The course of plant food intensification in native central California

This study documents temporal and spatial variability in plant food use for a study area extending from the coast to the Sierra Nevada foothills, and the Santa Ynez Valley to the Klamath Range north of Redding, using charred macrofloral data from 940 well-dated archaeological flotation samples from seven regions. Atemporal patterns show that the archaeobotanical record is largely but not wholly consistent with the ethnographic descriptions of native plant use. Diachronic data show both continuity and change over time. The most robust diachronic data, from interior central California, show acorn is the most commonly found taxon in the poorly-documented Lower Archaic (12,000--7000 B.P.). The more-thoroughly sampled Middle Archaic (7000--2500 B.P.) shows a broad array of nut, berry, and small seeds, but is notable for the greatest relative importance of bulbs. The Upper Archaic (2500--1200 B.P.) is notable for more intensive use of acorns, a pattern that holds and expands in subsequent phases. The Lower Emergent (1200--500 B.P.) shows much more intensive use of small seeds, probably including green-season gathering and bulk processing. During the Upper Emergent (500--200 B.P.) and Protohistoric (200--120 B.P.), there are initial but strong suggestions of larger seeds of native barley (Hordeum sp.) and maygrass (Phalaris sp.) that hint at indigenous management and/or domestication in the Sacramento Valley.; Interior central California shows early and multiple stages of plant food intensification mostly lacking in adjacent regions. This appears to derive from greater population pressure than elsewhere, which in turn follows from a habitat more richly-endowed with varied and productive plant resources in tandem with abundant wetland resources, notably fish. An intensive and sedentary strategy arose in central California that was limited to these rich localities. No conclusive results were obtained, but these data suggest that push models of demographic forcing account better for patterns of plant food intensification than pull models based on competitive feasting or variants.