and level, and then packed for transport. Atypical specimens or those to be used for illustration were set aside for separate shipment and more intensive examination. This system had many advantages. Records were readily kept up to date, problems that suggested them- selves as excavation progressed could be more closely defined and investigated, and artifacts could be expe- ditiously and finally cleared from the work area. The data sheets served as a field catalogue and covered the groundwork of the final statistical compilation. The number assigned each specimen referred not only to its catalogue entry but also its provenience. In 1947 we could not anticipate what might be found, nor could we establish immediately the significance of what we did encounter. Thus it has been our policy to I N x% 4 x 0 ~~~~~ \ _ m\ V \~~~~~~~~~~~4 \ \ b~~~~~~~~~~~~~4 :~~~~~~~~~~~~C ~~~~~~ r' ! -4 N - 0 1k .4 0 W * (4) (ula K4 2D r It I f ?q 4 "lk t? , Ik" A 4p tI?i ?11 E*? N k4 R, TREGANZA AND BIERMAN: THE TOPANGA CULTURE save all worked stone and ship it back to the Museum of Anthropology at Berkeley for study. During the second eason, however, we felt a little more discrimination was warranted in order to save the museum valuable storage space. Therefore, the bulk of the hammerstones and a number of complete, and all fragmentary, manos, metates, and scrapers were tabulated and piled into pit 21R4 before backfilling. FEATURES Since the Tank Site showed promise of being an un- al and important deposit, considerable care was ob- ed during both seasons of excavation to isolate and se any concentration of lithic remains which ap- d to be in any way atypical of the average mound c. As a result, numerous associations of stones, as mano caches, highly weathered inverted metates, massive piles of rejected cores, broken manos and aes, and plain cobbles, were set apart from the rest e site and given the term "feature." In some in- ces these features possess obvious meaning, as was of the mano caches and the inverted metates, but in r instances the purpose remains unknown. If nothing this technique of isolating features as excavation rssed provided an adequate view of the internal cture of a village, a type of information largely g in southern California archaeology. -The features described below represent a continu- of the series reported for 1947. Feature 14 (pl. 19, b).-Cache of 4 manos. The place- of these specimens precludes a chance affinity; were closely grouped and each was standing more less on end. No other artifacts were found in associ- Feature 15 (p1. 19, d).--Owing to its areal extent, e 15 is somewhat difficult to define. The complex ne by which it is characterized has been arbitrarily n down for descriptive convenience. There is no of knowing whether the entire complex exemplifies gle unit or if in the course of time it merely de- pd from a single point of departure. ature 15a.-This was 10 by 10 feet with an average of 4 to 8 inches. Four inverted metates, additional e fragments, manos, core tools, and a single frag- of a slate pendant. In the southeast portion were etrical stream cobbles of different sizes. This aggregation is of interest. The almost perfect etry of the stones suggests selection, and the graphic location of the Tank Site implies such s must have been transported to it. None shows any Ice of utilitarian use, and in the light of present edge the existence and function of such objects can- e explained. ature 15b.-Badly weathered, fragmentary metates; ed "lumps" of sandstone; manos; and core tools. small pestles were found near association. ature 15c.-Inverted, killed, sandstone metate; tone slab; and core tools. Burial 11 was in close ity, but owing to its badly disturbed condition, no ye association could be made with the feature. ature 15d.-Metates; altered sandstone blocks; tools; manos; and fragments of human leg bones. ature 16.-Disintegrated, pitted metate and frag- of 2 other metates; mano fragments; core tools; ked stone; and unidentifiable fragments of human ature 17.-Characterized by a number of sym- cally water-worn cobbles. Contrasts with other es wherein metates, manos, cores, and irregular, ed stones predominate. Fragmentary metates, ,and core tools were also present, as were 2 segments of human femora. Feature 18.-Badly weathered, inverted, deep-basin metate in near association to symmetrical sandstone cobble containing a ground depression. The latter may represent the initial stage of mortar manufacture. though the smoothness and regularity of the depression surface somewhat invalidates the idea. Feature 19.-Metates (deep basin, shallow basin, and slab); mano fragments; scraper planes; core hammer- stones; and fragments of human femora and tibiae. The deep-basin metate was right side up, in contrast to the usual inversion. Feature 20.-Deep-basin metate with associated metate fragments; carbon-smudged blocks of disinte- grated sandstone core tools; and sections of human femora. Feature 21 (pl. 18, b).-Large, shallow-basin metate and fragments of 2 others; 2 large, reworked, granite boulders; 3 blocks of highly decomposed sandstone; core tools; mano; and fragments of human femur. Feature 22 (pl. 20, b).-Deep-basin metate; 2 slab metates and 3 metate fragments; chunks of altered sand- stone; core tools; and a large, chert blade. Feature 23 (pl. 20, d).-This feature constituted byfar the largest single concentration of stone, being about 8 feet in diameter. In addition to quantities of unworked pieces of granite and sandstone, the following artifacts were noted: 53 metate fragments (31 deep basin, 13 shallow basin, and 9 slab), 15 manos, 11 scraper planes, 4 side scrapers, 5 bifaced chopper, and 2 abrading stones. Feature 24 (pl. 18, d).-Large, decomposed fragments of fired sandstone (18 x 12 x 11 inches); 2 metate frag- ments; core tools; and fragments of human long bones. Feature 25 (pl. 19, a).-Cache of 6 manos. Feature 26 (pl. 20, a).-One slab metate; metate frag- ments; manos; core tools; and limonite pigment. Feature 27.-Killed, inverted, deep-basin metate; slab metate; 2 scraper planes; 1 mano; 6 core hammer- stones; 1 cobble hammerstone; 1 bifaced chopper; fossil mammal bone; and fragments of human bones. Feature 28 (pl. 20, c).-Killed, inverted, shallow-basin metate; fragments of 2 slab metates; 1 shallow-basin type; 4 mano fragments; and 2 core hammerstones. This feature is of interest due to its very shallow depth (4 inches to top of metate). No disturbance could be detected, indicating either that when Mr. Trujillo plowed the site (1920) his plow was drawing less than 4 inches or the deposit has undergone some degradation since the time of his activity. Feature 29.-Inverted, deep-basin metate; hammer- stone; granules of red ocher; and fragments of human long bones. Feature 30.-Single, inverted, shallow-basin metate. Feature 31.-Inverted, deep-basin metate; 9 complete manos and 3 fragments; 2 scraper planes; 6 core ham- merstones; 7 chunks of altered sandstone; and fragments of human leg bones. Feature 32.-Fragments of highly altered metates and 3 chunks of burned sandstone. Unknowingly, a section of this feature was moved during our 1947 operations. 53 ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS BURIALS The number of burials recovered was disappointing in view of the previous summer's find. In 1947 our efforts had been confined to digging a wide L-shaped trench peripheral to the central section of the site, from which six fully extended burials were removed, as well as a disturbed burial and reburial. Considering this a favor- able sample, we anticipated the central region at least to be as productive. It proved, on the contrary, to be al- most lacking in burials. The few interments we did expose came, again, from the peripheral sectors. This peripheral occurrence of burials suggests the possibility of marginal cemeteries rather than burial plots in the central living area, a feature often characteristic of later cultures. More apparent from the field notes than in the course of excavation was the repeated occurrence of fragmented sets of long bones still in semiarticulated position. (See features 15d, 15c, 16, 17, 19, 20, 24, 27, 29, and 31.) The nonarticulated epiphesial extremities were generally lacking. In some instances sections of both femora and tibiae occurred in articulated position; in others, just a pair of tibiae or femora, or a single femur or tibia were left. Burial 1 (Treganza and Malamud, 1950, p. 134; pl. 15, a) constitutes a good example of the condition to which we just referred. Earlier, on the basis of merely this isolated example, we assumed it to be simply the remains of a disturbed extended burial. However, the frequent recurrence of the phenomenon this season sug- gests a distinct and intentional burial pattern. Often, the segmented long bones were encountered in conjunction with those features composed of a concentration of large unworked stone and metate fragments. Some problem exists as to what happened to the rest of the skeleton. At no time during excavation did we uncover scattered skull fragments or teeth, and fragmentary arm bones or other skeletal parts were rare. The bulk of the dissoci- ated bone consisted of tibiae or femora. Until otherwise indicated, therefore, we are led to assume that the mani- featation results from some form of sectional body dis- posal, though its ramifications remain unknown and precisely comparable situations are unreported in terms of a consistant pattern. The data from the two seasons' work thus demonstrate three methods for disposal of the dead: (1) primary in- humation in the flesh, the disposition of the corpse be extended, either prone or supine, with head oriented southerly; (2) reburial, involving only incomplete skeli remains, primarily segments of long bones, and covere by a metate, which is generally inverted; (3) fractional burial, with interment of leg bones only. The latter is i tentative form, and sho-uld it in reality have existed we are unable to explain such a unique custom that would have involved body dissection. The nature of the finds, however, suggests burial of the dismembered lower extremities and not merely a reburial, hence probably; representing a form of primary inhumation. Burial 9* Location: section 22L2. Depth: 50 in. Type: fractional burial. Condition: fair. Position: indeterminable. Sex: indeterminable. Remarks: Partial burial consisting of sections of bones. Owing to the depth, preservation of the existin bone was good. Unfortunately, because of a cave-in of the unconsolidated earth of last year's fill, a photogr was impossible. Artifacts in association: larger part of deep-basin metate. In contrast to other metates associated with burials, this specimen was not inverted. Burial 10 (P1. 