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Artifacts
Flaked Stone - Ground Stone - Bone Tools - Historic Materials
The flaked stone assemblage from CA-MNT-1748 includes 14 cores, 4 flake tools, 3 drills, 4 biface fragments, and 18 projectile points.
Cores
All 14 cores are made of Monterey chert and most units, except 1 and 7, yielded at least two cores from depths between 10 and 80 cm. Most cores lack cortex and show multidirectional flake removal, while three (specimens 1748-5-68, 5-69, and 8-46) were bifacial. All of the cores are relatively small in size, ranging in maximum dimension from 32.60 to 50.33 mm and in weight from 13.0 to 68.0 g.
Bifaces
All four bifaces are incomplete fragments of Monterey chert. They all are represent the larger biface reduction industry rather than arrow point production. The reduction stages include three stage 4, and one indeterminate. All four are Monterey chert and all are relatively small fragments. Specimen 2-66 is an end fragment of what might have been a projectile point. Specimen 3-21 is a midsection that exhibits clear signs of exposure to heat in the form of a potlid and surface discoloration. Specimen 6-66 is an indeterminate end fragment. Specimen 6-67 is a margin fragment.
Flake Tools
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| Flake Tools from CA-MNT-1748/H (by Rusty VanRossman) |
Four Monterey chert flakes show possible use-related wear along one or more edges. These flakes were recovered from levels between 30-90 cm in Units 1, 2, and 6. All of the tools were made from simple interior flakes. The collection also included two artifacts with unifacial flaking. Specimen 1748-1-30, from the 30-40 cm level of Unit 1, is a triangular-shaped Monterey chert flake fragment with extensive pressure flaking along two somewhat sinuous margins of the dorsal side of the flake. The other uniface (specimen 1748-2-68), from the 50-60 cm level in Unit 2, is a Monterey chert flake fragment with extensive pressure flaking along one edge
Drills
The two of the three drills, made of Monterey chert and obsidian, are morphologically similar. Both artifacts were formally shaped through extensive pressure flaking and consist of relatively long, narrow bit fragments with lenticular-shaped cross sections. Both artifacts are broken at the distal ends, but the proximal ends are intact. The obsidian drill (specimen 1748-6-19) is slightly asymmetrical, while the chert drill (specimen 1748-6-4) is completely symmetrical. Both drill fragments are from levels between 0-30 cm within Unit 6.
The third drill (specimen 1748-1-67), from the 10-20 cm level of Unit 1, is made of a small Monterey chert flake. Most of the proximal end is intact, while the proximal end is missing. The drill was formed by extensive pressure flaking along the margins of this flake and, like some of the bifaces and projectile points in the assemblage, attributes of the original flake morphology are evident. The artifact is slightly curved and a portion of the ventral surface is still present.
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| Drills from CA-MNT-1748/H (by Rusty VanRossman) |
Projectile Points
The collection includes 12 specimens that represent formal or semi-formal types. Four types were identified: Desert Side-notched (N=7), contracting-stemmed (N=2), Cottonwood (N=2), and lanceolate (N=1) [Figure 28]. Fourteen of the projectile points are made of Monterey chert (78%), while four were made of Franciscan chert. The remaining six specimens include three point tips and three pressure-retouched flakes that appear to be uncompleted or incipient arrow points.
The Desert Side-notched (DSN) type is the dominant type in the collection (N = 7). Only one DSN is made of Franciscan chert, while the rest are made of Monterey chert. Four were recovered from between 10-50 cm in unit 6, two were from between 0-60 cm in unit 8, and one was recovered from the 10-20 cm level of unit 2. None of the DSNs is entirely complete, although most retain portions of the base and blade. Two are limited to basal fragments. Morphological attributes of at least two DSNs indicate that they were manufactured through pressure-flaking of small flakes. They retain the curvature of the original flake as well as portions of its original surface.
The Cottonwood type, also a Late Period marker (post–A.D. 1250), is distinguished by a small triangular body with a concave or convex base and absence of side notches. CA-MNT-1748/H produced two examples representing one each of the convex and concave base variants. The concave base variant (specimen # 1748-6-18), made of Franciscan chert, was found in the 20-30 cm level of Unit 6, which also yielded four of the DSNs. The artifact exhibited serrated edges and evidence of extensive pressure flaking. The point appears to have been manufactured from a flake blank and one side retains a portion of the original flake surface. The convex base specimen (1748-4-5) is also made of Franciscan chert. Recovered from the 20-30 cm level of Unit 4, it is the basal fragment of a very small leaf-shaped arrow point.
