Learn More About Archaeology

Archaeology is the study of human history through the physical remains of the past. In the western United States, archaeology focuses on the history of Native American groups who have lived here for thousands of years, and on early non-Native explorers, traders, miners, and settlers who arrived only 200-300 years ago. Each of them left behind traces of their lives: stone tools, rock art, cooking vessels, and house foundations. By carefully studying the artifacts and features scattered across the land, and by consulting with living descendants, archaeologists try to answer questions about past human behavior.

You might be surprised to learn that archaeologists are at work every day throughout California and the US. Thanks to our country’s commitment to our environment and our national heritage, we have laws to protect archaeological sites and artifacts on all public lands. Since our founding in 1979, Far Western has worked with state, federal, and local agencies, Native American tribes, and private companies to meet the requirements of these laws, and at the same time to provide important historical, cultural, and scientific information to other scholars and to the public.

Read more about archaeology at the links below …

San Joaquin Valley  
People of the Tules:  Archaeology and Prehistory of California's Great Central Valley presents information about excavations at site CA-SJO-3 that revealed evidence of environmental and cultural changes.

Written on the Land:  10,000 Years of Human History along Marsh Creek. For thousands of years before the Spanish, the Mexicans, or the Americans entered the East Bay/Delta region, Native people lived in this beautiful place where the foothills and valley marshlands meet.

Eastern Sierra Nevada 
Mountain Harvest:  The Use of Pinyon Nuts by the Paiute and Their Ancestors Near Sherwin Summit, California.

Calaveras County
Stealing the Sun present an overview of the prehistory of the central Sierra Nevada foothills by combining archaeology and traditional Me-wuk stories.
http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist10/media/docs/stealingthesun_brochure.pdf

Tuolumne County 
This web site includes a seven minute video with original musical score.
During the hot, dry summer of 2009, archaeologists from Far Western Anthropological Research Group conducted data recovery excavations at a site along State Route 49, in the Sierra Nevada foothills of western Tuolumne County. The work was sponsored by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).

San Francisco Bay Area
Studies for the New East Span Bay Bridge Project began with underwater archaeological surveys in the spring and summer of 1999. Two archaeological investigations were conducted on the island in the fall of 2002 and the summer of 2004. Visit this web piece for a summary of the results of these studies and associated archival research, as well as a general history of Yerba Buena Island.
http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist4/yerbabuena

Plumas County
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is one of the largest sponsors of archaeological research in California. One example of this was the archaeological study of four sites in eastern Plumas County. Step Back in Time highlight Caltrans work with the Washoe tribe to preserve one of the most important archaeological sites ever found in northern California.
http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist2/pdf/stepback.pdf

Shasta County
Many Cultures, One Land: 5,000 Years of History, Shasta County, California. In early 2008 a land slide along Highway 299 in Shasta County damaged a portion of an archaeological site. This web piece covers the prehistory of the area and historical events that forever changes the lives of the Native peoples in the area. http://www.farwestern.com/manycultures.pdf

A Guided Tour of Coso Rock Art
The Coso region of southern California is home to some of the most spectacular displays of Native American rock art anywhere on the continent.
http://www.farwestern.com/rockart/

Obsidian Source Studies
Obsidian is a volcanic glass that was often used to make cutting and piercing tools. Chemical analysis of obsidian using energy dispersive x-ray flurescence (EDXRF or XRF) can identify the geologic source that the material came from. This can shed light on perhistoric trade patterns and group movement.  For additional information visit
http://www.geochemicalresearch.com