17, e) Location: section 16R11. Depth: 24 in. Type: fractional burial. Condition: poor. Position: ? Sex: ? Remarks: Double burial involving only the leg bo In one burial the greater part of both femora was pree The original burial position could have been either fI or extended, i.e., if the corpse has been interred in t in the first place. In the second burial most of thetW Table 1 Burials LAn-1 Burial data Burial number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Depth from surface (inches) 12 19 18 19 13 7 6 30 50 24 12 26 Primary inhumation ... x x x x x ... ... .. ? ? Reburial ... ... ... ... ... ... x x x ... ? ? Fractional burial x .... ... . ...x Extended on ventral side ... ... ... x ... ... ... ... ... Flexed ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ? ... ... Head oriented ... s ssW s s s ... ... ... ... Artifacts associated ... x x x x x x x ... ... ... *Burials 1-8 described in Treganza and Malamud, 1950, pp. 134-135. I : I 54 TREGANZA AND BIERMAN: THE TOPANGA CULTURE Oe and parts of both femora remained, their position Fgly suggesting flexure. It is impossible to say to &extent the burials were disturbed, or what happened he rest of the bodies. hzifacts in association: none. Burial 11 (PI. 18, a) ocation: section 15R13. pth: 12 in. ype: partial reburial or disturbed primary burial. Doudition: poor. !06ition: indeterminable. bz: indeterminable. bemarks: Fragments of long bones, mandible, and Illa present. Position of mandible and maxialla among the leg bones suggests either a former disturb- ance of a primary inhumation or a secondary burial. Artifacts in association: possible feature 15C and a cogged stone found about 18 inches away. Burial 12 Location: section 17R7. Depth: 26 in. Type: indeterminable. Condition: poor. Position: indeterminable. Sex: indeterminable. Remarks: Bone disintegration and what seemed to have been disturbance obviated taking adequate infor- mation. Artifacts in association: none. DESCRIPTION OF ARTIFACTS r avoid repetition of description, only those types or ps of specimens not covered in the earlier report befully discussed here. Such categories as have y been isolated and defined will be treated in sum- yfashion. For complete descriptive data, the 1947 t of the Topanga Culture should be consulted. The tabulations of the major groups of artifacts derived both season's excavations will be presented in this The artifacts from LAn-2 constitute a problem of their own and will be described in a later section of this paper covering the excavation of that site. FLAKED TOOLS With few exceptions, the additional flaked tools repre- sent roughly the same sample as already revealed. Con- cave scrapers, thumbnail scrapers, a crescentic stone, I I I- l l - l l l l- 30 -q p l l 1 l -I I I I I - I I I I - I l l I I c{C, 3z 4 bf~ 4 1.4 8t3 tjc B1 I L Ii V. - 1 1 u 2 I l, I I I I ASSOC IATMD 5 3 4 _ _I I I J1 P;6 p l i l l l1 l i i r 6 9 so It 10 13 14 Figure 1. Location of Features and Burials Vj p3 t/o I~~~ I11YATUMES I - S2 IOWUMAM L0"6 BQ0E5 A WVITH 'FEAT UpRtS. I I -r I I f I r I I =ZPI I.) I , IL B3 0 4 0'71a I 11 I I - !I I z 0- I 55 as Lst I aq 8 la qzw t?090 4 I I I ?? % I a" N\ -\ BIO == pp GC=b 41:? - . is ?G,I, It FIR '?Ik "i; Btl A ji 'k K. 94 56 6 -+110" 17 I 3 ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS and new projectile point types make up the adjunct to the typology. The frequencies for most of the groups of flaked tools are reasonably higher than was heretofore indicated. This is probably the result of the more ex- tensive excavations carried out in the areas of greatest artifact concentration. Scraper Planes Numerically, scraper planes as an entire class con- stitute the largest single stylized group of artifacts from the Tank Site. Some forms display a marked perfection in flaking technique, and are comparable to illustrated specimens from the San Dieguito industry (M. J. Rogers, 1929; 1939, pl. 8, i -i) on the southern California coast and in the Lake Mohave Culture (Campbell et al., pls. XXVI, XXVII) in the eastern desert. The majority, how- ever, exhibit only generalized characteristics with con- siderable latitude in external form suggesting that their manufacture required little precision on the part of the maker, and probably, also, they served essentially as an all-purpose tool. The nature of the wear on much-used specimens indicated hard usage, such as would result from repeated contact on an unyielding surface. Figure 2 illustrates "ideal" scraper-plane types and the following description is a brief summary of the rec- ognized forms. (For photographs, see Treganza and Malamud, 1950, pls. 17-19.) Type IA Round to oval in outline, flat base chipped about the entire perimeter. Top surface flaked to a near sym- metrical dome shape. Type IB Like IA, except that the upper surface rises to a pq or ridge somewhat off -center. Type IC Like IA, but higher and with more latitude in formIJ Flakes are struck from the perimeter at a steep angl so that on most specimens height exceeds diameter. Type IIA Form is variable, but tends toward subrectangula4 About three-quarters of the basal margin evidencei flaking, the remaining portion consists of an unretou straight edge caused by the removal of a large prima flake. Type UB Like IIA, except that the worked edges display a marked degree of secondary flaking or resharpenln to the point where sections of the steepened sides a notably undercut. Type III Distinct from other forms in that they are shaped from angular rocks on which two separate working have been developed. In other respects the specime this category fall essentially into the IIA class. able 2 Frequency of Scraper Planes by Depth Depth (in in.) Type 0-6 6-12 12-18 18-24 24-30 30-36 36-42 42-48 48-54 54-60 Total IA ......... 22 21 16 9 6 4 1 1 ... ... 80 IB ......... 11 6 5 8 3 2 1 ... 36 IC ......... 34 52 28 17 14 7 2 1 ... ... 155 IIA ......... 356 472 385 187 88 43 23 12 2 2 1,570 IIB ......... 12 7 10 4 1 ... ... 2 ... ... 36 III ...... . . . . 29 43 21 17 7 9 3 1 1 ... 131 Total by level . . . . 464 601 465 242 119 65 30 17 3 2 2,008 Scrapers Side scrapers (fig. 3, d-e).-Ovoid to angular, with convex working edges. Frequently with scalloped work- ing edges. Straight-edge scrapers or knives (fig. 3, f).-Irreg- ular forms with a single straight, monofacial retouched margin along one side. Ovoid or discoidal scrapers (fig. 3, a).-Made from large flat flakes, often showing a percussion bulb on one surface, and worked to a near-symmetrical form. Chip- ping may extend over the whole of one or both faces. End scrapers (Treganza and Malamud, 1950, pl. 200, .-Subrectangular in outline with one of the narrow ends flaked back to a low angle. Snub-nosed scrapers (ibid., pl. 20, f-g).-Like end scrapers with the exception that the flakes have been removed from the retouched end at a much steeperas producing a blunter but stronger working edge. Cobble scrapers (ibid., pl. 20, c).-Made from a s cobble showing wear along the sharp curved margin. Only slight retouching. Flake scrapers or knives (fig. 3, g).-Thin flake monofacially flaked along portions of their peripherii Concave scrapers (fig. 3, c) .-These are neither common nor are they clearly stylized. They total on nine, all acquired during the second season. ThoughI are alike, they characteristically display a shallow localized concavity along one edge. In some instauc the margin of the concavity shows signs of notable abrasion. Small chips have been sprung from the bal of the concavity probably through use. Sizes range fi 6 to 10 cm. in diameter with the depressions varying from .5 to 2 cm. Seven specimens were of basalt az I 56 TREGANZA AND BIERMAN: THE TOPANGA CULTURE IA IC JIE~~~~~ ;~~ . Figure 2. Scraper Plane Types 57 ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS a II, Figure 3. Scraper Types 58 TREGANZA AND BIERMAN: THE TOPANGA CULTURE We each of chert and porphyry. One specimen appears to have served a dual function a tool. A portion of one edge is concave and the re- der convex, as on a typical side scraper. Both ng margins display considerable wear. Examples illustrated by Rogers (1939, pl. 8, h, k) for desert Playa industry differ in that they are consist- subrectangular, elongated, and have a broader con- scraping edge along each of two sides. umbnail scrapers (fig. 3, b).-Only a single speci- falls in this category. It is roughly circular in out- thin, lenticular in cross section, and flaked on both aes. The example made of a dark-brown chert is in diameter and 4 mm. thick. The lone occurrence s type of tool would seem to indicate a lack of ais on light delicate work. Implements of this re are usually best associated with cultures of later n. Choppers ifaced choppers or heavy duty scrapers.-These produced from large cores of basalt or from a split le and exhibit flaking only on one face. (Treganza Malamud, 1950, pl. 20, d-e). aced choppers.-These are large cores bifacially d along an edge to effect a sharp, sinuous margin may extend around the entire periphery or only a n of it (ibid., pl. 20, a-b). Crescentic Stone or "Amulet" !his class is represented by but a half of a single imen obtained during the second season (pl. 21, m). ,gh this specimen varies somewhat from illustrated iples there seems to be little doubt as to its general ufication. The function of these implements re- s open to question, and varient forms appear to have derable latitude in time and areal distribution in rn United States. Similar forms may be noted for Ake Mohave Culture and the San Dieguito-Playa try (Campbell et al., 1937, pl. XXXVIII, a-c; M. J. rs, 1939, pl. 8, a-c). Drill or Reamer (P1. 23, d-e) vwo very similar pieces make up the addition to this i. Both are elongated, tapering sections of rose quartzite on which the margins have been retouched and the tip of each is notably abraded. The large ends show no evidence of preparation for hafting, so presumably they were used as a hand reamer or drill. The lengths are 6 cm. and 10 cm. Hand Pick The two new specimens, roughly triangular in outline, resemble the single piece recovered in 1947. On both, the working end tapers to a heavy, well-formed point, whereas the opposite end is bulbous and fits comfortably into the palm of the hand. Lengths are 9.8 cm. and 13 cm., respectively, with basalt and quartzite as materials. Projectile Points Since projectile points as a general class have proved to be the best criteria for establishing the stratigraphic differences whereby Topanga Phase I and Phase II may be distinguished, and because projectile points, to some measure, provide useful comparative data, it seems ad- visable to illustrate all the complete and near-complete specimens collected during both seasons. With additional information some modification has been made over last seasons presentation. Here are in- cluded two groups of projectile points, each of which is associated with a definite phase of the Topanga Culture. Phase I is characterized by large blades and large points, most of which are composed of a highly patinated basalt and have been manufactured through the percussion or rough pressure-flaking technique (pl. 21, a-l). Phase II is characterized by small projectile points of the "dart" class which in material range through slightly patinated basalt, glassy basalt, obsidian, chalcedony, and chert. All have been finished in a rough to medium pressure technique (pl. 22, c-u). Totally absent in either phase is the light, thin, finely pressure-flaked "arrow point" of the historic or protohistoric periods. In addition to the physical and technological differ- ences between the projectile points of Phase I and Phase II there remains important stratigraphic differences that are clearly shown in table 4. The large blades and points of Phase I are primarily confined to the lower levels of the site with the deepest occurrence at the 54-to-60-inch level and a maximum occurrence in the 12-to-18-inch level. Almost a complete reversal of this may be ob- served in the distribution of Phase II points. Here the Table 3 Frequency of Flaked Artifacts by Depth Depth (in in.) Type 0-6 6-12 12-18 18-24 24-30 30-36 36-42 42-48 48-54 54-60 Total Side scrapers ...... . 178 129 73 37 12 5 7 3 2 1 447 Straight-edge knives . . . 75 42 42 19 12 3 ... 2 1 ... 196 Ovate scrapers .... . 9 10 5 8 1 1 1 ... ... . . 35 End scrapers . ..... . 11 14 10 8 2 4 ... ... ... ... 49 Snub-nose scrapers .. . 8 15 6 1 2 ... ... 32 Flake scrapers . .... . 25 20 14 8 2 1 3 ... ... 73 Cobble scrapers .... . 2 1 3 ... 1 1 ... ... ... ... 8 Concave scrapers . .. . 3 3 2 1 ... ... ... ... ... ... 9 Thumbnail scrapers . . 1 .... 1 . .. . .. . .. . .. ... ... ... 1 Unifaced choppers . . . . 48 56 33 27 12 3 3 3 ... ... 185 Bifaced choppers .... . 152 117 113 49 14 7 6 5 1 ... 464 Core hammerstones . 339 422 429 154 93 17 18 9 5 1 1,478 Total by level. 