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| Projectile Points from CA-MNT-1748/H (by Rusty VanRossman) |
The excavation also yielded two distinctive contracting-stemmed points, which are the most common type found on the central California coast. Contracting-stemmed projectile points are associated with Early and Middle Period components dated from 3500 B.C. to A.D. 1200, although there is some suggestion that the type persisted on a limited basis until historic contact. All three of the contracting-stemmed points are nearly complete. Two are from Unit 6, which also yielded 4 DSNs and one Cottonwood. One contracting-stemmed (specimen # 6-50) from the 80-90 cm level is a large barbed point made of Franciscan chert. The other (specimen # 5-46), from the 70-80 cm level of unit 5, is made of Monterey chert and shows an unusual twisted cross-section. The point is leaf-shaped, but appears to have shoulders that may be indicative of re-working.
One large specimen (1748-6-30) represents the lanceolate type, which is not a well defined time marker on the central coast. This specimen is clearly too large to be associated with bow and arrow technology.
Three specimens were classified as incipient projectile points. All three are broken simple interior flakes that show extensive pressure flaking along one or two edges. All three seem to have broken before they could be reduced into finished projectile points. These implements are consistent with several of the completed projectile points, which retain surfaces of the original flakes used to manufacture them. These artifacts suggest that the process of arrow point production generally involved simple interior flakes that were modified by pressure flaking into Desert Side-notched or Cottonwood projectile points. None of the incipient points in the current sample are micro blades since none exhibit the requisite ratio of length to width (2:1). Specimen 1-66, may have been marginally classifiable as a microblade before the distal end of the original flake was broken off. These objects do not represent a true microblade technology but, rather a core-flake-pressure flaking sequence in which an occasional flake blank would indeed resemble a microblade.
Debitage
The investigation yielded a total of 2670 pieces of debitage, including 46 flakes
from 1/4" and 1/8" screened portions of the column samples. Monterey
chert dominates the collection (N=2648; 99.2%), while minor amounts of Franciscan
chert (N = 15; 0.6%), obsidian (N = 6; 0.2%), and quartzite (N = 1; 0.0%) are
present. Eight flakes are from the site surface, while the remaining debitage
is from subsurface contexts. All excavated materials were recovered from 3 mm
(1/8 in.) screens.
All debitage from Units 1-4 and 6, totaling 1813 pieces, was subjected to a detailed analysis. Almost all of this debitage was made of Monterey chert (N = 1797; 99.1%), while minor amounts of Franciscan chert (N = 12; 0.7%) and obsidian (N = 4; 0.2%). The excavation volume for the 5 units is 10.6 m3 and, consequently, the debitage density for these units is 171.0 flakes/m3.
Non-diagnostic flakes, primarily composed of indeterminate percussion flake fragments and shatter, accounted for 58.6% (N = 1054) of the 1797 Monterey chert flakes in the sample. The diagnostic flakes (N = 743) show a dominance of core reduction (N = 695; 93.5%) over biface reduction (N = 48; 6.5%). Cortical flakes account for only 8.7% of the diagnostic debitage. These proportions are similar to findings from CA-MNT-879 where core/flake debris (N = 328; 96.5%) dominate biface-related debris (N = 12; 2.1%), and cortical flakes account for only 3.5% of diagnostic debitage. These findings are also roughly similar to the figure of 80.8% core/flake debris associated with arrow point production on the coast at CA-MNT-1223 and are consistent with the presence of arrow points in the CA-MNT-1748/H assemblage. However, the figures from CA-MNT-1223 are thought to reflect arrow point production in a setting far from sources of chert. Findings from CA-MNT-515, a midden deposit in the upper Nacimiento River, are thought to reflect arrow point production closer to sources of raw material. Figures from that site, where total excavation volume was 1.2 m3, showed 99% core/flake debris and only 1% biface-related debris.
The two column samples from CA-MNT-1748/H include unsorted material from 1.5mm (1/16 in.) screens. One level bag, from the 20-30 cm level of the Unit 2 column sample, was sorted for debitage to assess the amount and type of debitage passing through 3.0mm (1/8 in.) screens. The sample contains three indeterminate flake fragments of Monterey chert (which were not removed from the bag and catalogued separately) and indicates that debitage in the 1.5-3.0mm (1/16-1/8 in.) in size category has an extrapolated density of 750 pieces per 1.0 m3.
