MACROFLORAL ANALYSIS AT THE ALISO JUNCTION EARTH OVEN SITE, FS NO. 05-01-55-159, CALIFORNIA

The Aliso Junction Earth Oven Site (FS No. 05-01-55-159), located on a creek terrace at
the junction of Aliso Creek and a seasonal unnamed creek, is situated in Aliso Canyon in the San
Gabriel Mountains of Southern California. The site is thought to have been inhabited at the time
of historic contact by the Tatavium, a little known Native California culture group who probably
spoke a Serran language of the Takic branch of Northern Uto-Axtecan linguistic family. The site
consists of three loci containing fire affected soil, fire affected rock, and charcoal. An earth oven
feature was identified at the site, and two 1m squared units were excavated to examine the feature. The
feature consisted of an earthen firing pit, heating stones/darkened sediments/charcoal, and a stone
cobble cooking platform. Conventional radiocarbon analysis of two charcoal samples from the
feature yielded approximate dates of 940 ± 40BP and 1000 ± 40 BP. Two macrofloral and six
charcoal samples were analyzed from the fill of this oven. Macrofloral and charcoal analyses are
used to provide information concerning the type of fuel/tinder burned in the earth oven, as well as
possible foods cooked in the oven.