851 829 730 312 151 42 38 22 9 2 2,986 - :~ k.." 59 t'' --- - k ,I I I- I I ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS maximum occurrence is in the 0-to-6-inch levelandnone occurred below the 18-to-24-inch level. That some degree of overlap is present can be expected, assuming our interpretation of the erosional history of the Tank Site is correct (Treganza and Malamud, 1950, p. 131). In any stratified site, unless the cultural levels are sepa- rated by a sterile layer of some thickness some degree of cultural mixing may be anticipated. Previously un- known to us was the fact that Mr. Trujillo had plowed the site in earlier days and this, plus rodent activities, could have brought about considerable mixing in the upper 12 inches of the deposit. Though less digging was done in the Phase II site LAn-2, it is significant to note that only the small pressure-flaked projectile points were present. In form and material they resemble in near exactness the material from the 0-to-12-inch level of the Tank Site (pl. 23, f -m). Two specimens, a large blade and large point (pl. 22, a, b), have tentatively been assigned to Phase II though there maybe some doubt as to their culturalprovenience. The blade, composed of a dark-brown chert, shows con- siderable pressure-flaking skill as evidenced by the serrations along both margins. The large point composed of obsidian lacks refinement in flaking but shows little or no evidence of surface alteration (patination). Also, both these types are of not uncommon occurrence in the coastal shell middens that can be assigned to periods of less antiquity than the Tank Site. Assigned to Phase I are three heavy points which, because of their nature, stand in contrast to the typical patinated basalt specimens; yet thier association in the site deposit is such that they must be considered along with other projectile points as belonging to the Phase I period. Plate 21, 1, illustrates a dark-brown chert bl with a concave base which was flaked either by control percussion or a rough-pressure technique. This spec men was found in direct association with an extende burial of the Phase I type (Treganza and Malamud, 19 pl. 15, f; pl. 21, i), and hence has been assigned to t period. Though its presence appears out of character with the heavy basalt examples, this association is not necessarily unique, for almost an identical example be noted for the Lake Mohave Culture (Campbell et a 1937, pl. XLIV, e; pl. XLV, d). A second specimen Cl posed of a white chert and having a broad angular stem base finds no other parallels in the Topanga area (pl. 2 k), yet it too occurs in the Lake Mohave area where su forms are classed as a Silver Lake type (ibid., pl. X d). The third specimen is composed of a thin piece of laminated chert, leaf-shaped in form, and displays onl slight marginal flaking in its original shaping. This e ample was recovered at a depth of 60 inches and mar the greatest depth of any projectile point recovered f the Tank Site. PHA5E I 4AT. SIZE PHA5E I1 Figure 4. Projectile Points I i i 60 TREGANZA AND BIERMAN: THE TOPANGA CULTURE Table 4 Projectile Points Points Occurrence by depth (in in.) 0-6 6-12 12-18 18-24 24-30 30-36 36-42 42-48 48-54 54-60 Total Phase II Side-notched .... . . ... 3 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 3 Contracting stem . . . . 3 4 2 ... ... ... ... 9 Lozenge. . . 9 3 2 ... ... ... ... ... ... 14 Fragments . ..... . 26 14 5 1 ... ... ... ... ... ... 46 Total ........ . 38 24 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 72 Blades and large points Phase I Blades. .3 6 1 1 1 ... 1 1 ... 14 Large points .... . . 2 4 2 ... ... 1 ... 1 1 1 12 Total . 2 7 8 1 1 2 0 2 2 1 26 Small "Dart" Points ?ide-notched points (pl. 22, c, d, e).-A single example ~rs in some degree with specimens recovered last son. It is smaller, having a length of 3 cm. and with lgtly concave base. Though this is a surface speci- icomposed of obsidian, the surface has been so highly aated that it bears little resemblance to its parent irial (pl. 22, d). tontracting-stem points (pl. 22, f, g, j, k).-This type ome latitude in respect to the shape of the stem and refinement probably could be made. Some speci- have well-defined shoulders and are with stems hcontract to a sharp point (pl. 22, g, k), being rem- nt of points associated with the Hunting and Ino cultures of the Santa Barbara coast. In other eces shoulders are less well-defined, or the stems hte in more rounded bases. The lengths range 2.7 cm. to 4.2 cm. The materials include basalt, ; chalcedony, and obsidian. zenge points (pl. 22, h, i, l-u).-Numerically this constitutes the largest class of the small projec- oints. Were a larger series present, some refine- of types might be attempted. Of the fourteen speci- , some tend toward diamond shapes, whereas others !r small leaf or stem forms. Lengths range from m. to 4.1 cm. Materials used are obsidian, basalt, and quartz. Large Blades and Large Points large blades and points collected this season show variation over those of last year, both in finishing ue, form, and material. Frequently, for lack of hed terminology, it is difficult to distinguish be- what might be termed a chipped knife, leaf-shaped or a coarsely made projectile point. We attempt a rough breakdown between blades and large points, of which if hafted could serve the purpose of a All specimens are illustrated and may be judged observer. cribed below are only those additional specimens ed this year. For full details the 1950 report be consulted. Large blades (pl. 21, a-g).- 1. This specimen comes from a depth of 48 to 54 inches, marking the deepest level from which any blade was taken. Though it shows an old break, enough remains to offer a computed length. The form is leaf-shaped and probably pointed at both ends. Computed length, 9.2 cm.; width, 4.6 cm.; thickness, 1.2 cm. Material is basalt (pl. 21, b). 2. Basal half of what was probably a leaf-shaped blade. Incomplete length, 4.5 cm.; width, 5.4 cm.; and 1.4 cm. thick. Material is basalt (pl. 21, c). 3. Larger half of a basalt blade, showing some attempt to reshape the broken margin. Incom- plete length, 7 cm.; width, 4.5 cm.; and 1.5 cm. thick (pl. 21, a). 4. This chert specimen exhibits the best flaking technique of any large blades from the Tank Site. Compared with the patinated basalt ex- amples, considerable contrast exists. Typo- logically this specimen is similar to forms typical of the Hunting Culture of the Santa Barbara coast. Because of its shallow position (6-12 inches), lack of patination, and flaking technique, we have assigned it to Phase II of Topanga. The form is a willow leaf with slightly serrated edges. Length, 14.9 cm.; width, 3.4 cm.; and 1.5 cm. long. Material is a dark-brown chert (pl. 22, a). Large points (pl. 21, h-l; pl. 22, b).- 1. This specimen, like the blade above, also devi- ates to some degree from other large points. It is composed of an unaltered obsidian and comes from the 0-to-6-inch level of the deposit. Because of its shallow depth and contrastive nature, it has been assigned to Phase II. The form is leaf-shaped, being more pointed at one end. Length, 7 cm.; width, 3 cm.; and 1.3 cm. thick (pl. 22, b). 2. Specimen made from a thin piece of banded, I. i P? I i r 6 1 62 ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS .3 Figure 5. Metate Types I TREGANZA AND BIERMAN: THE TOPANGA CULTURE laminated chert. Shaping was done merely by marginal flaking, as the original surface shows no working. Coming from a depth of 60 inches, this marks the greatest depth of any large point. Length, 5.4 cm.; width, 2.8 cm.; and 5 cm. thick (pl. 21,1). 3. Basal fragment of a large blade. This broad, angular base is a unique occurrence for the Tank Site, though some parallels may be noted in Lake Mohave specimens. This single piece possesses sharp, angular shoulders that termi- nate in a broad, flat, angular base. The ma- terial is a white chert (pl. 21, k). GROUND OR PECKED STONE Manos and Metates As heretofore, manos far outnumber metates in the iposit. An explanation of this inequitable representa- n of milling stones has already been discussed in some ail (Treganza and Malamud, 1950; p. 140), viz., that more rapid wear of the nether stone periodically led for manos of somewhat varying shapes to conform the changing contour of the metate throughout its rvlceable life. Proof to substantiate this thesis is ing, but it appears to be a reasonable possibility. o, the practice of pecking manos to increase the ctiveness of their grinding surfaces must have re- ted in considerable breakage, as judged by the large er of fragments. -Of 2,556 manos and 329 metates, whole and fragmen- ,962 and 79 respectively, were classifiable. The criptive categories derived from the 1947 data proved uate in defining the limits of variability and pattern- displayed by our recent acquisitions. Some pieces it technological refinement of types earlier de- ebed. tes Netates are of three types, called here deep basin, ow basin, and flat slab. As was true last season, material is predominantly sandstone for all three ins. ,Tpe I, deep basin (fig. 5, a, c, e).-These are the most abundant. Fifteen complete specimens and seven- teen fragments were recovered. In both form and size there exists a close parallel between this type and those associated with the Oak Grove Culture of the Santa Barbara area. Type II, shallow basin (fig. 5, b, d; pl. 18, c right).- This type is represented by fifteen complete and eleven fragments. Type III, slab (fig. 5, f; pl. 18, c).-Like type II, the slab metate is less common, being known only through eleven complete and ten fragmentary specimens. The distribution of metates through the deposit was not as random as that of manos. Many of the complete specimens occur among features or with burials. Frag- ments were encountered throughout the excavation, but were most highly concentrated in features consisting of large aggregates of stone. No depth table has been pre- sented for metates, as it is assumed that the mano dis- tribution reflects a more complete picture for these related tools; however, the deep-basin form seems to occur at the greatest depth. Manos Manos and mano fragments were so common in the occupational debris that their association in features or with burials had little or no significance. With the ex- ception of scraper planes they were the most frequent artifact group encountered. Their depth distribution (table 5) suggests several noteable points. The highest frequency occurs in the 6-to-12-inch level, being repre- sented by some 349 examples. From 0-to-36-inches there are 960 specimens but from 36-to-54-inches there are only 2 examples. This would seem to indicate then that the early history of the Tank Site was characterized mainly by a flake-and-core industry with the mano- metate complex being exhibited only lightly at first and then gaining considerable importance toward the latter periods. of Phase I. Excavations at LAn-2 would also indicate that the trait began to wane toward Phase II and was gradually replaced by a mortar-pestle complex, which continues to be characteristic on into historic times. Manos have been typed largely on the basis of the number of faces that exhibit wear, the nature of the worked or worn surfaces, and the general form. Some eight types have been recognized. Table 5 Mano Types Occurrence by depth (in in.) Types 0-6 6-12 12-18 18-24 24-30 30-36 36-42 42-48 48-54 Total IA. . . . 28 25 17 10 1 ... ... 1 82 IB. .... . 12 26 12 8 2 ... ... ... ... 60 IC. . . . 10 13 10 6 3 ... ... .. 42 IA. . . . 31 51 19 9 4 2 ... ... ... 116 IIB. . . . 54 106 76 31 11 2 ... ... ... 280 IC. .. . 82 89 68 31 10 3 1 ... ... 285 IID. . . . 13 15 11 4 2 2 ... ... ... 47 III ... 9 2 4 1 6 2 ... .. ... ... ... 5 1 Total . . . 239 349 229 101 33 9 1 0 1 962 Fragments not typable . . . . . . . 