Summary and Conclusions

Abstract

In previous chapters, I examined a variety of evidence for the antiquity, distribution, and adaptations of early maritime peoples of the California coast. I focused on the analysis of artifacts and faunal remains from three shell middens of the Santa Barbara coast, sites thought to have been occupied between about 8,000 and 8,700 years ago. Using samples of the constituents of each midden, I estimated the importance of various foods in the diet of the site occupants. Archaeological and environmental attributes were used to infer the probable function of the sites within a larger settlement system. Using shellfish remains, I reconstructed the coastal habitats in the vicinity of each site at the time of its occupation. Finally, comparing these interpretations to data from other early coastal sites, I examined the archaeological record for evidence of similarities and differences in early adaptations along the California coast.