A Cremation and an Inhumation from the Dover Overflow Site (CA-MER-415), Merced County, California \ 'ARDNER 9OHE 91
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Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology\6OL .O \PPn A Cremation and an The cremation feature contained the remains of at least two individuals, an adult and a juvenile. The inhumation Inhumation from the Dover feature consisted of the remains of a young female who Overfow Site (CA-MER-415), stood just over fve feet tall. Radiocarbon dates associated Merced County, California with these individuals demonstrated that CA-MER-415 was likely inhabited between approximately A.D. 1520 JILL K. GARDNER and 1700. In this article, the cremation and inhumation ASM Affliates, Carlsbad, California 92011 features are described in detail, and a discussion is ROBERT M. YOHE II provided regarding their potential signifcance for the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, archaeology of the northern San Joaquin Valley. California State University, Bakersfeld 93311 As part of a multiyear project to rehabilitate a portion In 2003 and 2004, the Center for Archaeological Research of State Route 165 in western Merced County north of at California State University, Bakersfeld, conducted Los Banos, the California Department of Transportation Phase I and II studies at CA-MER-415 (also known requested that the Center for Archaeological Research as the Dover Overfow site), a prehistoric (or possibly at California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB), protohistoric) site located in western Merced County conduct Phase I and II studies to determine the extent north of Los Banos, California. During the Phase II and nature of a prehistoric (or possibly protohistoric) study, a cremation and an inhumation were discovered. site (CA-MER-415) located in the project area (Gardner umne Tuol R. San Mariposa County . d R rce CA-MER-415 Me S i e illa R. Madera County r wch r Cho a N Merced County e v e a Fr sno R. d a Joaquin n R. Joaqui San San Benito County C o Fresno County a s t R a n ngs R. g Ki e s Project Area Valley = Tulare County 0 7 14 21 Miles Kings County Kilometers 0 10 20 30 Figure 1. Location of the Dover Overfow site (CA-MER-415). 90 REPORT | A Cremation and an Inhumation from the Dover Overflow Site (CA-MER-415), Merced County, California\'ARDNER9OHE 91 Figure 2. Organic layer in Trench 7 where the cremation was discovered after the backhoe bucket picked it up in its entirety. 2003, 2005). The project was known as the Wolfsen Road The following is an inventory and description of the Rehabilitation Project, and the site was colloquially cremation feature from Trench 7 and the inhumation named Dover Overflow (Fig. 1). The site is situated feature from TU-8. The analysis of the inhumation was on the floor of the northern San Joaquin Valley, at performed on-site during the Phase II investigations in an elevation of about 25 m. (82 ft.). The Great Valley the spring of 2004, while the cremation was analyzed in Grasslands State Park abuts the southwest end of the the archaeological laboratory at CSUB during the same site, and the San Joaquin River fows along its southern period of time. Upon completion of the analysis, the end. The site rests on undulating topography dissected human remains and artifacts from both the inhumation by sloughs and overfows channels, and is located within and cremation features were reburied in TU-8 at the traditional territory of the Northern Valley Yokuts the request of the Native American monitors from (Wallace 1978). Repatriation, Inc. Discussions of the age assessment During the Phase II study in 2004, a cremation and signifcance of the site, including the cremation and and an inhumation were discovered. The cremation inhumation features, are offered at the conclusion of feature was revealed during trenching activities as the this report. backhoe bucket picked it up in its entirety in Trench 7 at Locus A, at an approximate depth between 100 and 130 cm., leaving behind a dark organic layer (Fig. 2). The THE CREMATION FEATURE inhumation feature was discovered a few days later in The cremation feature from Trench 7 contained the Test Unit 8 (TU-8), which was placed a few meters east remains of at least two individuals, an adult and a juvenile. of Trench 7. There were other items within the feature as well (see 92 Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology\6OL .O below), some of which may not have been related to the cremation event. Table 1 presents a summary of human remains from the cremation, all of which were highly fragmented and most of which were burned and at least partly calcined. The unidentifed large mammal and unidentifed mammal bones shown in the table were too fragmented to identify as being definitely human, although many were likely human given the context of the feature and the