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Sex estimation of skeletons is fundamental to many archaeological studies. Currently, three approaches are available to estimate sex-osteology, genomics, or proteomics, but little is known about the relative reliability of these methods in applied settings. We present matching osteological, shotgun-genomic, and proteomic data to estimate the sex of 55 individuals, each with an independent radiocarbon date between 2,440 and 100 cal BP, from two ancestral Ohlone sites in Central California. Sex estimation was possible in 100% of this burial sample using proteomics, in 91% using genomics, and in 51% using osteology. Agreement between the methods was high, however conflicts did occur. Genomic sex estimates were 100% consistent with proteomic and osteological estimates when DNA reads were above 100,000 total sequences. However, more than half the samples had DNA read numbers below this threshold, producing high rates of conflict with osteological and proteomic data where nine out of twenty conditional DNA sex estimates conflicted with proteomics. While the DNA signal decreased by an order of magnitude in the older burial samples, there was no decrease in proteomic signal. We conclude that proteomics provides an important complement to osteological and shotgun-genomic sex estimation.

This paper takes a geoarchaeological contextual approach in arguing that pavement quarries—those assay and reduction events directed at cobbles that often litter expansive desert alluvial landforms—can provide a powerful index of changing trans-Holocene settlement organization. Focusing on multiple lines of evidence—age estimates of alluvial fan surfaces, quarry technology, patination pro les, and regional toolstone consumption trends at residential sites—we explore the temporal and technological development of quarry pavement use at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Mojave Desert. The analysis reveals that chert pavement quarrying was in ascendance during the early portion of the Late Holocene and had a strong biface production component. This landform-based model of Holocene pavement quarry development provides support for reconstructions that envision Gypsum period hunter-gatherers as residentially stable, and as undertaking increased logistical forays during which pavement quarry procurement took place.

For some time, an interpretation of coastal occupation in the San Diego area of southern California, herein termed the Coastal Decline Model, has held center stage despite limited and patchy empirical data. This reconstruction, based largely on the Batiquitos Lagoon fieldwork of the 1960s to 1980s, posits a major depopulation of the coast during the Late Holocene as estuarine subsistence productivity declined under the impact of rapid siltation. Recent investigations at nine shell midden sites along the coast of Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base in the northern portion of this region challenge prior inferences. In this area, emerging trends in settlement and subsistence strategies suggest critical shifts took place during the Middle to Late Holocene. Specifically, three new results contradict key test implications of the Coastal Decline Model: (1) numerous coastal sites are now dated to the Late Holocene when marine transgression is thought to have "shut down" extensive coastal occupation; (2) Late Holocene sites are not typically smaller and/or more reflective of short-term or single season occupation than earlier sites; and (3) shellfish remain important to the coastal economy throughout the Holocene. It is argued that resource intensification played a major role in the continued occupation of this portion of coastal southern California.

The health of humans is intricately linked to the substances we ingest—both food and nondietary items. Adverse health outcomes related to smoking of such products as tobacco and other psychoactive substances are clearly established in modern populations but are less well understood for ancient communities. Grasping these dynamics is further complicated by the curative, religious, and medicinal context of many of these substances, which have often been commodified, refined, and altered in recent history. As part of a larger collaboration with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe dedicated to understanding medicinal plant use among Native Californians, this article summarizes new metabolomic data from three Middle- and Late-Period ancestral heritage Ohlone sites: Thámien Rúmmeytak (CA-SCL-128), 'Ayttakiš 'Éete Hiramwiš Trépam-tak (CA-ALA-677/H), and Síi Túupentak (CA-ALA-565/H). The authors used an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry platform to analyze chemical residues from 95 human dental calculus samples from 50 burials. Using multivariate statistics, they coanalyzed demographic and skeletal pathology data with chemical residue profiles and considered skeletal markers for a series of oral and postcranial health conditions. Results indicate sex and age biases in consumption patterns. Periodontitis stands out as the most significant local factor for changes in the oral metabolome. However, while chemical markers of oral diseases may be related to pathogen activity, associations between residues and postcranial conditions such as osteoarthritis suggest traditional curative practices and the ingestion of medicinal substances. Hence, this study yields new insights into the broader context of illness and healing in the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data recovery at Late Period site Síi Túupentak (CA-ALA-565/H) provided a unique opportunity to integrate non-destructive methodology into the identification of human remains. In April 2017, the Institute for Canine Forensics conducted an examination of a 21-by-14-meter portion of the site. Three dogs trained to detect the scent of human remains alerted 12 times in seven locations, indicating possible burials. Subsequent excavation and analysis provided preliminary data on canine detection of ancient human remains, including advantages and limitations. The results suggest that this remote sensing technique is an effective identification tool that will improve with further collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonality estimates of shellfish harvest at the Middle/MLT Period Yerba Buena site (CA-SFR-114) were determined using oxygen isotope values from three shellfish species: Macoma nasuta (bent-nose clam), Mytilus trossulus (bay mussel), and Ostrea lurida (Pacific oyster). While clam and mussel seasonality estimates are prevalent in archaeological isotopic studies, we also examined oyster seasonality for the first time in California. Overall, harvest was most intensive in summer and fall/early winter, although timing varied by species and temporal component. Bay mussel and Pacific oyster specimens were harvested primarily in the summer months in the Upper Midden area dated to the Middle-Late Transition and Late 1 Period, and the fall months in the Lower Midden area dated to the Middle 3 and Middle 4 periods. Unlike bay mussel and bent-nosed clam, harvest of Pacific oyster specimens was particularly prevalent in the fall months in the Upper Midden area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yñigo Mound (CA-SCL-12/H) is one of the few remaining prehistoric shellmounds along the southern edge of San Francisco Bay. The site also falls within Rancho Posolmi, which was granted to Ohlone Native American Lope Yñigo in 1844. Yñigo was one of a handful of Native Americans to receive a Mexican land grant, and is a well-known historical figure. Despite being located in a modern, urban setting, portions of the mound remain preserved at the junction of two major freeways. We review the unique history of the site, summarize prior archaeological investigations, and place the site within the broader context of South Bay area shellmounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the architecture found at the Ain Ghazal, Jordan, site of a Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPNB) period settlement. Only a small sampling was excavated but the encroaching roadwork itself had exposed many samples. Large houses and their construction are described and hearths built as part of the floor structure are noted. The site is compared with other Neolithic sites in the Levant and the uniqueness of burial areas under the floors found at Ain Ghazal is discussed.