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Radiocarbon dates in Alberta’s northern forests and potential for inferring changes in ancient Indigenous populations

Description

Assemblages of radiocarbon dates have been used for inferring population changes, fine-tuning the chronology of specific events, and used in association with diagnostic stone tools to establish... More ≫

Description

Assemblages of radiocarbon dates have been used for inferring population changes, fine-tuning the chronology of specific events, and used in association with diagnostic stone tools to establish chronological markers. However, boreal forest ecosystems of northern Alberta have presented many challenges to using dates for these purposes, including academic neglect, acidic soils that decompose datable material, and the over-extension of typologies from neighboring regions. This study outlines recommendations for successful dating methods in the boreal forest, synthesizes Alberta’s boreal radiocarbon record, and infers changes in Indigenous populations throughout the Pre-contact Period. A total of 220 dated occupations from 135 pre-contact sites in Alberta’s Boreal Forest suggest that populations were very sporadic from about 10,000 cal BP until approximately 6,500 cal BP, then began to rise dramatically around 3,000 cal BP. Populations remained stable from approximately 1,500 cal BP...

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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 ≫

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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. 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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New radiocarbon dates for early use of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

Description

Three new radiocarbon dates were obtained from the oldest deposits at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump , in southern Alberta in an effort to more accurately bracket the earliest utilization of this... More ≫

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Three new radiocarbon dates were obtained from the oldest deposits at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump , in southern Alberta in an effort to more accurately bracket the earliest utilization of this significant site. This paper reports on those dates and places the early use of the site by Mummy Cave complex cultures in a broader chronological context of bison jump use on the Great Plains.

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

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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... More ≫

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 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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Calcined bone radiocarbon dates from the mineable oil sands region, northeastern Alberta

Description

The majority of radiocarbon dates from archaeological sites in the mineable oil sands region of northeastern Alberta have been obtained from calcined (i.e., cremated) bone samples. Bone dates from... More ≫

Description

The majority of radiocarbon dates from archaeological sites in the mineable oil sands region of northeastern Alberta have been obtained from calcined (i.e., cremated) bone samples. Bone dates from 25 archaeological sites in the mineable oil sands region of northeastern Alberta are compiled and calibrated to calendar ages. Results show that calcined bone ages are an important source of chronological information in northern Alberta, and best practices for the collection of samples in the boreal forest are presented.

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