degree of burning on the bones. Table 1 SUMMARY OF SKELETAL ELEMENTS FROM THE CREMATION FEATURE IN TRENCH 7 AT CA-MER-415 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Skeletal Element Number CRANIALVAULTFRAGMENTS cm MAXILLAFRAGMENT Figure 3. Steatite pendant from the cremation. TOOTHROOTS Regrettably, this photo is blurred and there was no METACARPALFRAGMENTSPROXIMAL opportunity to take another photo prior to reburial. METATARSALFRAGMENTSDISTAL PHALANXFRAGMENTSDISTAL FEMORALFRAGMENTSPOSTERIORSHAFT a also recovered, a chert flake and a steatite pendant. FEMORALEPIPHYSISFRAGMENTSDISTAL b The pendant, which was most likely associated with TIBIALEPIPHYSISFRAGMENTPROXIMAL the cremation, measured 4.0 x 1.0 mm. in size and had INDETERMINATEEPIPHYSISFRAGMENTS a partial perforation at one end (Fig. 3). It is possible UNIDENTIlEDLARGEMAMMALBONE that the waterworn cobbles represent magico-religious UNIDENTIlEDMAMMALBONE objects (see Koerper et al. n.d.), or the remains of a a4WOOFTHESEFRAGMENTSCONJOINEDANDALLWEREADULT SIZED cremation cairn (Pritchard 1970: Table 15). As the context b "OTHOFTHESEFRAGMENTSWERESUBADULT SIZED of these cobbles was destroyed by the backhoe before .OTE 7HILETHEUNIDENTIlEDMAMMALBONESINTHELASTTWOROWSCOULDNOTBEPOSITIVELY DETERMINEDTOBEHUMAN ITISLIKELYTHATATLEASTSOMEWEREHUMANGIVENTHECONTEXT they could be documented in situ, however, it is not possible to determine their potential function with any The identifcation of adult femoral shaft fragments certainty. Moreover, at the time of the excavations, and subadult femoral epiphyseal fragments indicated the cobbles were not considered significant enough the presence of at least two individuals. Unfortunately, to document in detail (e.g., size, shape, material), and the fact that the backhoe bucket picked up this feature, they have since been reburied. As a result, there is no apparently in its entirety—thus disturbing the context additional information on these cobbles for comparative and association of the human remains, artifacts, and purposes. ecofacts—leaves some question as to whether this Upon discovery of the human remains from cremation was primary or secondary. Nevertheless, due the cremation and the inhumation, Steve Morris of to the general lack of associated charcoal, the small area the Merced County Coroner’s Office and Katherine that encompassed the feature, and the commingling of Perez of Repatriation, Inc. were contacted and made the remains, the cremation is interpreted as most likely aware of these remains. Ms. Perez granted permission secondary. to radiocarbon date the cremated remains. All of the Also recovered within the backhoe bucket, but not items recovered from the cremation feature, with the necessarily associated with the cremation feature, were exception of the human remains that were submitted for ten nonhuman mammal and bird bones, six waterworn radiocarbon dating (see below for details), were reburied cobbles, and six baked clay fragments. Two artifacts were with the inhumation in TU-8 at the request of Ms. Perez. REPORT | A Cremation and an Inhumation from the Dover Overflow Site (CA-MER-415), Merced County, California\'ARDNER9OHE 93 THE INHUMATION A few days after the cremation was discovered, an A *60 cm. inhumation was revealed in TU-8 (Fig. 4). Upon initial B discovery, the skull was visible at a depth of 60 cm. in the north half of the unit. At that time, the Native American monitors requested that excavations be halted in the *72 cm. north half of the unit and continued only in the south half. It became almost immediately obvious that the *80 cm. burial extended into the south half of TU-8, whereupon Test Unit 8 permission was granted to completely expose those Feature Map A Carpal elements that were within the test unit and analyze them B Anodonta Shell in the field prior to reburial. In addition, there were TN elements from the inhumation that extended into the east wall of TU-8, which were documented in situ but 0 10 20 30 40 50 not removed for in-feld analysis per the request of the Centimeters monitors. All bones that were removed or observed in Figure 4. Sketch drawing of the inhumation in TU-8, TU-8 are listed in Table 2, while Tables 3 and 4 provide showing orientation and fexure (top left inset shows the cranial and postcranial measurements, respectively. the inhumation in relation to the entire unit). Table 2 SUMMARY OF CRANIAL AND POSTCRANIAL ELEMENTS FROM THE INHUMATION FEATURE IN TU-8 AT CA-MER-415 Elementa Condition Side Comments Cranial Elements CRANIUM COMPLETE MANDIBLE COMPLETE MAXILLA COMPLETE TEETH MISSINGRIGHTUPPERCENTRALANDLATERALINCISORS CROWNONRIGHT UPPERCANINESPATULATEINCISORS Postcranial Elements SCAPULAE ^COMPLETELEFT BOTHSIDES BODYOFLEFTSCAPULAPARTIALLYDEGRADED COMPLETERIGHT CLAVICLES COMPLETE BOTHSIDES HUMERI COMPLETE BOTHSIDES ULNAE COMPLETE BOTHSIDES LEFTULNAVISIBLEBUTNOTREMOVED PRESUMEDTOBECOMPLETE