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Dated ground stone artifacts from Tse’K’wa (HbRf-39), Peace River region, British Columbia

Description

Artifacts made from ground sandstone were recovered from Tse’K’wa (HbRf-39) in the Peace River region of northeastern British Columbia. Two formal types are described: handstones and beveled-edge... More ≫

Description

Artifacts made from ground sandstone were recovered from Tse’K’wa (HbRf-39) in the Peace River region of northeastern British Columbia. Two formal types are described: handstones and beveled-edge artifacts. The specimens are dated by stratigraphic position and radiocarbon from 6000 cal BP to recent times. Scans with an optical profilometer of possibly worked surfaces show that they are significantly smoother than unworked sandstone from the local bedrock formation. The shape of the artifacts also supports their identification as deliberately formed artifacts. This paper suggests that these are tools related to preparation of hides.

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Forestry and archaeology in Alberta : a history and synthesis

Description

This paper presents the origins of cultural resource management in Alberta’s forestry sector and synthesizes key statistics since implementation in 2003. Over 4,600 archaeological sites have been... More ≫

Description

This paper presents the origins of cultural resource management in Alberta’s forestry sector and synthesizes key statistics since implementation in 2003. Over 4,600 archaeological sites have been recorded in the province during historic resources impact assessments of harvest blocks and forestry roads with an average of 246 new sites per year. The paper summarizes annual records of sites detected, the number and percentage of forestry developments subjected to fieldwork, site size, and shovel test intensity. The goals are to document trends and explain the value of forestry compliance for heritage protection in Alberta.

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The archaeological remains from a surface collection, Fort Vermilion, Alberta

Description

This paper describes a surface collection from the Gull Lake site near Fort Vermilion in northern Alberta. The site yielded an assortment of tools, including a complete microblade core, several... More ≫

Description

This paper describes a surface collection from the Gull Lake site near Fort Vermilion in northern Alberta. The site yielded an assortment of tools, including a complete microblade core, several diagnostic projectile points made from a variety of lithic raw materials (including one specimen resembling Angostura Paleoindian points). We hypothesize that the Gull Lake site represents one of several areas in the northern Alberta Boreal Borest that were prairies purposely maintained by First Nations peoples to attract large game animals such as woodland bison. Once these and other large animals were depleted after contact, First Nations peoples no longer used the site in favor of other still productive game animal areas in northern Alberta.

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Archaeological discoveries and syntheses in Western Canada, 2020

Description

This volume presents a series of archaeological papers that summarize diverse topics including rock art in southern Alberta, atlatl weights in Saskatchewan, microblade technology in northwest... More ≫

Description

This volume presents a series of archaeological papers that summarize diverse topics including rock art in southern Alberta, atlatl weights in Saskatchewan, microblade technology in northwest North America, Napi effigies on the Northern Plains, a material called porcellanite used to make stone tools in Alberta, and a surface collection of artifacts from northern Alberta (the Gull Lake site).

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A personal perspective on microblade and microblade core variability in northeast Asia and northwest North America

Description

Contrary to the prevailing belief that microblade production was a complicated process that involved indirect percussion or assisted pressure and holding devices, a simple free-hand pressure... More ≫

Description

Contrary to the prevailing belief that microblade production was a complicated process that involved indirect percussion or assisted pressure and holding devices, a simple free-hand pressure technique can easily replicate examples comparable to those recovered from pre-contact sites. This paper argues that such a technique prevailed in the past, and that many of the variations in formal and metric attributes of archaeological microblade cores and microblades are the result of a wide range of environmental, behavioural, and functional variables rather than of completely different methods of manufacture.

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The rock art of the Williams Coulee site, EcPl-16, southwestern Alberta

Description

Description Provide a brief description of the contents of the resource (1 to 5 sentences recommended). The Williams Coulee site (EcPl-16), in southwestern Alberta, is an important and strikingly... More ≫

Description

Description Provide a brief description of the contents of the resource (1 to 5 sentences recommended). The Williams Coulee site (EcPl-16), in southwestern Alberta, is an important and strikingly visual rock art site. This article describes the rock art and offers interpretations of narrative scenes. Outside of the Writing-on-Stone region, Williams Coulee offers some of the most complete and most complex narrative scenes that are typical of Plains Biographical tradition art, but also features scenes with static anthropomorphs that bespeak of the Plains Ceremonial tradition.

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The atlatl weights of Saskatchewan

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This article describes and classifies seventy-two atlatl weights found in Saskatchewan, almost all from fields under cultivation in the grassland and aspen parkland. The article presents metric... More ≫

Description

This article describes and classifies seventy-two atlatl weights found in Saskatchewan, almost all from fields under cultivation in the grassland and aspen parkland. The article presents metric attributes and illustrations of the weights in each class in order to further the understanding of this little documented group of artifacts by making available representative specimens from known locations within a defined geographical boundary.

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Glacier Pass Concretions : a pre-contact toolstone from an alpine quarry complex in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains

Description

This article summarizes geochemical and mineralogical analyses of the material called Glacier Pass Concretions including portable X-ray fluorescence, thin sections, and hyperspectral imaging.... More ≫

Description

This article summarizes geochemical and mineralogical analyses of the material called Glacier Pass Concretions including portable X-ray fluorescence, thin sections, and hyperspectral imaging. Results indicate that pre-contact toolmakers were aware of internal inconsistencies in concretions and targeted specific high silica bands that produced a better quality, predictable substrate for tools. The article presents photographic libraries to aid identification and summarize an archaeometry-based reconstruction of pre-contact cognitive approaches to a raw material seasonally exploited in an alpine area for several thousand years.

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Deeply buried intact sediments yielding cultural deposits within the North Saskatchewan River valley in the city of Edmonton, Alberta

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This article examines the impact of urban development on archaeological deposits within, and adjacent to, the North Saskatchewan River valley in the city of Edmonton in central Alberta. Recent... More ≫

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This article examines the impact of urban development on archaeological deposits within, and adjacent to, the North Saskatchewan River valley in the city of Edmonton in central Alberta. Recent archaeological studies indicate that undisturbed sediments are present and can yield significant archaeological deposits of both precontact and fur trade age, despite decades of extensive urban development.

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Dating stone circle sites : targeted investigations using magnetometry in south-central Saskatchewan

Description

Investigating stone circle sites can be notoriously difficult. This paper discusses some of the difficulties inherent with current stone circle research approaches and presents an alternative... More ≫

Description

Investigating stone circle sites can be notoriously difficult. This paper discusses some of the difficulties inherent with current stone circle research approaches and presents an alternative approach through the use of magnetometry and palaeobotanical analysis at three sites in south-central Saskatchewan. The paper highlights the successful use of magnetometry, the value of exploring this method for future research, and challenges to consider when using this approach.

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