A study of Southern variant, Maritime Archaic sites from the Northern Peninsula and Strait of Belle Isle, Newfoundland and Labrador

Reid, Heather Stephanie (2007) A study of Southern variant, Maritime Archaic sites from the Northern Peninsula and Strait of Belle Isle, Newfoundland and Labrador. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

In this thesis, a typology is determined for the southern variant of the Maritime Archaic from the Strait of Belle Isle and Northern Peninsula, dating from 5500 BP to 3200 BP. This typology includes blade-like flakes, bifaces, retouched flakes, side-notched, expanding based bifaces, and artifacts made from a ground stone technology, such as gouges, celts, and ground slate bifaces. Common raw materials used in this area during this time include white weathered chert, slate, and fine-grained dark and mottled cherts. Upon comparison, the artifacts from this place and time show little regional or chronological variation, and the artifacts types found within the studied sites remain consistent throughout the 2300 year time period. However, a regional variation of raw material is somewhat suggested by this study, as white, weathered chert appears in sites situated closer to the Strait of Belle Isle and around a probably source for this white weathered chert (Beaton 2004). Upon comparison, the classes and types of artifacts from this place and time are similar to other southern variant sites in Newfoundland and Labrador. However, differences can be seen in their stylistic attributes. Finally, microscopic examination of raw material supports the hypothesis that the southern variant of the Maritime Archaic had been in Newfoundland and Labrador since approximately 6500 BP.

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