¨
NbTj-17
This site, discovered in
1988 (Pilon 1989), is
located on the edge of the highest of two low terraces overlooking at once a small lake and the head of this lake's outlet
stream, what is essentially the beginning of the east-flowing Wolverine
River. The modern vegetation consists of an open spruce-lichen forest
with some willow thickets. When revisited in
1990 (Pilon 1991), 11 m2
were excavated.
The stratigraphy within the excavated area was
relatively straightforward with an uppermost vegetation layer with its
associated root mat and a thin humus layer overlying the terrace
deposits of sand and occasional cobbles. Artifacts were clearly
associated with the humus layer. Additionally, a small proportion of
artifacts was also recovered from the top few centimetres of the sand.
A hearth area situated in the centre of the
lithic scatter was uncovered by our excavations. It consists of an oval
area (30 cm x 20 cm) of fire-reddened sand which in profile was
saucer-shaped. The maximum depth of this reddened sand was found at
the centre and reached up to 10 cm thick. A few fire-cracked rocks
were found in the vicinity of the oxidized
sand and were clearly associated with the combustion feature. No
faunal remains were recovered, but charcoal, found deep within the
oxidized sand was collected.
Tool frequencies and raw materials, NbTj-17
| | CH | SA | VC | MM |
|---|
| | B | U | B | U | B | U | B | U |
|---|
| Burin | 1 | 3* | - | - | - | - | - | - |
|---|
| Pièce Esquillée | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
|---|
| Projectile Point | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
|---|
| Scraper | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - |
|---|
| Blank/Preform | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - |
|---|
| Retouched/Used Flake | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
|---|
| Retouched Burin Spall | - | 4 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - |
|---|
| Other | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
|---|
| Total | 5 | 9 | 5 | 2 | - | 1 | 1 | - |
|---|
CH=chert SA=siliceous argillite VC=vesicular clinker
MM=metamorphic
B=biface U=uniface
* one of these is a burin blank
Artifacts
The artifact collection recovered from NbTj-17 is
surprizingly varied both in terms of raw materials and the array of
lithic implements.
Only one probable projectile point was found.
Manufactured of siliceous argillite, this bipointed specimen lacks the
fine flaking evident on projectile points from other ASTt sites in the
area. This characteristic appears to stem from the lithic
craftsperson's inability to thin a central mass which covers much of one
face.
A burin, burin fragments (2) and a burin blank,
along with burin spalls (13) attest
to the importance of this functional class at NbTj-17. Refits were
possible in a number of instances, and show that not only were lithic
implements being manufactured and rejunivated around this small hearth
area, but these tools were also being used in the immediate vicinity.
In one case,
three black chert burin spalls--the
primary and succeeding two rejuvinations spalls--could be fitted
together. Of interest was the fact that two of these were distally
retouched. As well, by refitting these implements, it was possible to
observe the incremental reduction in the length of the tool between
rejunivations. And finally, it was possible to observe the systematic
use of the burin scar as a platform for the removal of small flakes from
the burin's dorsal surface on 6 of the 13 burin spalls--5 of these were
distally retouched--as well as on two of the extant burin bits. These
burins and the burin blank all appear to be of the "mitten-shaped"
variety.
Microblades
were found, albeit in very low numbers.
Although no implements were found which exhibited
grinding, grinding as a shaping technique was known to the site
occupants. A total of 11 flakes were found made of either some form of
fine-grained, possibly sedimentary stone, or of a poor-grade siliceous
argillite, which exhibited extensively
ground platforms or facets on their dorsal surfaces.
One last artifact warrants mention. It is the
mid-section of a large biface made
of a coarse- grained metamorphic rock. Extrapolating from this section,
the biface must have been on the order of 15 cm in total length and the
fragment's width is 6.32 cm. If we also consider the presence of 11
flakes of a similar grade of raw material in the debitage collection, we
must conclude that large, coarse-grained implements were part of the
lithic inventory of the site's occupants.
Dating
A single wood charcoal sample was submitted for
radiocarbon dating. It was obtained from deep within the deposits of
the circular hearth feature, at a depth of approximately 10 centimetres
below the feature's surface. The result was 3470±430 B.P. (S-3377),
which lies well within the range of early ASTt.