1,556 2,518 I I m 63 ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS IA WED Tko"As Figure 6. Mano Types 64 i I I j i 7T.M?7-- , -.2N., '.."I i i A t ? TREGANZA AND BIERMAN: THE TOPANGA CULTURE I. Unifaced IA. Natural cobbles with wear on one surface. Cobbles range from symmetrical to irregular in shape: circular to ovoid in outline. IB. Extended form of type IA, showing excessive wear. Forms all tend toward symmetry. IC. Elongated "sugar-loaf" in cross section. En- tire back surface completely smoothed. Bifaced H1A. Natural cobbles with wear on two surfaces. Symmetrical forms range from oblate spheroids to ovoid disks, others are symmetrical. In cross section wear surfaces are parallel to lenticular. Grades into type IIB. IIB. Same as IIA, but forms are elongated (length always much greater than the breadth). IIC. Wedge-shaped, ovoid to elongate cobbles. Angle between wear surfaces ranges from 5 degrees to 45 degrees. HD. Same as type IIC, but one surface is keeled as a result of superimposed wear pattern. Trifaced III. Long, narrow, triangular cross section. Mortars Nwly acquired mortars are represented but by three mentary pieces. Only one is of sufficient size to st an outer diameter of approximately 12 inches, all three appear to be of the cobble type similar to Complete specimen collected in 1947 (Treganza and ud 1950, pl. 24, a). Considering the area exca- d and the very small number of both mortars and es that were recovered, it would be safe to assume complex was of little significance in the history of Tank Site. Their function was probably concerned arily with something other that the food economy, as grinding pigments or functioning in some specific ity. Wooden mortars and pestles can not be totally uded, but the great preponderance of manos and tes would probably preclude any serious assumption mortars and pestles ever played any important roll Tank Site. luded in feature 18 was a spherical cobble 8 inches eter, marked by a well-defined, shallow, circular ssion. Its surface bears the marks of shaping by ag and some rubbing; the depression is well- thed, as if worn down by constant use. We can not whether the piece is completed, as such; or whether, bly, it represents a small mortar in an arrested of manufacture. Pestles ye complete pestles were recovered, providing a of nine for the two seasons. The specimens this differ from those already known in being more ed, i.e., four are almost perfectly cylindrical and wear at both ends. All are made of sandstone and gently rounded pounding surfaces. Specimens 1, 2, ,as listed below, were found in a single cache. Shaped over-all by pecking, forming a slightly d cylinder, somewhat bulbed at either extremity. ends evidence use. This example, by far the larg- covered from the Tank Site, compares in many ts to pestles associated with later cultures of the and interior. Length, 31.5 cm.; average diameter, (pl. 24, a). 2. Entirely shaped by pecking and grinding. Two op- posite sides somewhat flattened by abrasion as if used as a mano on a slab metate, and resulting in a somewhat flattened cylinder form. Both ends used. Length, 13.5 cm.; average diameter, 6.8 cm. (pl. 24, c). 3. Similar to specimen 2, though more nearly circu- lar in cross section and surface shows no grinding. Length 16.5 cm.; average diameter, 7 cm. 4. Completely worked by pecking and grinding. Cylin- drical form distorted by slight tapering and dorsoventral flattening. Used at both ends. Length, 15.2 cm.; average diameter, 6.5 cm. 5. This specimen is composed of a highly weathered sandstone so that the surface treatment is no longer dis- cernable. Shaped to a truncated conoid and apparently used only on the larger end. Length, 18.5 cm.; greatest diameter, 8.5 cm. These five specimens were localized in the southeast sector of the deposit, and non occurred deeper than the 12-to-18-inch level. Numerous Phase II projectile points came from this same general area of the site and there- fore there is some inclination to assign these specimens to a late position in the Phase I with the probability that they are Phase II. Abrading Stones Two broad classes of abrading stones have been dif- ferentiated on the basis of form and inferred function (Treganza and Malamud 1950, p. 147): I. Those that could be held in the hand and rubbed against some article being finished. These have smoothed, even-abrading surfaces that are gently concave to convex. Theyare clearlydistinguishable from manos by their reduced average proportions, and the near consistent lack of pecking as a sharp- ening measure. That this latter characteristic does not hold without exception seems to be due simply to the fact that some of the abrading stones appear to be reused manos. One of the examples in the above category, origi- nally a broken bifaced mano, has small, half-inch deep depressions at either end. These evidently served as finger-holds, for they effect a good grip on the tool. II. Those that, though quite varied in size, bear one or more grooves on their faces. The furrows vary in breadth and depth and appear to be a function, essentially, of the amount and kind of wear to which the artifact was subjected. Many of these specimens, especially those with narrow, V-shaped longitudinal grooves, would be classed as awl sharpeners had they occurred in sites of later origin. However, bone awls or pointed, worked bone in any form is absent in the Tank Site. It would suggest, then, that this class of abrading stones were involved in conjunction with wood working, the tangible evidence having been lost to us. Cog Stones Cog stones, because of their unique forms and re- stricted distribution, may be useful as diagnostic ele- ments for future comparative studies. As yet we know little about their function or cultural associations in the rest of southern California. Their temporal position appears to be a middle one, as none occur in positive 65 ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS association with late or historic sites, and conversly, none have been reported for Lake Mohave, coastal San Dieguito, or Oak Grove. The Tank Site specimens repre- sent the earliest known occurrence, and even here their exact position as to Phase I or Phase II is not fully known. Most of our specimens occur in the top levels (0-18 inches), though a single example was found as deep as 32 inches (pl. 23, b). We have suggested cog stones in southern California may constitute the counterpart of the spindle charm stones of central California with the south boundary of the Chumash marking the near southern limit of the spindle forms. Material out of which cog stones have been made is of some interest. The Tank Site specimens range through volcanic tuff, siliceous sinter, escoriated basalt, to a fine-grained basalt. From other areas the same materials are present plus sandstone, granite, and granodiorite. Steatite, one of the most easily worked stones, appears to be absent. Obviously the hardness and type of stone were of little importance. The appear- ance of the finished product likewise varied. Some specimens are a product of perfection, others of the roughest sort. Perforated specimens might suggest hafting, but few are of this type. The suggestion of a ceremonial usage of cog stones is not solely lacking in evidence. In 1936-1937, under the Works Progress Administration, Mr. J. W. Winterbourne excavated two sites in Orange County known as the Ban- ning Site and the Norris Site. The following are excerpts from a letter dated April 13, 1939, to Edwin F. Walker from J. W. Winterbourne (we are indebted to Mr. H. Eberhart for providing this data from his manuscript on cog stones): "I am enclosing some data on cog stones that one of the clerks gathered from the field notes. . . . We have noticed several peculiarities regarding this cogged dis- coidal. First, that the Banning Estate Site seems to have produced as many of these stones as all the other sites where they are found combined; second, that the stones in most cases are found in the clay completely below the camp debris; third, that rarely have they been found in association with other artifacts except the discoidal; fourth, that they seem never to have served a utilitarian purpose as they are not pitted or polished and rarely broken; fifth, if broken, in almost every case the Indians attempted to mend them with asphalt; sixth, that the ma- terial used in their manufacture is with few exceptions a vesicular basalt which is found in outcrops in the San Joaquin Hills and at various points in the Santa Ana Mountains; seventh, that the number of cogs or depres- sions may vary three to twenty-five or thirty-eight, that the stone may be perforated near the center of the planes or it may not be, but that usually there is a depression near the center of both obverse and reverse planes." The following excerpts are from the same letter and contain more detailed information regarding archaeo- logical occurrences: "A decomposed burial was un- covered four feet east of a cog stone and at the same depth. . . . Three fine specimens were found close together under four oblong slabs of fossilized limestone, a pectin shell and a blue piece of granite. . . . A cog stone was uncovered twenty-five inches below the surface, 19 inches northeast by north from a large metate, in plot #10-b. Upon further investigation, the metate proved to be resting on the stones of a fireplace from which a few broken human bones protruded. Twelve inches north of the fireplace . . . a mano was found with the cog stone." The above excerpts were from the Banning Site. The following are from the Norris Site: "Three cog stones, #39, #40, #41, were found at a depth of 39 inches. These cog stones rested in the clay on edge. Flat surfaces parallel to each other. These cog stones were found close to a fireplace about two feet square and also close to a burial . . . two cog stones were uncovered. These cog stones were one on top of the other and rested on th clay which underlies the kitchen midden. A cog stone was found in test hole #14 at a depth of 3-1/2 feet, 8 inches below the bottom of the excavations in a pit. Ablaone shell covered the top of the cog stone . . . thr cog stones one on top of the other. . . . This is the fir fragment of a cog stone ever encountered in our excava- tion. We found a few with cogs or pieces broken from them but the Indians generally made an attempt to mend them. This would seem to indicate a ceremonial rather than a practical use." These instances serve to indicate such objects were held in high esteem at least for the two sites mentioned. None of the Tank Site specimens was patched nor did an two occur in the same immediate area; however, paralle exist in the forms, materials, the near association of metates, and at least two burial forms. Also, we recog- nize no utilitarian role in which these curious objects could have functioned. Last season's cog stones were all fragmentary. This year three complete specimens were found. 1. Beveled disk, biconically drilled. The specimen is indented at even intervals, resembling some- what a perforated metal tapered gear or a fish vertebra. Height, 3.8 cm.; diameter at base, 8.8 cm. Material a fine-grained basalt (pl. 23, a). 2. Slightly beveled disk. The periphery is grooved at even intervals producing a cog effect. Both th flat surfaces are slightly pitted at the center of the disk. Height, 4.7 cm.; average diameter, 8.5 cm. Material a rough escoriated basalt (pl. 23,c 3. Slightly beveled disk like the above specimen onl more refined and with more grooves. Slightly pitted on both surfaces. Grooves appear to have first been made by a sawing technique and then later smoothed down. Height, 3 cm.; average diameter, 7.3 cm. Material is volcanic tuff (pl. 23, b). Stone Disks Discoids, like cogged stones, do not appear to have been utility items. That there may be some relations between these two groups in a functional complex is attested by their direct association in the Banning Site as reported by Winterbourne. Eventually they may prove to be as important as cog stones in terms of cul- tural time-markers, though at present little is known concerning their distribution. Stone disks have been divided into two gross cate- gories: (I) those with flat to convex faces; (II) those on which one or both faces are concave. In either group sides may be beveled or straight (for illustrations, cf. Treganza and Malamud 1950, pl. 24, c, d, f, i). The three specimens recovered this season fall into the first group. All are characterized by flat faces and all are made of sandstone. 