Collaborative Research: Maritime Origins on California's Channel Islands

在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，约翰·厄兰森博士和马克·拉布博士将进行一项合作考古研究项目。在过去工作的基础上，他们将继续在位于加州海峡群岛的两个遗址进行挖掘。位于圣克莱门特岛上的鳗鱼点遗址是一个大型的、分层很深的贝壳垃圾场，大约在8,200年到500年前，它是由多次占领造成的。该遗址包含了大量保存完好的文化特征、贝壳和骨头文物以及动物遗迹。第二个遗址Daisy Cave是海峡群岛上最重要的考古和古生物地点之一。位于圣米格尔岛的洞穴和岩石庇护所复杂包含分层的人工制品和化石沉积物，可追溯到约。距今10,400到700年。目前，它是北美最早有记载的沿海贝冢。五个主要的考古组成部分已被确定，他们包含微妙的材料，如编织和绳索残余很少保存在考古遗址。还有各种各样的凿石工具和由骨头和海洋贝壳制成的文物。调查人员将在这些地点的先前工作的基础上进行实地调查和实验室分析。目前的目标是获得一个更完整的图片网站使用随着时间的推移，以增加文物和ecofact样本，并获得一套放射性碳测定更精确的定年。将对动物区系和人工材料进行分析。 这两个地点的数据将使考古学家能够追踪从最后一个冰河时代结束到全新世早期和中期北美海洋适应的发展。直到最近，科学家们还认为，技术相对简单的猎人和采集者很难有效利用海洋环境;有人认为，这些地区是最后的栖息地。在加州大陆，海岸线定居点相对较新。然而，早期海峡岛遗址的发现改变了这一局面，考古学家希望了解这种早期的海洋适应以及它如何随着时间的推移而发展和修改。这些岛屿上和附近的沉积物有极好的环境记录，可以追踪海洋温度的变化和生物群落的相应变化。因此，Erlandson和Raab博士可以深入了解人类的基本生存策略，以及这些策略如何适应食物类型和可用性的显著变化。 这项研究将揭示北美史前史的一个非常早期和知之甚少的方面。它将为许多考古学家提供感兴趣的数据，并深入了解人类适应的一个重要方面。

With National Science Foundation support, Drs. John Erlandson and Mark Rabb will conduct a collaborative archaeological research project. Building on past work, they will continue their excavations at two sites located on California's Channel Islands. The Eel Point site located on San Clemente Island is a large and deeply stratified shell midden which results from multiple occupations from approximately 8,200 to 500 years ago. The site contains a wealth of excellently preserved of cultural features, shell and bone artifacts and faunal remains. The second site, Daisy Cave is among the most important archaeological and paleontological locality on the Channel Islands. Located on San Miguel Island the cave and rockshelter complex contains stratified artifact and fossil bearing deposits dating from ca. 10,400 to 700 years ago. At present it is the earliest documented coastal shell midden in North America. Five major archaeological components have been identified and they contain delicate materials as basketry and cordage remnants rarely preserved in archaeological sites. A variety of chipped stone tools and artifacts made from bone and marine shell are also present. The investigators will build on their prior work at these sites and conduct both fieldwork and laboratory analyses. The immediate goals are to obtain a more complete picture of site use over time, to increase artifact and ecofact samples, and to obtain a suite of radiocarbon determinations for more precise dating. The faunal and artifactual materials will be analyzed. Taken together, data from the two sites will permit archaeologists to trace the development of marine adaptations in North America from the end of the last ice age through early and mid Holocene times. Until recently scientists believed that it was difficult for hunters and gatherers with relatively simple technology to utilize marine environments effectively; such areas, it was argued, were habitats of last resort. On mainland California, shoreline settlements are relatively recent in time. However the discovery of early Channel Island sites has changed that picture and archaeologists wish to understand this early marine adaptation and how it developed and was modified over time. The sediments on and near the islands contain an excellent environmental record and it is possible to trace variation in ocean temperature and concomitant changes in biotic communities. Thus Drs. Erlandson and Raab can gain insight into basic human subsistence strategies and how these accommodated significant variations in food type and availability. This research will shed light on an extremely early and poorly understood aspect of North American prehistory. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists and provide insight into an important facet of human adaptation.