chapple, r. m. 2013 san diego archaeological centre: a spectacular find in the californian hills....

8/12/2019 Chapple, R. M. 2013 San Diego Archaeological Centre: a spectacular find in the Californian hills. Blogspot post

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San Diego Archaeological Centre: a spectacular find in the Californian hills

Originally posted online on 17 October 2013 at rmchapple.blogspot.com

(http://rmchapple.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/san-diego-archaeological-centre.html)I had planned to put this post out ages ago, but then I found out that October is CaliforniaArchaeology Month ... so it just had to wait!

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As some readers of this blog will know, I spent part of March and April this year (2013) in SanDiego, California. While there we did all the tourist things: SeaWorld,Legoland,San DiegoZoo,along with sampling large amounts of the local seafood and beer (I strongly recommendthe Red Trolley ale). I even managed to get myself invited to the beautiful campus ofthe University of San Diego to talk about Irish archaeology. As part of Anthropology 494:

Native Peoples of Northwest Europe, I was invited to speak to the senior class ofundergraduates about two sets of excavations I directed at Gransha,Co. Londonderry,andGortlaunaght, Co. Cavan.I had a fantastic time and enjoyed myself immensely, and I hopethat the students and faculty members that listened to me did too.

On one particular day we left the relative cool of the beach and headed inland to the SanPasqual Valley and theSan Diego Archaeological Centre.Their website (which is well worth aread) explains their mission best: They are a curation facility and museum where visitors canlearn the story of how people have lived in San Diego County for the past 10,000 years. Inaddition to its role as a museum, the Centre serves as an education and research facility and isthe only local organization dedicated to the collection, study, curation and exhibition of SanDiego County's archaeological artifacts. I was visiting there merely as a tourist, rather than aprofessional archaeologist, so I did not have the opportunity to catch more than a glimpse ofthe impressive storage and curation facilities on site. But what I did see the public exhibitionspaces are just stunning! Rather than write at any length about the Centre (again, read theirwebpage it has everything you need to know about the wonderful job they do), I wanted topost some photographs of the exhibition to give a flavour of what's to see.
http://rmchapple.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/san-diego-archaeological-centre.htmlhttp://rmchapple.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/san-diego-archaeological-centre.htmlhttp://rmchapple.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/san-diego-archaeological-centre.htmlhttp://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-sandiegohttp://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-sandiegohttp://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-sandiegohttp://california.legoland.com/http://california.legoland.com/http://california.legoland.com/http://www.sandiegozoo.org/http://www.sandiegozoo.org/http://www.sandiegozoo.org/http://www.sandiegozoo.org/http://www.karlstrauss.com/PAGES/Brews/OurBeer/RedTrolley.htmlhttp://www.karlstrauss.com/PAGES/Brews/OurBeer/RedTrolley.htmlhttp://www.sandiego.edu/http://www.sandiego.edu/http://www.academia.edu/2286108/A_unique_Middle_Bronze_Age_cemetery_at_Oakgrove_Co._Londonderryhttp://www.academia.edu/2286108/A_unique_Middle_Bronze_Age_cemetery_at_Oakgrove_Co._Londonderryhttp://www.academia.edu/1681337/Recent_Archaeological_Discoveries_Near_Swanlinbar_Co._Cavanhttp://www.academia.edu/1681337/Recent_Archaeological_Discoveries_Near_Swanlinbar_Co._Cavanhttp://www.academia.edu/1681337/Recent_Archaeological_Discoveries_Near_Swanlinbar_Co._Cavanhttp://www.sandiegoarchaeology.org/http://www.sandiegoarchaeology.org/http://www.sandiegoarchaeology.org/http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zh3s9M-HHPI/Uewr1qKfFGI/AAAAAAAAEAY/SHPxYnsRQRI/s1600/DSC_0171.JPGhttp://www.sandiegoarchaeology.org/http://www.academia.edu/1681337/Recent_Archaeological_Discoveries_Near_Swanlinbar_Co._Cavanhttp://www.academia.edu/2286108/A_unique_Middle_Bronze_Age_cemetery_at_Oakgrove_Co._Londonderryhttp://www.sandiego.edu/http://www.karlstrauss.com/PAGES/Brews/OurBeer/RedTrolley.htmlhttp://www.sandiegozoo.org/http://www.sandiegozoo.org/http://california.legoland.com/http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-sandiegohttp://rmchapple.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/san-diego-archaeological-centre.html


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KumeyaayOllas fromCleveland National Forest.These date to the Late Prehistoric (c. 900- 1796 AD) period. Large Ollas like these were used for storage, while smaller examples

would have been used for cooking and carrying water.

