A late archaic sequence in southern Labrador

Madden, Marcie Maura (1976) A late archaic sequence in southern Labrador. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

This study will consider two multicomponent late Archaic sites on the southern Labrador coast, the Black Rock Brook, site, EjBe-24, and the Iceberg site, EjBe-19, which together provided evidence of at least ten discrete and dated components spanning the period, ca 3500-2000 B.P. - These sites were rather unproductive and unspectacular in terms of cultural material and altogether only 260 chipped stone artifacts, comprised primarily of notched projectile points, assorted bifaces, and a variety of unifacial implements such as flake points, scrapers, linear flakes and retouched flakes, were recovered from both areas. A large number of hearth features was associated with this material, which provided abundant charcoal for dating purposes; however, there was no evidence of dwelling structures nor was any organic material preserved, and reconstruction of the full range of cultural activities engaged in by these people, their settlement pattern and economy, was somewhat conjectural. Generally speaking, the coastal location of these definitely suggests a maritime oriented economy, and no doubt theses campsites were occupied during the spring and summer months for the purpose of exploiting available marine fauna. - The majority of these components can be placed within a single cultural and technological tradition which seems to have developed within this region from an earlier 'Maritime Archaic' base and can be considered part of a larger Northern Maritime Cultural Tradition that probably endured on the Labrador coast from the Paleo-Indian period to the historic times. These components, which were placed in chronological order using evidence from seriation, radiocarbon dating, and a comparison of similar and presumably related materials from other sites in Labrador and Newfoundland, provided the basic structure for the establishment of a cultural sequence and typology to which other materials could be related, and from which it was possible to provisionally demonstrate some sort of continuity and relationship between the late Archaic populations and historically known peoples in the area.

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