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Tertiary Hills Clinker in Alberta : a partially fused vesicular toolstone from the Mackenzie Basin of Northwest Territories, Canada

Description

This article is the first in the Alberta Lithic Reference Project series, the goal of which is to assist the identification of raw materials used for pre-contact stone tools in the province. Each... More ≫

Description

This article is the first in the Alberta Lithic Reference Project series, the goal of which is to assist the identification of raw materials used for pre-contact stone tools in the province. Each article will focus on one raw material; the current article discusses a partially fused, glassy, vesicular rock that originates in Northwest Territories called Tertiary Hills Clinker (THC). THC appears in archaeological sites in northern and central Alberta. A suite of techniques indicates that it can be geochemically sourced much like obsidian. The accurate identification of THC can reveal significant relationships between occupants of Alberta and the Mackenzie Basin to the north.

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The Blackfoot Medicine Wheel Project

Description

Medicine wheels are ceremonially significant boulder structures built on the plains by First Nations people. The Archaeological Survey of Alberta commissioned inventories on provincially and... More ≫

Description

Medicine wheels are ceremonially significant boulder structures built on the plains by First Nations people. The Archaeological Survey of Alberta commissioned inventories on provincially and federally owned lands to fully document their locations and statuses in an effort to provide stronger protection to these important sites. The Blackfoot Medicine Wheel Project addressed remaining unassessed lands in Alberta for medicine wheels: southern Alberta’s Blackfoot Reserves. Six previously known medicine wheels were revisited, one of which was found to have been destroyed. Five additional medicine wheels, known from oral tradition, could not be verified on the ground.

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An AMS radiocarbon age for the pathological vertebra of a bison from near Pibroch, north central Alberta

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For a number of years, the Royal Alberta Museum displayed a seventh cervical bison vertebra from north central Alberta that exhibited a severe pathology resulting from a humanly inflicted wound.... More ≫

Description

For a number of years, the Royal Alberta Museum displayed a seventh cervical bison vertebra from north central Alberta that exhibited a severe pathology resulting from a humanly inflicted wound. This article provides a detailed description of this specimen and the embedded projectile point fragment that caused the pathology to form.

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More than meat : residue analysis results of mauls in Alberta

Description

Mauls are a grooved ground stone tool found at archaeological sites in central and southern Alberta. Rarely studied as a valid tool category, the most commonly assumed function of mauls is the... More ≫

Description

Mauls are a grooved ground stone tool found at archaeological sites in central and southern Alberta. Rarely studied as a valid tool category, the most commonly assumed function of mauls is the processing of bone and meat. They are often assumed to be of Late Prehistoric date. This paper summarizes a systematic study of mauls in Alberta and focuses on those associated with datable artifacts or radiocarbon dates. Results show mauls were used for more than pounding meat and bone.

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Archaeological investigations at Fort Vermilion : inside, outside, and further afield

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Archaeological investigations at the Northwest Company/Hudson’s Bay Company Fort Vermilion I started in 1999. This paper summarizes some of the major findings and results of the 2004-2014... More ≫

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Archaeological investigations at the Northwest Company/Hudson’s Bay Company Fort Vermilion I started in 1999. This paper summarizes some of the major findings and results of the 2004-2014 excavations, and concludes with a discussion about what future work should be done both inside and outside the fort.

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Back on the horse : recent developments in archaeological and palaeontological research in Alberta. Introduction

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Introduces the 36th volume of the Archaeological Survey of Alberta Occasional Paper series, which has been revived after a 22-year absence. The revived series will focus on publishing short... More ≫

Description

Introduces the 36th volume of the Archaeological Survey of Alberta Occasional Paper series, which has been revived after a 22-year absence. The revived series will focus on publishing short articles on topics related to Alberta archaeology aimed at a wide audience including professional archaeologists, avocational archaeologists, and informed enthusiasts.

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Pre-contact jade in Alberta : the geochemistry, mineralogy, and archaeological significance of nephrite ground stone tools

Description

This article is the second in the Alberta Lithic Reference Project series, the goal of which is to assist the identification of raw materials used for pre-contact stone tools in the province. Each... More ≫

Description

This article is the second in the Alberta Lithic Reference Project series, the goal of which is to assist the identification of raw materials used for pre-contact stone tools in the province. Each article focuses on one raw material; the current article discusses a microcrystalline, actinolite-tremolite (amphibole)-rich rock called nephrite (jade) that originates in British Columbia, Washington, Yukon, and Alaska. Nephrite appears in archaeological sites in northern and central Alberta. This articles presents results from a variety of non-destructive techniques to determine the geochemistry and mineralogy of nephrite ground stone celts found in Alberta. The accurate identification of nephrite can reveal significant cultural relationships that involved long distance exchange of raw materials between occupants of Alberta and British Columbia.

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Beaver River sandstone : a silicified toolstone from northeast Alberta, Canada

Description

This article is the third in the Alberta Lithic Reference Project series, the goal of which is to assist the identification of raw materials used for pre-contact stone tools in the province. Each... More ≫

Description

This article is the third in the Alberta Lithic Reference Project series, the goal of which is to assist the identification of raw materials used for pre-contact stone tools in the province. Each article focuses on one raw material; the current article discusses a silicified orthoquartzite sedimentary rock that originates in northeast Alberta called Beaver River Sandstone (BRS). BRS appears in archaeological sites in northern and central Alberta. This paper offers a description of BRS and comparable Montana materials, a photographic library for comparative purposes, a brief summary of BRS utilization in northeast Alberta, and data to facilitate the accurate identification of BRS in archaeological assemblages.

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New records of late Quaternary Bison from southern Alberta, and comments on significance of Holocene faunal remains

Description

Recent fieldwork associated with flooding of major river drainages in southern Alberta produced several new records of Bison. Specimens reported range in age from late Pleistocene to late... More ≫

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Recent fieldwork associated with flooding of major river drainages in southern Alberta produced several new records of Bison. Specimens reported range in age from late Pleistocene to late Holocene, and come from localities along Tongue Creek and the Bow River. The finds come from non-archaeological contexts and highlight new collections initiatives at the Royal Alberta Museum, which includes focused collecting of Holocene vertebrates from non-archaeological contexts.

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Reconstructing the Highwood River’s Holocene palaeoecology : assessment of organic-rich alluvial samples collected following the 2013 flood event

Description

Periodic flood events are normal for rivers. These events sometimes deposit sediments that trap biological remains that can be used to reconstruct the local environment. Following the 2013... More ≫

Description

Periodic flood events are normal for rivers. These events sometimes deposit sediments that trap biological remains that can be used to reconstruct the local environment. Following the 2013 flooding of the Highwood River, southwestern Alberta, 24 organic-rich palaeoenvironmental samples were collected from the river’s banks at 14 localities. Data synthesis generated a detectable signal of climatic change throughout the Holocene. The general trend shows a progression from drier conditions in the early Holocene towards relatively moist conditions today. This study is the first detailed examination of near-river palaeoenvironmental conditions in southern Alberta.

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