Department of Social Anthropology

Archaeobotanical remains recovered from a large
~8000-year-old shell
midden (CA-SRI-666) on Santa Rosa Island provide the first
ancient plant data from this large island, shedding light on ancient
patterns of plant use, subsistence, and sedentism. Faunal data from
shell midden samples retrieved from three site loci contain evidence
for harvesting of rocky intertidal shellfish and estuarine clams and
oysters from a paleo-estuary in the vicinity. CA-SRI-666 appears to
have been an Early Holocene village site occupied year round. A
key to the development of early sedentary societies on the island
may have been geophytes, especially Brodiaea-type corms, which provided
an abundant source of carbohydrates and calories that complemented
marine resources rich in fat and whole animal proteins.
Our data demonstrate the value of integrating paleobotanical and
zooarchaeological data from island and coastal archaeological sites
to help elucidate human social, cultural, and environmental dynamics,
including sedentism.