1. Sides beveled with the lower or larger face battered about the entire periphery. Height, 4 c diameter, 6.5 cm. to 9 cm. 2. Fragmentary specimen with straight sides and slight central depression on one face. Height, 4| 66 TREGANZA AND BIERMAN: THE TOPANGA CULTURE cm.; diameter, 7.7 cm. 3. Fragmentary specimen with vertical sides. Height, 3 cm.; diameter undetermined. A barrel-shaped object of sandstone was recovered which, if it is a finished product, should not be classed here as a stone disk. However, there is some possibility that it represents a discoid in the initial stages of manu- facture, and as such it is without parallel in the collec- tion. Height, 6 cm.; diameter 5.9 cm. at ends; 6.8 cm. at middle. There is no reason to assume that any of our speci- emens are in any way related to the so-called "bowling" stones reported for southern California in late pre- historic or historic times. Rubbing Stones This class includes small flat cobbles, showing abra- i wear on one or both faces. They may be distin- ished from manos by their reduced size though many ear to look like "little" manos. None shows any ping other than through continued wear from use. A minority of these pieces, thirty-four, are distin- ished by the development of a small centralized pit on or both smoothed faces. In some instances there is single pit on one surface and two on the other. Many these pitted examples have been battered on their ripheral edges, suggesting they were either reused ing stones or they served a dual function of both othing and pecking. We are hesitant to call them pted hammerstones" since many are made from a sandstone and would be ill adapted to this function. is of some interest to note that this general type of e implement occurs in central and northern Cali- ia throughout most of the entire cultural history of more advanced industries. It has been suggested such an artifact may have been used as an "acorn 1" or in some way related to the preparation of the n in the hulling process. Should this prove to be ect, then one might expect it to be an ancient ele- nt in native California. For future comparative work it may prove advan- ous to make further subdivisions by differentiating ween pitted and non-pitted forms. We have made no mpt to do so at the present time. Core Hammerstones Some investigators tend to place core hammerstones a class with flaked tools, but in the present paper they classed as an artifact of pecked stone. It is the at quantity of their occurrence which appears signifi- ,rather than how they are classed. [ammerstones may be conceived as having two quite t functions: (1) those whose function is primarily remove a large flake through the percussion method, as the production of a core itself or a rough blade, (2) those hammerstones having sharp or semisharp ections used to reduce to some desired shape rocks nonconcoidal nature, such as pecking down the sur- humps on a mortar or pestle in order to develop etry; or the function may not necessarily be one of ing but merely to periodically rough up a grinding ace on a metate or mano. There naturally remains possibility that once a specimen of the latter type had all of its sharp projections it could then assume the of the first type and continue as a useful tool (Tre- and Valdivia, 1955, p. 20). One problem of classification arises when we combine the process of manufacture and the concept of use. If we assume a rough piece of source material was purposely flaked down to produce a core to be used solely as a hammerstone, the artifact by definition becomes a flaked tool. However, at this point it bears no resemblance to a hammerstone, but looks more like a chopper or just a plain core and frequently may be classed as such. Once this core is used as a percussion instrument and has its sharp margins battered back, it begins to take on the characteristics of a hammerstone or a used core tool. If battering continues, the final result is an angular nodule whose irregular, worn margins mark the former presence of sharp bifacial flake edges. A well-worn core hammer- stone is also a worn-out specimen, at least in the light of its original function. Of the 1,478 specimens from the Tank Site it is our opinion that their resultant form is derived through means of their own function-that of pecking. That such an implement was much in demand is evidenced by the pecked surfaces of numerous grinding tools. We doubt seriously if hammerstones of this type were manufac- tured as such, but rather we assume any suitable core, rejected scraper plane, or chopper could have served as a starting point, and an over-all examination of our speci- mens supports such a thesis. Emergent is the correlation of core hammerstones and the presence of manos and metates. Noteably both these grinding elements are rare in the coastal San Dieguito and in the Lake Mohave area but do occur among the Shoshonean and Yuman groups who occupied the areas corresponding to these ancient lithic cultures. Cobble Hammerstones Cobble hammerstones tend to be oval or egg-shaped and exhibit abrasion on one or both ends. None exceeds fist size, and many are slightly smaller. A number evidence additional use as a rubbing stone. A varient of this form is slightly thinner and contains small bifacial depressions that have been pecked into the more flattened sides and presumably served as finger grips. Slate Pendants To date, worked slate was represented only by three nonperforated, lozenge-shaped specimens, one of which displays a faint, crude rectilinear design. The second season's activity produced no comparable examples, though it added six pieces to the collection. These can be broken down into three descriptive categories: 1. Four examples, none over 2 mm. in thickness, too fragmentary to warrent reconstruction. Judging by the striations on their surfaces and edges, they were shaped by grinding. On each, one end tapers to a blunt point. 2. A lozenge-shaped specimen containing three broken-out peripheral biconical drilled holes. Average length, 6 cm.; average width, 4.5 cm.; 3 mm. thick. 3. A single trapezoidal specimen with no perforation or abrasive marks, but shaped at its narrow end by chipping. Length, 12 cm.; width, 6 cm.; 3 mm. thick. Miscellaneous Artifacts Here, as in the first report, are included objects that constitute part of the total cultural inventory, but as 67 ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS small or unassociated occurrences, they require indi- vidual descriptions. Objects of Stone 1. A smooth, symmetric piece of fine-grained sand- stone that, though incomplete, is recognizably spindle-shaped. In all probability it is a fragment of pseudomorphic belemnite cast, but appears to be analagous to the spindle-shaped charm stones of the Santa Barbara Hunting Culture or to those of central California or to the single specimen re- covered at the Little Sycamore Site in Ventura County (Wallace, 1954, fig. 38B, p. 114; pl. 24e). 2. Six clusters of quartz crystals, apparently seg- ments of geodes, were recovered. Whether col- lected as a curiosity or whether they functioned as would a single large crystal for purposes of anamatistic power, as in central California, can only be conjectured. In 1947 a very small, termi- nated crystal was found in direct burial associ- ation, so there remains the possibility that at least single specimens had some ceremonial sig- nificance. 3. Spheroidal cobbles of varying sizes were encoun- tered, especially in association with features. None appears to have been artificially shaped either by pecking or grinding, and hence we as- sume they represent highly selected specimens collected from the numerous conglomerate ex- posures found in Topanga Canyon. Circumstances surrounding their occurrence offer no clue as to their possible use. 4. Half of a biconically drilled chlorite-schist bead, 1.5 cm. long, and about 1 cm. in diameter. Both ends appear to be roughly serrated, but this feature may be accidental. That the bead was at one time worn on a string appears evident from the high luster at the juncture of the two conical drill holes. 5. A perforated tip of a fossil shark tooth, on which the enamel is largely lacking. BONE IMPLEMENTS It can be said with certainty that bone tools in any form were not characteristic of the Tank Site in either Phase I or Phase II. From both season's work were recovered a single fragment of a bone awl, a small section of polished bone containing a light drill pit, and the tip ends of six antler- tine flakers. The antler specimens all occurred in the 0- to 12-inch level and probably should be assigned to Phase II since their distribution would coincide with the pressure-flaked projectile points. This near-complete lack of bone artifacts is a pronounced contrast with later coastal and interior sites. In part it can be suggested that wooden objects were manufactured at the Tank Site as a substitute for bone. OTHER REMAINS Unworked Bone and Shell The nonhuman bone recovered consisted primarily of highly fragmented cannon bones, none of which lent itself to positive identification. The total bulk of such refuse was surprisingly low. We can make no claim that mam- mal bone has disintegrated and disappeared in the course of time, for human bone, though by no means well pre- served, was relatively abundant in small pieces (see features). As has been pointed out, this scarcity of faunal re- mains lends support to the thesis that at least large game animals did not serve as significant staples. Smaller, lighter bones of rodents were even more rare, and even these could have been postoccupation, since burrowing mammals were present when we excavated. Only two pieces of bird bone were noted and both of these were under an inverted metate. In the deeper part of the deposit (below 12 inches) identifiable shell remains were absent. Occasional small flecks of calcareous residue might suggest the former presence of highly altered shell remains, but as yet we lack a microscopic analysis to confirm this. In the ex- treme upper limits (0-6 inches) a few obvious shell frag- ments were collected, but even here such occurrences were rare. Fossil Remains Previously mentioned were a possible belemnite cast, which may have served as a charm stone, and a perfo- rated shark's tooth, probably used as a pendant. Last season we observed numerous remains of some unidenti- fied fossil vertebrate and several marine shells. Whether these remains indicate merely the former presence of an aboriginal fossil collector, or whether they played some functional role, will never be known to us. A large fossil fish vertebra is known to have consti- tuted part of a Yokuts rainmaker shaman's kit (records of the University of California Archaeological Survey), and fossil horse teeth occur with historic Wintu burials (Treganza, 1954), but the temporal separation between these two historic groups and the Topanga Culture is too great to offer any likely suggestions. Pigments Numerous mineral pigment sticks and granules indi- cate the considerable use of such items, but other than the occurrence of hematite in moderate to light form with some burials, little is known of possible additional uses. As for body paint or surface decoration on per- ishable material, the evidence of such use would not be preserved. None of the pigment sticks was formed as a result of molding ground materials into a paddy or brick, as is sometimes noted for California, but rather, a good grade.| of mineral was originally selected, and, as pigment was desired, it was ground from this parent source. GraduallyQ either long angular or rounded forms resulted. Of these sticks of pigment 13 were hematite, showing a colorrange from brick red to brown; 33 were limonite, ranging from pale yellow to a rich orange yellow. Occasionally sticks of a pink mudstone occurred. 