A new study claims that humans were hunting in California 130,000 years ago, but skeptics abound.
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Ancient Seafarers’ Tool Sites, Up to 12,000 Years Old, Discovered on California Island
Archaeologists have turned up evidence of some of the oldest human activity in coastal Southern California, just off the coast of Ventura County.
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Nearly 9,000 Artifacts Uncovered in California Desert, Spanning 11,500 Years of History
Archaeologists exploring a military base in southern California have uncovered nearly 9,000 artifacts dating back as much as 13,000 years, shedding new light on human history in the Mojave Desert.
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Severed Heads, Skull Bowls Found in California Graves Were Tributes, Not War Trophies, Study Finds
A 3,000 year-old village discovered in central California has been found to contain an unusual set of burials — with more than a half dozen individuals buried without their heads,…
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Mass Grave Found in California Reveals Prehistoric Violence Against ‘Outsiders’
An ancient mass grave, uncovered during the construction of a shopping mall outside San Francisco, contains the bodies of seven men who appear to have been victims of “mass homicide”…
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From Stone Darts to Dismembered Bodies, New Study Reveals 5,000 Years of Violence in Central California
From shooting their enemies with darts and arrows to crushing their skulls and even harvesting body parts as trophies, the ancient foragers of central California engaged in sporadic, and sometimes…
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Earliest Evidence of Gigantism-Like Disease Found in 3,800-Year-Old California Skeleton
The remains of a man buried 3,800 years ago in a richly decorated California grave bear some unusual but unmistakable features — a protruding brow, a lantern jaw, thick leg…
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History of Ancient Los Angeles Was Driven by Its Wetlands, 8,000-Year Survey Finds
It may be hard to visualize if you’ve been through drought-stricken southern California lately, but much of what’s now Los Angeles was once a teeming wetland. And a new landmark…
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Ancient California Islanders Relied on Drifting ‘Tarballs’ for Petroleum, Study Finds
Eight thousand years ago, as today, one thing you needed to get by in southern California was petroleum. But even then, it seems, you didn’t need the top-grade stuff shipped…
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11,000-Year-Old Seafaring Indian Sites Discovered on California Island
Just offshore from the chock-a-block development of Southern California, archaeologists have discovered some of the oldest sites of human occupation on the Pacific Coast. On Santa Rosa Island, one of…
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Mass Grave of ‘Prodigal Sons’ in California Poses Prehistoric Mystery
New research has turned up some perplexing clues in a prehistoric mystery: the fate of three men found in a mass grave in California, their bodies riddled with arrow points…
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Ancient Californians Revered — And Likely Ate — Dogs, Canine Graves Reveal
In California’s long, rich prehistoric record, among the most intriguing legacies that archaeologists have discovered is the tradition of burying canines — sometimes with humans, sometimes with garbage, sometimes in…
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