Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology

The antiquity of acorn processing has been a major concern of archaeologists because of its paramount importance in the historic subsistence economy of native Central California. In the lower Central Valley acorn use is amply documented for Middle period (post-500 B.C.) and succeeding cultures, but whether the Early period peoples of the region shared this well known pattern has been a focus for debate. This paper presents the first direct evidence for acorn use during that period.