16 - 20 MAI MAY 16 - 20 - Canadian Archaeological Association

un site qui était jusqu’alors mal connu et de confirmer son potentiel
archéologique.
Gilliland, Krista (Western Heritage, St. Albert, AB) • The Hearth
and the Hummock: A sediment-based record of cultural activities at the
Fort Denison site near Humboldt, Saskatchewan [31]
Two key features were recovered during excavations at Fort Denison.
The first is a hearth demonstrating multiple uses, and the second is
a low sandy hill-like feature bounded by upper and lower layers of
clay-rich sediment, interpreted as representing a defensive trench
or zareba. The working hypothesis is that both features date to the
military occupation of the fort, and geoarchaeological work was undertaken
to investigate their formation and relative chronology. Preliminary
results of stratigraphic and micromorphological analyses
demonstrate that episodes of hearth use were interrupted by periods
of disuse and possible site abandonment, and that it later functioned
as a pit for domestic waste. These analyses also support a cultural
origin for the hill-like feature and indicate that it precedes the formation
of the hearth. These investigations suggest a broader history of
cultural activity at Fort Denison that includes the periods preceding
and post-dating military occupation of the site.
Gilliland, Krista (Western Heritage, St Albert), W. Paul Adderley
(University of Stirling), Terrance Gibson (Western Heritage,
St Albert), Dave Norris (Western Heritage, Winnipeg) • Context,
Chronology, and Culture: Problem-based Geoarchaeology at the Lakehead
Complex Sites, Thunder Bay [19]
With the goal of advancing site interpretations to include the broader
landscape and cultural contexts, geoarchaeological work at the Lakehead
Complex/Interlake Complex sites in the Thunder Bay region
is addressing three fundamental problems. Firstly, we comment on
the nature and extent of disturbance and redeposition at these sites.
Secondly, we investigate the origin of pit-like depressions that are
frequently associated with more deeply buried artifact-bearing sediments.
Thirdly, we address the relative lack of a detailed chronology
for these sites. Using a combination of stratigraphic and thin section
analyses, luminescence profiling, and optical dating, we document
the depositional history of predominantly artifact-bearing sediments
to construct key stratigraphic and chronological frameworks for the
site complex. Our work has broader resonance with current issues
regarding interpreting archaeological sites in fluvial landscapes, establishing
chronologies at sites with poor organic preservation, and
employing sediment-based evidence to further understandings of
sites found in Boreal forest settings.
Gillot, Céline (Doctorante, Département d’Anthropologie, Université
de Montréal) • The role of thin section petrography in the
understanding of ancient architectural practices: A case study from the
Maya site of Río Bec (Mexico) [21]
Despite the significant achievements made over the last few decades
in the scientific examination of archaeological materials and the constant
development of new efficient analytical techniques, conventional
thin section petrography continues to hold an important place in
the archaeologist’s toolkit. Simple observation of thin sections with a
polarizing microscope still has the potential to provide large amount
of information not easily obtained by other methods. In some cases,
this basic method can even be sufficient to answer the archaeologists’
questions. Using as an example the work carried out on the building
materials employed in the prehispanic Maya site of Río Bec, this
presentation aims to demonstrate how valuable petrographic analyses
are for the understanding of past architectures in particular. They
may bring new insights not only on the building materials and the
construction techniques, but also on the technological choices made
by the builders and the reasons behind these choices.
Girard-Rheault, Marilyn, (Université de Montréal) • Les camélidés
et l’archéologie péruvienne [1]
Les camélidés furent les mammifères les plus polyvalents pour
l’homme en Amérique du sud avant l’arrivée des colons. Les archéologues
attestent non seulement de leur présence durant toute la
préhistoire, mais aussi de leur exploitation par les peuples préhispaniques.
Parmi ces camélidés, il semble qu’un petit camélidé, aujourd’hui
disparu, ait été exploité par les Mochicas. Afin de mieux comprendre
l’évolution des camélidés et de leur relation avec les peuples préhispaniques,
il serait nécessaire d’effectuer davantage d’analyses génétiques
(ADN) sur les restes fauniques attribués aux camélidés. Ces
nouvelles sources d’informations offriraient un nouveau regard sur
les données archéologiques et ethnohistoriques.