68 EXCAVATION OF SITE LAn-2 This site occupies the same ridge as does the Tank Ite approximately 350 yards west-northwest of the latter t an estimated 150 feet lower elevation. The ridge nar- IWS down to a slight saddle, providing a semi-knoll pon which the occupational debris has collected (Tre- nza and Malamud, 1950, pl. 14, a, c). For purposes tfire control the area had previously been bulldozed, biterating the exact limits of the deposit. Mound soil pars to extend 110 feet east-west and 70 feet north- h, and is 36 inches at its deepest point, some 15 feet *uthwest of the center of the site. The midden thins out athe periphery more rapidly toward the west than to la east. The deposit is loose, dark, and sandy. No ex- ive ash lenses were observed, and charcoal, though Fappeared in small pieces, was not common. Surround- lgthe depositional area, the markedly yellow sandy clay lands out in definite contrast. The submound base is ke same as the surrounding soils only slightly darker rom the downward leeching of organic material from the ldden. Directly above the site and to the northeast, a -yellow sandstone outcrop has been exposed to athering for a considerable period of time. Exploratory excavation was initiated in the form of a F J 12- by 3-foot test trench in 1947. Continuing in the sum- mer of 1948, it was found that more thorough excavation would be warranted. A 5-foot coordinate system was then superimposed on the partial excavated area (see map 3). At the conclusion of the 1947 season there was reason to feel that the Tank Site was stratified, though at that time without further data, or a means of checking with another site, the evidence was not fully convincing. How- ever, in 1948 additional work on the Tank Site plus a limited amount of excavation on the LAn-2 provided the necessary information not only to show a definite cultural change in respect to some elements within the Tank Site, but also that the Topanga Culture as it has been defined underwent considerable change as it continued on into later times. These changes as exhibited in LAn-2 consist primarily in a shift in the method of disposal of the dead from extended burials to a flexed position, a change in burial orientation favoring north, elaboration in pestle types, absence of large crude blades, projectile points that are small and correspond with the types in upper level of the Tank Site, and a shift in material and variety of core and flake tools. It is upon these differences that Topanga Phase II rests. L7TE LAA-P COAIOUR 1A/TERVAL 1.0 Faer 0 6 .o f a. lf _ 1- X--&T I: \ A. sr ~4&AGSAIZA1--A a IA /I /o 9 a 7 6 4 4 3 2 Map 3. Site LAn-2 [69] . . . . . . . . . ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS DISPOSAL OF THE DEAD The method of disposal of the dead contrasts sharply with that of the Tank Site. Of the four burials exposed, two were loose-flexed (pl. 17, c-d), a third, tight-flexed on the back (pl. 17, a-b), and the fourth, though incom- plete, likewise suggested a flexed position. The use of a rock cairn is shared by a single burial from the Tank Site, though in the case of the former (burial 6), the cairn composed of manos and metates and other rocks sur- rounded the burial; here the rocks lay directly over the burial. Like the Tank Site, associated artifacts were rare. The only occurrence was a single metate associated with the cairn in burial 4. The condition of the bones was poor. Though more complete than the remains from the Tank Site, the skele- tal material was fragile and difficult to expose, possibly due to the loose sandy mound matrix. Burial 5 from the Tank Site possessed a slight flexure of the knees and the dual burial 10 possibly suggests flexure. Both of these burials come from the shallow area of the Tank Site and may suggest a parallel. In other coastal sites, the burial pattern found at LAn-2 finds comparable practices (Rogers, D. B., 1929; Rogers M. J., 1945; Walker, 1936; Peck, 1955; Wallace, 1954. Table 6 Burial Data on Site LAn-2 Burial data Burial number 1 2 3 4 Depth from surface (in.) . . . 21 13 15 26 Primary inhumation .x x x x Loose flex on side . x x x Tight flex on side .... ... Tight flex on back ...... ... ... ... x Head pointed .NE WSW N N Artifacts associated . . . . . ... ... ... x DESCRIPTION OF ARTIFACTS FLAKED TOOLS The assemblage of flaked core tools recovered from LAn-2 represents in part a continuation of the lithic patterns as described for the Tank Site. Such modifica- tions as have been noted, plus other cultural changes, constitute the basis for assuming this site follows the Tank Site in an uninterrupted temporal sequence. This assumption is further backed by stratigraphic evidence provided by projectile points (table 4). Some core tools are also found in LAn-2 but do not occur either in the total quantity, quality, or number of types as found in the Tank Site. Many of the specimens exhibit a lesser degree of patination, though there are some that are heavily patinated. Considering the great quantity of tools in the Tank Site and its close proximity, it may be that the more weathered tools were borrowed from the Tank Site. The majority of the core tools were so poorly manufactured that at times definite tool types were difficult to recognize. Basalt still appears to pre- dominate as a source material, but quartzite appears to have been of more common usage, expecially in the making of certain scraper types. Table 7 Flaked Tools and Materials from Site LAn-2 Tools Basalt Quartzite Total Scraper plane IA ... . . 5 2 7 Scraper plane IIA .... . 57 5 62 Scraper plane HI . . . . . 9 3 12 Side scrapers . ..... . 7 3 10 Straight-edge knives or scrapers . 5 10 15 End scrapers . ..... . 5 0 5 Snub-nosed scrapers. . . 5 0 5 Concave scrapers . .. . 4 0 4 Unifaced choppers . .. . 0 2 2 Bifaced choppers .... . 9 3 12 Core hammerstones . . . 60 3 63 Inasmuch as the tool types are the same as those set up for the Tank Site, there is little need to redescribe them. The frequencies are listed in table 6. The depths ranged from surface to 36 inches, but the distribution of artifacts appeared to be homogenous, hence the depth has no significance. Projectile Points Nothing from LAn-2 approached the large crude blades and points characteristic of the lower levels of the Tank Site (LAn-1). Contrarily, the material matches the small points that are typical of the upper levels of th Tank Site (0-12 inches), and finds, in addition, parallel in the later coastal cultures of the Santa Barbara region All of the specimens are pressure flaked and composed of either chert or obsidian. The eight typable points rep resent too small a series, and the deposit is too shallow to show any stratigraphic differences within the site. Lozenge points (pl. 23, i-l).--Of the four specimens recovered, one appears to have accidentally had a large flake removed from one side and then undergone second. ary chipping, producing a resemblance to a single side- notched type. Their representative lengths are 4.0, 3.6, 3.5, and 2.9 cm. Side-notched points (pl. 23, g-h).--These two speci- mens differ from those of the Tank Site in that the base tends to be more concave rather than convex. Only onq of the Tank Site specimens showed a slight concavity. These specimens differ somewhat from the side-notche concave points that are typical of the protohistoric and historic period in that they are broad across the base ax proportionately short. Their lengths are 3.5 and 2.5 cm Contracting-stem points (pl. 23, f).-This single spe is larger than those of the Tank Site and differs in that the sides tend to be convex near the tip, concave at the mid-section and base, terminating in well-defined tangs Were it not for the well-defined tapering stem, the bas portion would be concave. Typologically this type finds good parallel in D. B. Rogers' Hunting and Canalino sp mens and a somewhat lesser similarity to the Gypsum Cave material. (An extended discussion of this type wi be found in the conclusion.) Length, 7 cm. o i o 70 TREGANZA AND BIERMAN: THE TOPANGA CULTURE Convex-base points (pl. 23, m).-This type is not rep- resented in the Tank Site series and is known here only through a single incomplete specimen. It is a type not uncommon to the later coastal group. Reconstructed length, 3.5 cm. Fragments of points.-Only two additional point frag- ments were recovered, neither of which are typable. GROUND OR PECKED STONE Ground or pecked stone, like that of chipped material, evidences a certain amount of continuity as compared to the Tank Site, but also changes slightly. The number of examples and types is considerably less, perhaps due in part to the proportional amount of digging done, though Itis difficult to determine, as the Tank Site might well classed as unusual in regard to its great quantity of plements. Where manos and metates were of frequent currence in the Tank Site, they become rare here. ugh only two mortars and four pestles were found, it ld indicate a considerable statistical increase over Tank Site, especially when the amount of digging done the two sites is compared. Slate pendants carry gh as do stone disks. No cog stones were recovered gh they appear to be an associate of the disks. Metates A slight shift may be noted in the types of metates. shallow basin and the slab take precidence over the p basin. As to material and form, no differences l be noted. The specimens from this site were not hered so badly nor was the inverted position com- The number of each type recovered was as follows: ow basin, 17; slab, 3; deep basin, 2; and 19 unidenti- e fragments. Manos Manos, like metates, were not too numerous nor varied lform. The finished specimens lack the perfection of better made examples in the Tank Site. Considering entire grinding comples, it is evident that the role yed here was of less importance. This might be in- preted as indicative of a slight shift in the food econ- . It is difficult to offer an explanation as to the ection or nature of such a shift, though there is some ence suggesting greater emphasis was placed on ing. By types, the following number of each was found: no-facial type 1A; 20 bifacial type UIB; 3 wedge- d type UC; and 1 type III, with three worked faces. The ratio of manos to metates is quite different here at the Tank Site. Here the ratio is 1.5 metates to o. Little explanation can be offered to this re- e trend other than it represents a breakdown of an r pattern as a result of a shift toward the mortar- e complex. Mortars The evidence for mortars rests upon two incomplete imens. A single rim fragment, composed of a fairly se sandstone, resembles the Tank Site specimen, but nga somewhat larger diameter (about 10 inches). second specimen is too gragmentary to allow any struction of size. Pestles Only four pestles were recovered. One, a complete men composed of a diabase, was shaped by pecking followed by grinding. The specimen is 14.6 cm. long, tapering from 3.5 cm. in diameter to 5 cm. at the distal end. A ridge forms a circular band about the handle, 3.1 cm. from the top, 1.6 cm. wide, and projects some 3 cm. The form has a phallic appearance (pl. 24, d). A fragmentary specimen like the above type is too in- complete to afford much information. It is composed of a coarse sandstone and has been subjected to consider- able oxidation from a fire. Another fragmentary specimen 11.3 cm. long exhib- ited a well-defined convex pounding end. One side shows evidence of flattening by grinding, and in this respect it is like the cache of three small pestles from the Tank Site. An implement, hardly worked but apparently complete, is an elongated cobble, nearly circular in cross section. The pounding end is convex, showing considerable wear. The length is 19.7 cm. with an average diameter of 8.5 cm. Rubbing Stones All of the seven