Bird burial

Museum number:

1-206207

Permalink:

ark:/21549/hm21010206207

Accession number:

Acc.1116

Description:

Adult, Cathartes aura (turkey vulture) burial.

Donor:

James Allan Bennyhoff

Collection place:

CA-CCo-138, Oakley, Contra Costa County

Verbatim coll. place:

East of burial X-4.

Culture or time period:

Late Horizon of California (after 250–1000 AD)

Collector:

Anthropology 195 and James Allan Bennyhoff

Collection date:

1953

Taxon:

Cathartes aura

Object type:

archaeology

Object class:

Faunal remains

Accession date:

1953

Context of use:

Burial.

Department:

Associated funerary objects

Comment:

Remarks: "Identified by A.H. Miller Assoc: Bur. 3-1953. The burial was that of a young adult female, tightly flexed on R. side oriented W. A bone awl & olivella disc beads (Gifford type X-4) were the only artifacts assoc. with the burial. One raptorial bird was found just E. of the pelvis, and the other was 7" SW of the skull. The latter was accompanied by a beaver tooth. Both birds appear to have been laid in the grave without special care, one had both legs & wings folded but the other one had folded wings & extended legs. Both skeletons appear to have been complete, with no evidence of dismemberment. Temporal placement: The depth of 54" below surface (below the clamshell disc bead level in the midden) and the absence of clamshell discs and other Phase 2 olivella bead types, suggests a Phase 1 dating of the Late Horizon. Bennyhoff, 10/27/53.

Loans:

S1976-1977 #83: Department of Anthropology (UC Davis)/Peter Schulz (May 26, 1977–April 26, 1978)

Legacy documentation: