Archaeologica.org

Cognito,

Have they found any sort of settlement in the area? The site marked seems a bit far from the lake or the river. One would think that people would live closer to the water source.

What is the terrain like?

Have they found any sort of settlement in the area? The site marked seems a bit far from the lake or the river. One would think that people would live closer to the water source.

What is the terrain like?

There is no settlement in that area, nor does anyone expect to find one. Bear in mind that the soil there is acidic. The primary water source was the Mojave river draining into Lake Manix (80 sqare miles), and lots of rain at the time. The lake drained rapidly about 16000bce and lakefront property became non-existent.

The Mormon expedition from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City circa 1848 referred to the area as "Hell on Earth" when they passed through. It's pretty much the same today due to a lack of rainfall. However, during the ice age the area received about 30+ inches of rain annually since Pacific moist air met cold glacial air overhead, resulting from the proximity of Sierra glaciers to the north. I went looking near the shoreline for the very reason you stated ... close to a river delta entering a large lake, peninsular, defensible hill, etc. Bingo. I'll grab pictures the next time that I'm up there and post on this site.

I believe there are better areas to investigate in the Lake Manix basin than the Calico site, but funds are not available at this time. Some shoreline lacustrine deposits in the middle of the lake look promising and, more importantly, datable. If I wasn't working to support my family, I would be up there digging (legally) while side-stepping venomous snakes.

So....if there was no settlement that would mean that people found a supply of usable stone and went there for the express purpose of making tools?

I imagine they ate the snakes.

So....if there was no settlement that would mean that people found a supply of usable stone and went there for the express purpose of making tools?

I imagine they ate the snakes.

There are a limited number of areas in the desert where chalcedony, chert, agate, petrified palm and obsidian are exposed on the surface. In addition to a good source of material a panoramic view would be recommended since snakes were the least of problems during the pleistocene. The area was also home to the California cave bear, dyer wolves and sabers. Being near a water source could make you someone's lunch in a hurry.

Cognito, have you had any scientific eval of those axes? I curious to know if they're similar to the artifacts that Leakey found.

just out of curiosity--- which leakey are you now referring to? i know the parents are dead so is it richard? has he returned to his roots and taken up where his parents left off?

It was Louis Leakey and his wife.

Minimalist wrote:So....if there was no settlement that would mean that people found a supply of usable stone and went there for the express purpose of making tools?

I imagine they ate the snakes.

informational only. in the late fifties i was on several expeditions which explored dry lakebeds near yermo, california. i was, what, 8 or 9 years old. anyway, on a seemingly endless plain of cobble and gravel and sage we found flaked tools. what i remember specifically is heavy, ovoid handaxes, for lack of a better term. on one of them somebody came up with a "spearhead", again large & crude, but basically triangular, which caused much discussion. i believe that life magazine had an article shortly thereafter about this stuff. this was under the leadership of the late raymond alf, of the webb school of california.

john

Cognito, have you had any scientific eval of those axes? I curious to know if they're similar to the artifacts that Leakey found.

No scientific evaluation yet. So far, I am only collecting and cataloging what is on the surface prior to its being destroyed by touristas. The local arch will get to them later (yes, I am a volunteer). The site is on private land, not BLM, and is not a priority at this time.

The tools look similar to Calico, but on the more sophisticated side which implies that they are younger. Preliminary dating for surface lithics at "my" site are 18-2000bp.

prior to its being destroyed by touristas

damn those hispanic holiday makers

Sí Marduk, y como se dice Yermo en inglés? Ahora ... tomamos la penúltima y puede quédate con el cambio.

Cognito wrote:Sí Marduk, y como se dice Yermo en inglés? Ahora ... tomamos la penúltima y puede quédate con el cambio.

en ingles, cognito (ergo sum?), if you please. i remember the flash of opportunity when i actually found, and lifted one of those handaxes off of the long gone shores of that lakebed.


john

john wrote:

Cognito wrote:Sí Marduk, y como se dice Yermo en inglés? Ahora ... tomamos la penúltima y puede quédate con el cambio.

en ingles, cognito (ergo sum?), if you please. i remember the flash of opportunity when i actually found, and lifted one of those handaxes off of the long gone shores of that lakebed.


john

what i mean is no codetalking. i believe in free exchange of information. i've just got this sweet hunch that somebody's planning on the usual 15 seconds of fame.

john

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