specimens recovered were composed of flat cobbles, spherical to oval in form, and worn on both sides. Of these, two have a single concave surface and a single specimen was bipitted on both surfaces. Size of specimens averaged 7.85 by 7.1 by 2.8 cm. Stone Disks A single representative with beveled edges ranging in diameter from 7.4 cm. on one surface to 5.5 cm. on the other, and 3.6 cm. thick, was found. It is composed of a sandstone and is shaped by pecking and grinding, result- ing in a somewhat uneven form. Similar specimens have been illustrated for the Tank Site (Treganza and Malamud, 1950, pl. 24, c, d, f, h). Pendants Pendants are known only in fragmentary or unfinished form, none of which resemble the types from the Tank Site. A single unfinished specimen, composed of slate, is subrectangular in outline with irregular wavy edges, the dimensions being 10 cm. long by 2 cm. wide by 5 cm. thick. On both surfaces of the smaller end biconical drill holes had been started. The entire surface shows evidence of irregular scratchy abrasive marks. A single specimen composed of laminated shale is incomplete and suggests merely a rectangular form. In addition, three steatite fragments appear to represent some form of pendant. If complete, all would probably have had a long tapering rectangular form. The thickness varies from 1 to 3 cm. OTHER REMAINS Shell and bone artifacts were absent; this may be partly due to the limited excavation. No evidence of textiles was detected. Unworked Bone and Shell Remains Like the Tank Site, both these elements were rare, especially shell, which is known only through two un- identifiable fragments. A few deer bones occurred, the lower mandible of a wild cat (Lynx rufus), and the canine and incisor teeth of either a fox or coyote. The preservation of mammal bone, like that of human, was very poor. I I I 7 1 ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION The final Topanga report remains primarily descrip- tive in order to make the data more useable for com- parative purposes. Although this concluding report de- scribes some new material, adds considerably to artifact frequencies, and defines Phase I and Phase II of the Topanga Culture, the basic conclusions reached earlier remain essentially unchanged, and the previous general conclusions need not be repeated here (Treganza and Malamud, 1950). This summary is the senior author's opinion and does not necessarily reflect the views of either of the coauthors of the Topanga reports. An extended archaeological survey in upper Topanga Canyon and its main tributaries revealed ten additional habitation deposits comparable to the Tank Site, LAn-1. More recent excavations along the adjacent coast and in the interior valleys (Walker, 1951; Wallace, 1954; Peck, 1955) have produced artifacts comparable to both phases of the Topanga culture. Therefore, the Topanga Culture, as we have defined it here, is not limited to the Tank Site but contains local expression as well as relationships outside the immediate area. The two phases of the Topanga Culture are derived primarily through differences in projectile points and burial customs. Phase I is characterized by large percussion-flaked blades and points (pl. 21) which occur in the Tank Site (LAn-1) from the surface to 60 inches in depth with the greatest frequency below 18 inches (see table 4), and no similar type points or blades have been found in LAn-2. Phase II projectile points are smaller, varied in type, and are pressure flaked (pls. 22, 23, f-m). These points are confined to the upper 18 inches of the Tank Site and are exclusive to LAn-2. There are three forms of interment in the Tank Site, all of which charac- terize Phase I: (1) primary inhumation, extended, prone or supine, head southerly; (2) reburial, segments of long bones only, generally under an inverted metate; and (3) fractional burial with interment of long bones only. By virtue of its deep occurrence the reburial is the most ancient in the Tank Site (Treganza and Malamud, 1950, p. 135, burial 8). Phase II burials are flexed, with no specific orientation, and occur both with and without rock cairns. These burials were all limited to LAn-2. Since clear-cut stratigraphic evidence is lacking it is difficult to assign other classes of artifacts as being definitely associated with any one specific phase of the Topanga Culture. Some general statements can be made. The large quantity of basalt core tools, especially scraper planes, occur deep in the Tank Site and are far less common in LAn-2. Manos and metates bear out the same relationship; however, both these types of artifacts span the time gap from early occurrences to the historic period. It is only when one or both of these elements characterize or dominate a site, such as in LAn-1, that they have diagnostic or comparative value in so far as the Topanga Culture is concerned. Cog stones, discoidals, and crescentic stones, or "'amulets," are unique types of artifacts, and when found in the right association with other artifacts may prove to be valuable horizon indicators. Cog stones and discoidals occur most commonly along the interior margin of the southern California littoral, and, where documented, the mano and metate are also present. Crescentic stones, as an artifact type, have been most objectively associ- ated with the San Dieguito of the San Diego coast and the San Dieguito-Playa (Lake Mohave) Culture of the eastern desert. However, the crescentic stone in its various forms expresses considerable latitude in time and space. Certain elements in the Topanga Culture might be viewed as "index artifacts" when they occur as associ- ates. To have comparative value it is the combination ' of traits which create the cultural pattern and not the isolates. Phase I is characterized by a combination of extended burial with the head south, reburial of long bones under metate, fractional burial, percussion-flaked projectile points and blades, dominance of flake and co tools, dominance of milling stones with wide variation the hand stone (mano), crescentic stones, stone cogs, stone discoidals. The latter two may occur late in this first phase. Phase II has flexed burials with no spec orientation, an occasional rock cairn in association, pressure-flaked projectile points constituting several types, and dominance of the cobble mortar and pestle as milling implements, though the latter may occur toward the end of Phase I. Through lack of clear-cut stratigraphic evidence, a other artifacts described for the Tank Site will have to be considered either as late Phase I or early Phase II. Unless subsequent excavations at LAn-2 produce data a nature different than that already described, this latte site should represent the type site for Phase II of the Topanga Culture. Following the first published Topanga report, two village sites along the adjacent coast have been exca- vated, both of which share comparative traits with the two phases of Topanga Culture (Wallace, 1954, 1955; Peck, 1955). Both authors were handicapped in making comparisons, since this final report was not available With future comparisons to be made, a clarification of some statements might be in order. Wallace (1955, Table I, p. 220) in presenting "milling stone horizon cultural assemblages" uses nine broad comparative categories for five different geographical areas in whi each area is known by one or more excavation sites. traits listed by Wallace under the heading of Topanga those characteristic of Phase I with the possible exce tion of the mortar and pestle. "Few clam disk beads" are also listed. The only shell artifact found in the T Site was a single massive clam-disk bead which, becau of its shallow occurrence (4 inches), is probably a P II artifact. Peck (1955, p. 70), comparing Zuma Creek with Topanga, mentions the following as occurring at theT Site (LAn-1): ". . . hard calcareous mass at lower levels." Reference must be to the nonculturally alter sandstone base of the site, since the lowest portion of the cultural deposit, the C profile, is rather soft (Tre- ganza and Malamud, 1950, p. 130). Peck notes burial*' markers as: "stone platforms, red ocher abundant, flint tools." Large aggregates of stone were commoa the Tank Site and are termed features, being compos of large quantities of boulders, whole and broken arti facts, and frequently a segment of human long bone (f 1). Frequently one or more metates occurred with burials. Red ocher was abundant in small granules throughout the site and appeared more frequently int burial areas, but not to the extent as to class an inter ment as being a red-ocher burial in the traditional meaning or even as a burial marker. Flint tools cons of a single chert blade. Varied silicates occur as art' facts in the Tank Site but not as grave markers. Pec (1955, p. 70) also lists manos as occurring in pairs. was not characteristic for the Tank Site as mano cac occurred, numbering from two up to six (pl. 19, a, b). It has been difficult to place the Topanga Culture 72 TREGANZA AND BIERMAN: THE TOPANGA CULTURE compatible time perspective with the other known early cultural assemblages of southern California. Topanga, between its two phases, has elements in part comparable to all of these earlier cultures but lacks a majority of artifacts common to any one. Paramount for an explana- tion is the "abnormal" quantity of lithic artifacts classed under the broad heading of core and flake tools which occur in the Tank Site. Most characteristic are scraper tplanes, choppers, and a variety of heavy-duty scrapers. Western archaeologists fail to share any common under- standing as to what these artifacts mean in time and ction. The many subvarieties into which these major lasses have been divided suggest they are more the ct of a too elaborate or overextended typology er than varieties that have cultural significance. In the Topanga papers make the same error in at- mng to describe objectively a large mass of data at the same time devise some system whereby not the Topanga artifacts but other materials could be e more meaningful in terms of cultural comparisons. ed is a reexamination of the entire concept of "core " in western North America. Earlier, few people cognized or reported such tools. Now the other ex- e has the artifact versus the "naturifact" and the of culture in such loose terms as preblade industries. Habitual thinking has perhaps contributed to the gen- idea that a lithic assemblage of core tools charac- ed by percussion flaking has come to represent both ity and a hunting- or skin-dressing economy. This be true in instances where the physical and the bio- a evidence are sufficient to support such a claim. e general antiquity of the Tank Site can be estab- on the grounds of physical evidence but the great ity of core tools invites speculation to account for occurrence in a nonhunting culture. Some 4,994 tools were collected from the Tank Site of an esti- presence of 50,000. This figure is exceptionally compared to other southern California sites of ed similar age. Greatest in amounts were scraper s and core hammerstones. Curiously enough, none scraper planes, regardless of finish, shows any e of wear of battering on the presumed working or polishing on the under surface as would be ex- to occur with use. This is true of similar artifacts the San Dieguito, La Jolla, and Lake Mohave cul- Possibly as a fleshing tool no such wear would but evidence of skin dressing is lacking with so mammal bone occuring in the site. A wood-working nt-fiber economy likewise would hardly necessitate great quantity or variety of tools. The large pulping used to remove mescal fiber from a leaf was rare among the historic Diegueno. account for the large number of "core tools" in nk Site, especially scraper planes, choppers, and ammerstones, it is suggested these tools are actu- ude implements used in the manufacture and main- ce of more refined implements directly associated he mass