A group of flakes from thePalaeo-Indian period(c. 8000 - 5500 BC). The most popularstone utilised during this period wasSantiago Peak metavolcanic,a fine-grained felsite.The artefact on the bottom-right is labeled as a 'spoke shave' and is relatively similar to

Irish Middle Neolithic (c. 3500-2900 BC) 'hollow scrapers'. However, during a discussionwith the immensely helpful and knowledgeable staff, I was informed that these are

something of a rarity with only five (I think) being known from the region.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumeyaay_peoplehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumeyaay_peoplehttp://www.fs.usda.gov/clevelandhttp://www.fs.usda.gov/clevelandhttp://www.fs.usda.gov/clevelandhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleo-Indianshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleo-Indianshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleo-Indianshttp://calcimasandiego.org/aggregate.htmlhttp://calcimasandiego.org/aggregate.htmlhttp://calcimasandiego.org/aggregate.htmlhttp://calcimasandiego.org/aggregate.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleo-Indianshttp://www.fs.usda.gov/clevelandhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumeyaay_people


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A display of artefacts from theArchaic Period(c. 5500 - 1000 BC). The appearance ofgrinding stones (querns in Irish terms) indicates an increasing reliance on plant sources

that required processing before use.

A collection of stone bowls, found 'many miles off shore'. Their function is unknown, butmay have been to allow the transportation of burning embers, or for processing bait.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaic_period_in_North_Americahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaic_period_in_North_Americahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaic_period_in_North_Americahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaic_period_in_North_America


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Nice collection of projectile points ... not too dissimilar to what we've got in Ireland


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Grinding stone ... again, it wouldn't look terribly out of place on an Irish site!


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Donut Stones ... these are a new one on me and don't (I think) occur in the Irish corpus.Apparently, there is no consensus on their function, though it's thought that they may be

weights for digging sticks.


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More querns/mortars from the Late Pre-Contact period (c. 1000 BC - 1700 AD)


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Another Late Pre-Contact period artefact - an arrow shaft straightener. As the caption says,it was used 'to gently bend prepared and heated wooden sticks to create an arrow that

would fly true'. Obviously, there is evidence for the use of bows and arrows in Ireland, notjust the relatively frequent arrow-heads, but even the bows themselves (e.g. Drumwhinny,Co. Fermanagh). What gives me pause is the though that, should something similar to this

artefact be found in an Irish context, even our best known and most respected lithicsexperts may have difficulty in identifying it ... maybe we should be keeping our eyes open ...

just in case!


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Selection of the ground stone tools recovered from the Camp Winacka excavation,and interpreted as having beenused in the processing of acorns.

A selection of finds, tools, and field books from the Camp Winacka archive.


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In the foreground there are a collection of display cases dedicated to the pursuit ofarchaeological science and analysis. While I was engrossed in the displays, my two sons

were equally engrossed in the children's crafting area, just visible in the background of theshot. They have a whole assortment of archaeological-themed crafts to keep children

entertained and enthralled. Admittedly, Oscar managed to subvert the intended uses of thecrafting materials and, with a little assistance, construct a rather nifty UFO!

I think that the only thing that the Centres website fails to mention are the humming birds.Outside the building, in the shade of the overhanging eaves, humming birds dozens of themcome to feed and drink. Theyre easily startled, but if you sit still and wait they will hoverjust feet from you. I loved the archaeology displays and hope to return again one day, but itsnearly worth the trip just for these beautiful little birds as they dash, dart, and just as suddenlyhover in mid-air, their wings all blurred. If you have an archaeological inclination, and are

heading in that direction, please drop in to the San Diego Archaeological Centre youll notbe disappointed! To the good people of the SDAC, I say: Thank You for a wonderful day out,keep up the good work, and please don't forget to feed the humming birds!
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G83hiUKQzeM/UexarVOLO5I/AAAAAAAAECQ/zJ_QZDAvugw/s1600/San+D+Arch+Centre.jpg


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Note: I am aware that the San Diego Archaeological Centre spell the last word of their namein the American fashion er, rather than in the English manner, re. I also know that I shouldhave respected this and preserved their spelling but it was just too alien to me I tried, butit just looked wrong! Sorry!

chapple, r. m. 2013 san diego archaeological centre: a spectacular find in the californian hills....

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