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Revisiting Besant and Sonota era bone uprights in Alberta

Description

This article summarizes archaeological features called bone uprights that appear at sites in Alberta and across the northern plains. Bone uprights are vertical animal bones (usually bison) that... More ≫

Description

This article summarizes archaeological features called bone uprights that appear at sites in Alberta and across the northern plains. Bone uprights are vertical animal bones (usually bison) that were embedded in the ground and served several purposes for pre-contact people.

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Identifying Knife River Flint in Alberta : a silicified lignite toolstone from North Dakota

Description

This article is the fourth in a series intended to assist the identification of raw materials used for precontact stone tools in Alberta. Each article focuses on one raw material; the current... More ≫

Description

This article is the fourth in a series intended to assist the identification of raw materials used for precontact stone tools in Alberta. Each article focuses on one raw material; the current article discusses a silicified lignite called Knife River Flint (KRF) that originates in North Dakota and appears in archaeological sites across Alberta. Local materials, including chalcedony, silicified peat/petrified wood, and translucent chert, can be mistaken for KRF: macroscopic and microscope qualities of these materials are described with an accompanying photograph library to assist identification. Several methods were tested to assess their feasibility for distinguishing KRF from local materials. KRF so closely resembles other materials in terms of macroscopics, microscopics, and geochemistry that conclusively demonstrating provenance remains problematic.

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