New Radiocarbon Dates from CA-CCO-138 (Hotchkiss Mound) and CA-CCO-139 (Simone Mound) and Insights into Mounds, Settlement Patterns, and Culture History in the California Delta

ABSTRACT

We report 91 new AMS radiocarbon dates on human bone collagen from two important central California sites: CA-CCO-138 (Hotchkiss Mound; n = 46) and CA-CCO-139 (Simone Mound; n = 45). The sites lie within 500 m of one another in the California Delta and have figured prominently in the formulation of culture historical sequences in central California. The new AMS dates show that the two sites are nearly separate in their occupation sequences, with CA-CCO-139 interments dating between 1,190 and 790 cal BP and CA-CCO-138 between 810 and 150 cal BP (median date ranges). We compare the new dates to previous age assignments based on associated artifacts and depth, and discuss implications for understanding ancient settlement patterns, mound occupation sequences, and culture history in the region.

RESUMEN

Reportamos 91 nuevas fechas de radiocarbono de AMS extraídas del colágeno de hueso humano en dos sitios arqueológicos importantes en California central: CA-CCO-138 (Hotchkiss Mound; n = 46) y CA-CCO-139 (Simone Mound; n = 45). Se encuentran los sitios a 500 m uno del otro en el delta de California y han figurado prominentemente en la formulación de las secuencias de la historia cultural en California central. Las nuevas fechas de AMS demuestran que los dos sitios están casi separados en sus secuencias de ocupación, con los entierros de CA-CCO-139 que datan entre 1190 y 790 cal a.P. y los de CA-CCO-138 que datan entre 810 y 150 cal a.P. (rangos medianos de fecha). Comparamos las nuevas fechas con las edades previamente basadas en los artefactos asociados y en la profundidad. Discutimos las implicaciones para comprender los patrones antiguos de asentamiento, las secuencias de ocupación en los montículos y la historia cultural en la región.

KEYWORDS:

• Mounds
• AMS
• culture history
• central California

Acknowledgments

Funding for this research was provided by the National Science Foundation (BCS-1318543 and BCS-1318532). We thank Julia Prince-Buitenhuys, Amy MacKinnon, Stefanie Kline, Alina Tichinin, and Sarah Hall for assistance in preparing samples, Tim D. White and the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology for facilitating access to the samples, Jeff Rosenthal and anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful comments on earlier drafts of the article, and Edgar Huerta for translating the abstract into Spanish.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.