UCSB archaeology students have been excavating a human habitation site on the University of California's Sedgwick Reserve this month to assess its potential significance in revealing the prehistory of the Santa Ynez Valley.
In recognition of California Archaeology Month, the students will open the site to the public from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 8 to show what they have found so far.
Artifacts found indicate that the site probably was occupied sometime between AD 200 and 700.
Most likely, it was a residential base, as indicated by food remains such as bones of deer, rabbits, and other animals, as well as artifacts such as stone mortars and pestles and spear points.
Shell beads and marine fish bones and shells reveal that the site occupants carried out trade with people living in coastal villages.
The objectives of the excavation are to determine the nature and extent of the site for purposes of developing a plan for its management, to assess its significance for understanding the prehistory of the Santa Ynez Valley, and to shed light on an interesting period of cultural development.
The excavation, led by Michael Glassow, chair of UCSB's Department of Anthropology, will continue through May.
The Sedgwick Reserve is located at the northern end of Brinkerhoff Avenue, north of Highway 154 and east of Los Olivos.
Signs on the road entering the Sedgwick Reserve will direct the public to the site.
Part of the road within the reserve leading to the site is dirt, but typical sedans should have no trouble traversing it.
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