The Cross Creek Site (CA-SLO-1797) and its implications for new world colonization

Terry L. Jones; Richard T. Fitzgerald; Douglas J. Kennett; Charles H. Miksicek; John L. Fagan; John Sharp; Jon M. Erlandson

doi:10.2307/2694564

The Cross Creek Site (CA-SLO-1797) and its implications for new world colonization

Terry L. Jones, Richard T. Fitzgerald, Douglas J. Kennett, Charles H. Miksicek, John L. Fagan, John Sharp, Jon M. Erlandson

Anthropology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

58 Scopus citations

Abstract

Recent excavations at the Cross Creek site (CA-SLO-1797) on the central coast of California revealed a stratigraphically discrete midden component dating between ca. 8350 and 7700 cal B.C., making it the oldest mainland shell midden on the west coast of North America. A large recovery volume revealed an assemblage dominated by grinding implements (handstones and milling slabs) and crude core and flake tools typical of California's Milling Stone horizon, but the Cross Creek findings extend the antiquity of Milling Stone back to the terminal Pleistocene. The tools and associated faunal remains suggest a gathering economy profoundly different from the terminal Pleistocene big-game hunting of interior North America. This variation is difficult to reconcile as a simple adaptive outgrowth from late Pleistocene hunting and may reflect a separate coastal migration route into the New World.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	213-230
Number of pages	18
Journal	American Antiquity
Volume	67
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.2307/2694564
State	Published - Apr 1 2002

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

History
Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
Archaeology
Museology

Access to Document

10.2307/2694564

Cite this

@article{84236d448a63413d829caf33cf81f141,

title = "The Cross Creek Site (CA-SLO-1797) and its implications for new world colonization",

abstract = "Recent excavations at the Cross Creek site (CA-SLO-1797) on the central coast of California revealed a stratigraphically discrete midden component dating between ca. 8350 and 7700 cal B.C., making it the oldest mainland shell midden on the west coast of North America. A large recovery volume revealed an assemblage dominated by grinding implements (handstones and milling slabs) and crude core and flake tools typical of California's Milling Stone horizon, but the Cross Creek findings extend the antiquity of Milling Stone back to the terminal Pleistocene. The tools and associated faunal remains suggest a gathering economy profoundly different from the terminal Pleistocene big-game hunting of interior North America. This variation is difficult to reconcile as a simple adaptive outgrowth from late Pleistocene hunting and may reflect a separate coastal migration route into the New World.",

author = "Jones, {Terry L.} and Fitzgerald, {Richard T.} and Kennett, {Douglas J.} and Miksicek, {Charles H.} and Fagan, {John L.} and John Sharp and Erlandson, {Jon M.}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2002 Society for American Archaeology.",

year = "2002",

month = apr,

day = "1",

doi = "10.2307/2694564",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "67",

pages = "213--230",

journal = "American Antiquity",

issn = "0002-7316",

publisher = "Cambridge University Press",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Cross Creek Site (CA-SLO-1797) and its implications for new world colonization

AU - Jones, Terry L.

AU - Fitzgerald, Richard T.

AU - Kennett, Douglas J.

AU - Miksicek, Charles H.

AU - Fagan, John L.

AU - Sharp, John

AU - Erlandson, Jon M.

PY - 2002/4/1

Y1 - 2002/4/1

N2 - Recent excavations at the Cross Creek site (CA-SLO-1797) on the central coast of California revealed a stratigraphically discrete midden component dating between ca. 8350 and 7700 cal B.C., making it the oldest mainland shell midden on the west coast of North America. A large recovery volume revealed an assemblage dominated by grinding implements (handstones and milling slabs) and crude core and flake tools typical of California's Milling Stone horizon, but the Cross Creek findings extend the antiquity of Milling Stone back to the terminal Pleistocene. The tools and associated faunal remains suggest a gathering economy profoundly different from the terminal Pleistocene big-game hunting of interior North America. This variation is difficult to reconcile as a simple adaptive outgrowth from late Pleistocene hunting and may reflect a separate coastal migration route into the New World.

AB - Recent excavations at the Cross Creek site (CA-SLO-1797) on the central coast of California revealed a stratigraphically discrete midden component dating between ca. 8350 and 7700 cal B.C., making it the oldest mainland shell midden on the west coast of North America. A large recovery volume revealed an assemblage dominated by grinding implements (handstones and milling slabs) and crude core and flake tools typical of California's Milling Stone horizon, but the Cross Creek findings extend the antiquity of Milling Stone back to the terminal Pleistocene. The tools and associated faunal remains suggest a gathering economy profoundly different from the terminal Pleistocene big-game hunting of interior North America. This variation is difficult to reconcile as a simple adaptive outgrowth from late Pleistocene hunting and may reflect a separate coastal migration route into the New World.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=1842688463&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=1842688463&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.2307/2694564

DO - 10.2307/2694564

M3 - Review article

AN - SCOPUS:1842688463

SN - 0002-7316

VL - 67

SP - 213

EP - 230

JO - American Antiquity

JF - American Antiquity

IS - 2

ER -

The Cross Creek Site (CA-SLO-1797) and its implications for new world colonization

Abstract

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this