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f . <br /> 8 <br /> sites at San Luis Dam and Los Banos Reservoir west of the city of <br /> Los Banos. These excavations are discussed in detail by Olsen <br /> (1970) in his unpublished paper titled "Synthesis of the <br /> Archaeology of the Western San Joaquin Valley. " Olsen summarized <br /> data from five major excavated archaeological sites. His <br /> • y identification of local archaeological complexes depends <br /> principally on data obtained from excavation of two sites: <br /> CA-MER-0003 and 0094. The other three sites excavated by Olsen <br /> (CA-FRE-0128 and -0129, and CA-MER-0014) , are apparently single <br /> component sites (Olsen and Payen 1969) . <br /> The key site in the Los Banos Reservoir area, in reference <br /> to Olsen's research, is CA-MER-0094, which exhibits a minimum of <br /> three cultural components. The salient traits of the complexes <br /> identified by Olsen are summarized below, arranged in sequence <br /> , . from earliest to latest. (Olsen does not provide estimates of <br /> the time-span subsumed by each complex. ) <br /> Positas Complex: (CA-MER-0094, Grayson Site, Component A) : <br /> The earliest complex identified by Olsen, the Positas Complex <br /> probably relates to the California Early Horizon. Only a very <br /> limited inventory of materials representing this complex is <br /> present in the lowest levels of CA-MER-0094. Specimens include ', <br /> one-spire ground Olivella bead, a single small bone bead and two <br /> projectile points--one leaf-shaped, one stemmed. A few milling <br /> stones, cobble pestles, and cobble handstones complete the <br /> archaeological inventory. The Positas Complex may also be <br /> manifested at a site on Panoche Creek, where Hewes (1941) <br /> observed cultural materials buried under eight feet of alluvial <br /> and fluvial sediments. <br /> Pacheco Complex: (CA-MER-0094 , Components B-1, B-2) : This <br /> complex, comparable to the California Middle Horizon, is <br /> identified mostly on the basis of shell bead typology. Several <br /> types of beads are found in the stratigraphic layers referable to <br /> the Pacheco Complex at Site CA-MER-0094. These include thick <br /> rectangular Olivella beads, square Haliotis beads, and <br /> rectangular beads made of mussel shell. The uppermost levels of <br /> the midden contain large and small disc beads, modified saddle <br /> beads, and variant thin rectangular Olivella beads. <br /> The midden deposit of CA-MER-0094 also contains an extensive <br /> inventory of chipped stone artifacts, including large <br /> side-notched and stemless projectile points. An economy oriented <br /> toward hunting is indicated by the presence of scrapers and other <br /> 1 stone tools. Polished stone objects also occur. Groundstone <br /> artifacts include large and small bowl mortars, slab <br /> milling . bases, and handstones. Burials are oriented in flexed <br /> position and are accompanied by frequent grave goods. <br />