Similar to CA-MNT-237, the presence of contracting-stemmed projectile points suggests the presence of an earlier, Middle Period component at CA-MNT-1748/H, but the biface-related debitage from levels below 100 cm in Units 1, 4, and 6 (N = 12; 8.6%) is only slightly higher than in the 0–100 cm levels (N = 29; 7.4%).
Using the total of Monterey chert flakes from subsurface contexts (N = 2640)
and the combined total of 23 Monterey chert bifaces (including 8 projectile
points), the site's flake-to-biface ratio is 115:1. Interpretation of this figure
is somewhat difficult because no experimentation has been completed to replicate
arrow points, so the percentages of flake types and ratios associated with that
industry have not been established. The presence of cores, biface fragments,
and projectile points made of Monterey chert, however, suggests that a range
of reduction activities occurred at the site. Occupants probably brought cores
and an occasional bifacial preform to the site for reduction. The fifteen flakes
and three projectile points made of Franciscan chert produce a flake-to-biface
ratio of 5.0:1, which suggests that these projectile points were manufactured
elsewhere and transported to the site as late-stage implements or finished tools
Technological Summary
The flaked stone tools and debitage recovered from the CA-MNT-1748/H generally reflect a Late-Protohistoric Period arrow point industry emphasizing core/flake technology. Evidence for a biface industry is limited to three contracting-stemmed points and a small amount of biface-related debitage. The presence of cores, biface fragments, and projectile points made of Monterey chert suggests that a wide range of reduction activities took place at the site. The debitage frequency and the flake-to-biface ratio, however, are extremely low in comparison with sites where there was extensive production of bifaces (e.g., CA-MNT-521 and -569). The assemblage lacks the number of discarded biface fragments, representing manufacturing errors, expected at sites where biface production was a major activity. The minimal amount of late biface thinning and pressure flakes may reflect bifacial tool maintenance or the final shaping of bifaces made elsewhere.
The low quantity of flaked stone tools and debitage may be due to the small
amount and size of raw material needed to create arrow points. As described
above, morphological attributes of five bifaces, one drill, and at least three
Late Period projectile points indicate that they were manufactured through pressure-flaking
along the margins of small flakes. These artifacts show the curvature of the
original flake and retain portions of the ventral and dorsal surfaces of the
flake blank. Similar projectile points and partially complete arrow point flake
blanks were recovered from CA-MNT-879 and -1223. The former site is another
Late Period midden within FHL, while the latter site was an arrow point production
locus on the coast. The presence of relatively small cores may reflect the production
of small flake blanks that were minimally modified through pressure flaking
to create arrow points. Replicative experiments suggest that DSNs could be produced
through pressure flaking of small flake blanks and all resultant debitage would
pass through 6 mm (1/4 in.) and even 3 mm (1/8 in.) screens (R. Jackson, personal
communication, 1991). As discussed above, a limited analysis involving the 1.5mm
(1/16 in.) fraction from only one level within a column sample from CA-MNT-1748
revealed no pressure flakes and only three indeterminate flake fragments.
The ground stone collection from this location included 10 specimens: three pestles, four handstones, two stone spheres or “balls,” and one small cylindrical object of unknown function.
Pestles
All three pestles are large unmodified elongate cobbles that exhibit some modest signs of wear on one or both ends. They contrast markedly with the well-made artifacts found at CA-MNT-910. One specimen (SURF-2) was found on the surface, while specimen 5-36 was recovered from the 50-60 cm level of Unit 5 and specimen 8-06 came from the 10-20 cm level of Unit 8. All three are complete.
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Pestles from CA-MNT-1748/H |
Handstones
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| Handstone recovered from CA-MNT-1748/H (by Rusty VanRossman) |
The four handstones are all from subsurface contexts are made of sandstone. They show two forms. Specimens 4-42 and 5-34 are small (less than 80 mm inmaximum length) flattish cobbles that exhibit very modest wear on a single face. Specimen 4-42 is the better made of the two. It shows evidence of wear on one face and modest shouldering between the working face and the edge of the implement. These are very informal casual handstones. The other two items, specimens 2-60 and 8-17, are heavily chipped and battered along the entire perimeter of their edges. It is unclear whether this battering and chipping represents attempts to create more formal, shaped handstones or not. Specimen 2-60 was recovered from Feature 3 in Unit 2.
Stone Spheres
Two items can best be described as stone spheres. One, specimen 2-42, is complete while the other, specimen 4-27, has been split in half. These objects actually exhibit no signs of human modification, but are natural round pebbles. They are nearly the same size with maximum diameters of 36.0 and 33.0 mm respectively. Similar implements of the same dimensions were recovered from the adjacent Big Sur coast where they are thought to be associated with geological formations near hot springs (Jones 2003). They are interpreted as gaming stones.
Quartz Cylinder
The final ground stone implement was a small (23.0 mm in length, 7.5 mm in diameter) cylindrical object of quartz. Recovered from the 10-20 cm level of Unit 2, the object is of unknown type and function. Its shallow provenience suggests it could be of historic origin.
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| Quartz Cylinder recovered from CA-MNT-1748/H (by Rusty VanRossman) |
Summary
CA-MNT-1748/H produced a relatively modest if not somewhat unusual collection of generally informal groundstone including three casual pestles, four casual handstones, and two gaming stones. The assemblage contrasts markedly with the formal, processing-oriented assemblage from CA-MNT-910.
The bone tool inventory was more substantial from this location with 11 items, but all of these were fragmentary - with the exception of an unmodified, fossilized shark’s tooth. Two specimens (2-29 and 4-26) were the tips of deer antlers. Seven specimens appeared to be fragments of awls: five midsections, and two tips. The collection also included the limb shaft from an unidentified bird that showed some modest modification. It could not be classified as any specific type of tool, however.
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| Bone artifacts from CA-MNT-910 and CA-MNT-1748/H (by Rusty VanRossman) |
by Thad Van Bueren
Historic artifacts were found only at CA-MNT-1748/H where a total of 22 items was recovered from both surface and buried contexts. The glass bead from this site was discussed previously in Chapter 4. Descriptions and interpretation of the remaining 21 items are offered below.
Ceramics
Three ceramic sherds were recovered from surface contexts. Two of the pieces are plain white improved earthenware tableware fragments, one of them identifiable as the rim of a plate (specimen 1748-surface-17). This type of ware has remained widely available from the late nineteenth century up to the present. A third piece (specimen 1748-Surface-15) is a portion of a stoneware jar with white overglaze and black printed lettering that reads “..AND PATIENCE/…_USE/ …THE CABLE.” This jar probably contained a health or grooming product, specific information that would help identify the contents, maker, or dating of this artifact could not be located due to the fragmentary nature of the inscription.
Metal Artifacts
Six ferrous nails and one small eyelet were recovered from subsurface contexts in Unit 1 and N70/E50. Both specimens from N70/E50 (1748-STU-8) are common wire nails in 8d and 10d sizes. These first became widely available in the 1880’s (Nelson 1978). The four nails from Unit 1, in contrast, are all machine cut varieties first produced in the 1840’s and then largely superseded by wire nails after the turn of the nineteenth century (Nelson 1978). These specimens include two 16d, one 10d, and one small tack that may be a shingling nail. The other metal artifact is a small eyelet that appears to be made of ferrous metal. It is too small to be from a shoe and was most likely derived from clothing or accessories.
Glass Artifacts
The glass artifacts consist of eight bottle fragments and the trade bead discussed above. The bottle fragments include five pieces of olive green glass, two pieces of colorless glass and one light aqua sherd catalogued in four lots. One specimen (1748-Surface-16) is a pushup from a champagne-style bottle. None of the bottle sherds contain distinctive manufacturing traits that can be closely dated. However, the heavy patination on the aqua sherd (specimen 1748-Surface-18) suggests it was most likely produced in the late nineteenth century.
Other Historic Materials
Three pieces of formed black rubber were recovered from the 80-90 cm level of Unit 1 (specimen 1748-i-46). While the first use of rubber dates to the mid-nineteenth century. These examples appear fairly modern because they are not hardened or degraded and remain quite flexible. Initial use of rubber during the nineteenth century was fairly limited and the composition tended to be harder and more rigid. This lot appears to be twentieth century. The recovery of these modern items reflects stratigraphic mixing common at sites within FHL due to the activities of small burrowing animals.
Discussion
The small collection of historic materials contains artifacts from several
different periods of historical development. The earliest artifact is the glass
bead recovered from Unit 8. The early dating of this item, when combined with
the discovery of Type E3 Olivella beads, provides meager but reasonably clear
evidence of a post-contact Native American presence at CA-MNT-1748/H. Several
machine-cut nails are indicative of the late nineteenth century and all of the
glass and ceramics could conceivable date to the same period, although this
impression is purely speculative. The two wire nails and the three rubber fragments
almost certainly date to the twentieth century, reflecting a final period of
activity.
References Cited
Jones, T.L. 2003 Prehistoric Human Ecology of the Big Sur Coast, California. Contributions to the University of California Archaeological Research Facility No. 61. University of California, Berkley.