Shellfish Transport, Caloric Return Rates, and Prehistoric Feasting on the Laguna De Santa Rosa, Alta California

Abstract

Archaeological data from several sites along the Laguna de Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, California, show that marine shellfish were transported more than 25 km to the interior beginning about 2,600 years ago. Initiation of this activity seems to be linked to the rise of logistical organization associated with the more settled lifestyles of the Middle Archaic Berkeley Pattern. Analysis of energetic return rates for obtaining and transporting these resources indicates that better returns could have been achieved by staying closer to home. These findings may reflect feasting activities that served a variety of social functions well beyond the simple subsistence needs of the people.

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