Archaeologists have turned up evidence of some of the oldest human activity in coastal Southern California, just off the coast of Ventura County.
Read MoreTag: middens
1,200-Year-Old Pouches Found in Arizona Cave Contain Prehistoric ‘Chewing Tobacco,’ Study Finds
Dozens of small, fiber-wrapped bundles discovered in a cave in Arizona have been found to contain wild tobacco, the first scientific evidence suggesting that Ancestral Puebloans of the prehistoric Southwest…
Read MoreHundreds of Dice, Game Pieces Found in Utah Cave Shed Light on Prehistoric Gambling
A cave on the shore of Utah’s Great Salt Lake is giving archaeologists a rare glimpse into a seldom-studied aspect of life in the ancient West — prehistoric gambling. Researchers…
Read MoreAt 50, Ring-Tab Beer Cans Are Now Officially Historic Artifacts
[Editor’s Note: This is just one of Western Digs’ top stories of 2015: Discover the other surprising, enlightening, and sometimes disturbing finds that were the Top 5 Archaeology Discoveries in the American…
Read MoreUtah Cave Full of Children’s Moccasins Sheds Light on Little-Known Ancient Culture
Archaeologists on the trail of a little-known ancient culture have found a cache of clues that may help unlock its secrets: a cave containing hundreds of children’s moccasins. The cave,…
Read MoreHistory 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…
Read MoreAncient 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…
Read More11,000-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…
Read MoreNew Mexico’s ‘Atari Dump,’ a Midden of Video Games, to Be Excavated
How old do remnants of our material culture have to be before they’re considered artifacts? If you’re a gamer, not very old at all. This week, Canada-based game developer Fuel…
Read More