Under the direction of Dr. Delbert True, Ms. Suzanne Griset will conduct archaeological research which will contribute to the completion of her doctoral dissertation. She will select a series of prehistoric ceramics which belong to the Luiseno and Diegueno pottery traditions of southern California and obtain dates from two laboratories. One series will be sent to the University of Arizona TAMS radiocarbon dating laboratory which, through use of an accelerator technique, can produce absolute dates from very small amounts of organic material. A sample from the exterior wall of a sherd will be compared from addition samples taken from the interior and the fabric itself. Other sherds will be dated at the University of Durham by thermoluminescence techniques to provide a check. This research is important for two reasons. First, it will shed additional light on the prehistoric adaptations and cultural development of Californian native American tribes. This area is of special interest because these groups attained levels of cultural complexity which are extremely unusual among hunting and gathering societies. Archaeologists want to understand the subsistence and technological adaptations which made this possible. The Luiseno and Diegueno traditions are particularly worthy of examination because preliminary information indicates that in both cases pottery was adopted at a surprisingly recent date. However, the chronology of these traditions has not been well established and these additional dates are necessary. Secondly, this research is important for its potential contribution to the techniques of ceramic dating. Through this carefully designed selection of approaches and samples, it should be possible to determine which techniques work best and why they do so. The results will be useful to archaeologists who work in many parts of the world. Finally, this project will contribute to the training and professional development of a highly competent young scientist.
