Interesting. I wonder if digging in arbitrary levels actually first appeared
in California? Does any one know? And was it Robert Heizer? Or is it a much
older and more widely visible method in general archaeology?

By the way, we should not be critical of early diggers in California. Have
you ever seen a California shell midden - like the ones around San Francisco
Bay at the start of the 20th century. It might well call for digging in
arbitrary levels and I assume people in California still do use this method
in combination with stratigraphy.

        Any one on the West Coast like to comment on the history or the
current status of using arbitrary levels?

                                        Bob Schuyler