Grenier, Robert (O.C., ex-président du Comité scientifique international
ICUCH à l’UNESCO/ICOMOS, ex-chef du Service
d’archéologie subaquatique de Parcs Canada) • 40 ans sous la
mer : le développement de l’archéologie subaquatique au Canada /
40 years under the sea: development of underwater archaeology in
Canada [32]
Cette communication bilingue, fortement illustrée, retrace la naissance
et les étapes marquantes qui ont permis au Canada de devenir,
à l’échelle internationale, un chef de file incontesté pour la gestion et
la protection des biens culturels submergés. Ce succès est souligné
par la sélection du galion basque le San Juan de 1565, trouvé à Red
Bay, sur le logo officiel de l’UNESCO pour la Convention de 2001
sur le patrimoine culturel subaquatique. Ce choix est justifié, selon
l’UNESCO, par la signification du San Juan et par l’excellence du travail
des archéologues subaquatiques de Parcs Canada sur cette épave
qui relie l’histoire du Nouveau Monde et de l’Ancien. La sélection de
l’UNESCO a été appuyée, récemment, par le prestigieux prix Keith
Muckelroy attribué par le British Heritage au rapport de 2000 pages
publié par l’équipe de Parcs Canada en 2007. Ce prix reconnaissait
ce rapport comme la référence internationale pour les générations
futures; évaluation confirmée par les maîtres de la discipline tant en
Europe qu’en Amérique.
Les principales étapes menant à ce succès incluent la recherche controversée
du trésor du Chameau de 1725 près de Louisbourg, au début
des années 60; les fouilles d’une canonnière de la guerre 1812
près de Brockville en 1967; la fouille majeure de la frégate française
Machault de 1760, dans la Baie des Chaleurs, de 69 à 72; l’évaluation
de potentiel de la célèbre frégate anglaise Sapphire de 1696, à Bay
Bulls, Terre-Neuve, en 1977; la fouille du galion San Juan coulé en
1565 à Red Bay, au Labrador, avec trois autres baleiniers basques;
les fouilles du Elizabeth and Mary de 1690, un des navires de la flotte
d’invasion de l’amiral Phipps, coulé près de Baie-Comeau; enfin plusieurs
expéditions en Arctique de 1983 à 2008 à la recherche des navires
de John Franklin complètent ce tour d’horizon de 1963 à 2008.
L’ expertise ainsi accumulée allait nous permettre de jouer un rôle de
chef de file dans l’élaboration du texte de la Convention de l’UNESCO
de 2001 sur la Protection du patrimoine culturel subaquatique.
Through Robert Grenier’s four decade carreer since 1963, this illustrated
and bilingual talk retraces the birth and selected chapters of
underwater archaeology development in Canada, now a world leader
in the field. This leadership is best demonstrated by the selection
by UNESCO in 2000 of the 16 th century Basque galleon San Juan of
Red Bay on its logo as the representative of all heritage shipwrecks.
UNESCO justified this selection by the excellence of the work of Park
Canada’s marine archaeologists and by the international historic importance
of the Basque galleon for its role as an outstanding link between
the history of the Old World with that of the New World. The
validity of the UNESCO selection has been confirmed recently by the
prestigious Keith Muckelroy Award given by British Heritage to the
2000 page Red Bay report published by Parks Canada in 2007. This
prize recognized the report as the international reference in the field
for years to come, a statement which was corroborated by leading
experts in the field.
Among the main steps leading to this success, we have to include, the
controversial search for the Chameau treasure of 1725, near Louisbourg,
NS, in the early sixties; the excavation and raising of a gun
boat related to the War of 1812, near Brockville, Ontario, in 1967;
the earliest large scale underwater excavation ever undertaken in
North America, the one of the 1760 French frigate Le Machault, in la
Baie des Chaleurs, 1969-72; the test excavation of 1696 British frigate
Sapphire, in 1977, in Bay Bulls NFDL; the excavation, raising and
reburial of the 1565 Basque galleon San Juan, in Red Bay Labrador,
including the finding of three contemporaneous galleons; the excavation
near Baie-Comeau, Québec, of the Elizabeth and Mary, one of
admiral Phipps’ invading ships from Boston in 1690. Information on
several expeditions looking for John Franklin’s ships in the Arctic will
complete this overview ranging from 1963 to 2008. This accumulated
expertise finally helped us play a leading role in the development
of the 2001 UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the Underwater
Cultural Heritage, 1996-2001.
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