production of the food economy, that is, llng stones known as the mano and metate. The n of these primitive mills is to grind, necessi- a rough contact between the surface of the mano emetate. When the surfaces are worn smooth, of meal (acorn) occurs on the polished faces, re- in the reduced efficiency of the mill. Primitive who have used the mano and metate solve this min one of two ways. In the Southwest and in volcanic scoriaceous or vessicular basalt is efor either or both the hand stone and the grind- As wear progresses new holes are constantly opened up on the surface of both the grinding tools and hence the mill constantly maintains full grinding effi- ciency and is self-sharpening. If granites, sandstones, or schist are used, as is often the case, then on frequent occasions the grinding surfaces have to be artificially pitted. To do this a core is made containing angular points and edges and sharp blows are struck on the faces of the mano and metate, removing small pitts (fig. 5, b, f; Treganza and Malamud, 1950, pl. 22, b, c, g). This latter technique of pecking or crumbling is the same as that used to shape or reduce a stone to a desired rough form preparatory to grinding as a finishing technique. It was discovered in our own experience in the manufac- turing of stone artifacts (Treganza and Valdivia, 1955) that when a core hammerstone lost its sharp edges through battering it was of little use, and continued use of such a blunt hammerstone often broke the object being manufactured. Where this pecking technique is used to sharpen manos and metates three end products result in terms of exhausted tools and become part of the camp refuse. Hammerstones occur as subangular nodules with bat- tered blunt edges; manos, when they are worn too thin, usually break in the process of pitting, and the metate in time wears through or the bottom gets knocked out resulting in a "killed" artifact. What has earlier been referred to be many authors as the "ceremonial killing" of an artifact might also be viewed as the end product of function. It is noted that Phase II site LAn-2 shows a sudden decline in core tools accompanied by a decline in manos and metates. Presumably the mortar becomes a replace- ment. Recovered from approximately one-tenth of the Tank Site were 2,556 manos, 329 metates, both whole and broken, and 1,478 worn-out hammerstones. No clear breaking point could be established between an unused scraper plane, which is really a core with one or more flat bottoms, and a partly used hammerstone, or between just a plain core and a partly used hammerstone. Prob- ably most of our scraper planes might be considered potential hammerstones. This being the case, the scraper plane may be just a "myth artifact" growing out of the literature and typologies rather than being an existing reality. This does not imply that all so-called core and flake tools or even some scraper planes should be con- sidered in the same light. It merely points up the fact that Western terminology and typology might be reexam- ined. One exception might be considered in the Type IA scraper planes (Treganza and Malamud, 1950, pl. 17, a), which, because of symmetry, flat base, marginal and all- over surface flaking, are similar to the classical forms of the San Dieguito Culture. The possibility that this "abnormal" quantity of the core tools characterizing the early phase of Topanga can be related to a functional part of a seed-gathering econo- my relieves some difficulties in making cultural com- parisons, and provides a more realistic approach. Why Topanga should have more core tools than other reported sites may also have an answer. Some early archaeolo- gists failed to recognize core tools and naturally did not collect them. Sites immediate to the coast generally have a split marine-land economy, and though the metate and mano are present, the core tools used for purposes of pitting such artifacts are distributed more widely in a mound mass charged with shell refuse. Often, along the coast, beach cobbles and cobbles from marine conglom- erate provide the only lithic source close at hand, and a resulting tool made from a cobble resembles more a 73 ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS 0o 1- CO H- t b -a z Pi b) 74 TREGANZA AND BIERMAN: THE TOPANGA CULTURE opper or a "teshoa" flake. This is particularly true metate-producing sites around Santa Barbara. The nk Site is adjacent to a massive basalt outcrop from ich angular core tools were manufactured. Thus, arry refuse, and immediate lithic supply, and an onomy demanding a great many pecking tools, plus osional factors that might have concentrated artifacts the course of time, can in part help explain the great antity of core tools found at Topanga. Since Carbon-14 dates are lacking, Topanga can re- ive only a relative position in a not too well understood uthern California cultural sequence. Cultural place- nt therefore rests upon the recovered types of arti- ts, the physical and chemical alterations of both Dund mass and artifacts, and the physiographic location the Topanga sites in terms of a paleogeographic en- onment. That two phases of the Topanga Culture exist shown by stratigraphic evidence in the Tank Site with pporting evidence in the adjacent LAn-2 characterizing Phase II period. Recently a cultural chronology has been suggested for uthern California coastal archaeology (Wallace, 1955, 227, table 3). Earlier a similar chronology was con- rcted (Treganza, 1950, table 8) which lacked recent ka but was more comprehensive and included possible oss-cultural ties with the desert cultures of the south- tstern part of the Great Basin. Presented here is a modification and more limited wrof the earlier chronological chart (table 8), differing Dm the chronology presented by Wallace mainly in the ration of time, and the inclusion of more recent data. Without knowledge of two phases of the Topanga Culture and without the aid of complete data, Wallace dates Topanga at about 2000 B.C. but not over 3000 B.C. Sites (or cultures) such as Oak Grove, Little Sycamore, Malaga Cove II, and La Jolla I are given a date between 0 B.C. and 3000 B.C. (average, 1500 B.C.). With more specific dating for the pheripheral areas, especially the central California Middle and Early Horizons, a date of 2000 B.C. for Topanga seems far too conservative to fit comfortably into any over-all generalized chronology for California. Likewise, if Phase I of Topanga is related, as is suggested, to the San Dieguito of San Diego County, and the latter is related to the ancient Lake Mohave (Playa) Culture of the eastern desert,then the acceptance of a date of a little over 3000 B.C. for these cultures would suggest the geologic dating for ancient Lake Mohave as too early or that coastal southern California has suffered a considerable cultural lag. It is doubted that either is the case. Though claims have been made for Third Interglacial occupation of the southern California coast, convincing evidence is still lacking. The organized cultural activi- ties of man first appear as a combination of shore-line and milling activities directed toward the collection and preparation of food. This simple ecological adaptation could have occupied considerable periods of time in- volving little or no cultural modification in the direction of technological change. It does not seem to conserva- tive to date Phase I of Topanga between 4000 B.C. and 8000 B.C. and Phase II with some overlap from 2500 B.C. to 5000 B.C. 75 BIBLIOGRAPHY Campbell, E. W., W. H. Campbell, E. Antevs, C. A. Amsden, J. A. Barbieri, and F. D. Bode 1937. The Archaeology of pleistocene Lake Mohave, SM-P No. 12. Heizer, R. F., and E. M. Lemert 1947. Observations on Archaeological Sites in Topanga Canyon, California. UC-PAAE 44:237-258. Peck, S. L. 1955. An Archaeological Report on the Excavation Of a Prehistoric Site of Zuma Creek, Los Angeles County, California. Archaeological Survey Assoc. of Southern Calif. Rogers, D. B. 1929. Prehistoric Man of the Santa Barbara Coast. Santa Barbara Museum of Nat. Hist. Rogers, M. J. 1929. The Stone Art of the San Dieguito Plateau. AA 31(3):454-467. Menasha. 1939. Early Lithic Industries of the Lower Basin of the Colorado River and Adjacent DesertAreas. SDM-P No. 3. San Diego. 1945. An outline of Yuman Prehistory. SWJA 1(2):167-198. Treganza, A. E. 1950. The Topanga Culture and Southern California Prehistory. Unpublished Ph. D. Dissertation. University of California. 1954. Salvage Archaeology in Nimbus and Redbank Reservoir Areas, Central California. UCAS No. 26. Treganza, A. E., and E. G. Malamud 1950. The Topanga Culture: First Season's Excavation of the Tank Site. 1947. UCAR 12(4). Treganza, A. E., and L. L. Valdivia 1955. The Manufacture of Pecked and Ground Stone Artifacts; A Controlled Study. UCAS (32):19-29. Walker, E. F. 1936. A Ceremonial Site at Porter Ranch, San Fernando. SM-M 10:98-104. 1945. The Dig at Big Tujunga Wash. SM-M 19:188-193. 1951. Five Prehistoric Archaeological Sites in Los Angeles County, California. SM Vol. VI. Wallace, W. J. 1945. The Little Sycamore Site and the Early Millin Stone Cultures of Southern California; A Ant XX(2): 112-123. 1955. A Suggested Chronology for Southern California Coastal Archaeology. SWJA 11(3). [76] PLATES EXPLANATION OF PLATES Plate 17 Phase II burials from LAn-2. a. Burial 4 flexed on back with associated rock cairn. b. Burial 4 with cairn removed. c. Burial 1, flexed with associated rock. d. Burial flexed on left side. e. Burial 10, LAn-1, showing sets of leg bones from two individuals. Plate 18 Burials, features, and artifacts from LAn- 1. a. Burial 11, showing only long bones and mandible fragment. b. Feature 21, showing metate fragments and human long bone. c. Slab and shallow-basin metates. d. Feature 24, weathered metate fragments. Plate 19 Features, LAn-1. a. Feature 25, a cache of six manos. b. Feature 14, a cache of four manos. c. Ex- posed features in central portion of site. d. Feature 15 and showing burial 10 in upper left. Plate 20 Features, LAn-1. a. Feature 26, showing inverted metates, manos, and core tools. b. Feature 22, showing deep-basin metate that has been turned over, and manos, c. Feature 28, showing inverted "killed" metate, metate fragments, and manos. d. Feature 23, showing large concentration of metate fragments, core tools, manos, and fire-fractured stone. Plate 21 Topanga Culture Phase I projectile points and blades from LAn-1. a- i. Patinated basalt specimens. i. Lami- nated chert. k- l. Chert. m. Crescent stone or "amulet." Plate 22 Topanga Culture Phase II knives and projectile point a, b. Chert and obsidian knives. c-e. Side-notched points. f, g. Contracting-stem points. h, i. Lozenge points. ia k. Contracting-stem points. 1-u. Lozenge points. Plate 23 Cog stones, drills, and projectile points. a-c. Cog Stones. d-e. Quartzite hand reamers or drills. (Speci- mens a-e are from Tank Site, LAn-1.) f-im. Topanga Culture Phase II projectile points from LAn-2. Plate 24 Pestles and charmstone (?) fragment. a-c. Pestles from LAn-1. d. Flanged pestle from LAn-2. e. Belm- nite fossil fragment or charmstone from LAn-1. [78] i II I I I iI 4 C4 aL) 0 a1) U) aL) CU [79] - ---------- ------ -- ------ - ------ - *WA" . .). . ..... .!%! . 2I.-I.,1111-M.M.M.. V4 0 w I a4 44 a 0 %4 '4 40 a la U 0) CO (a) U) 4) CU 4) r-4 U) V4) 54. CA V) [82] 1F .g~ ." -.g::A."t i 4:f 3 a, i .oI 0 1~. a - ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ - &m n o O z 3 AV S' COTM-roR-ER'S Plate 21. Topanga Culture Phase I Projectile Points and Blades from Site LAn-1 [83] -4t 040*1, .Illwl-,?, 1. 4! 1- I i 9 I --- - - - - - - - - AC; I - It A ~ ~ ~ A 10 . Q*i t A 4 4 ~ ^^ _T 4 A'S ' "'V. I lI r O 1 2 3 + COV. r Plate 22. Topanga Culture Phase II Knives and Projectile PointsI [84] 1, I 4L^:of7 e ar v w~~~~ A~~~ 2 .St ~~~~~~~~~~~~~1 .~~~~~~~~~~~I UPat 23 o tns rls n rjciePit [85] c W d 3 a 3 4 S 6 7 89 Plate 24. Pestles and Charmstone (?) Fragment [86]