Poster Session A

Date/Time: 
Friday, May 5, 2023 - 8:00am to 12:00pm
(ADT)
Room: 
Kluskap B
Presentations
08:00 AM: Working like a dog: δ13C and δ15N analysis of canids from the Canadian Arctic
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Brooke Driscoll - Trent University
  • Paul Szpak - Trent University
  • Christyann Darwent - University of California, Davis

The δ13C and δ15N values from the bone and dentine collagen of canids (dogs and wolves) from Pre-Dorset to Historic Inuit sites across the Canadian Arctic was analyzed in order to better understand the social and dietary relationships between humans and dogs in this region through time. Results show substantial variability in the isotopic compositions of canids across all periods and regions, reflecting a range of local adaptive subsistence behaviours. In terms of provisioning, these results support ethnographic evidence of Inuit groups: that the feeding of dogs was dependent on a number of factors, including seasonality, cultural norms regarding what foods dogs were allowed access, the amount of food provided to dogs, and the perceived social status of dogs. The diets of dogs were also compared to existing stable isotope data for humans from the KkJg-1 site, to evaluate the use of dogs as a dietary proxy for human diets, as suggested by the Canine Surrogacy Approach (CSA). Dogs at the KkJg-1 site showed a significantly larger range of isotope values than humans, suggesting that dogs should not be used as direct dietary analogs in the Arctic, as they could conflate the diets of contemporaneous humans.

08:00 AM: Late 19th and Early 20th Century Dental Hygiene in Ontario: An archaeological perspective
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • SARAH SAYEED - Department of Anthropology- University of Toronto Mississauga

During the late 19th century, the Schreibers, a British-Canadian Family, built three houses, Iverholme, Lislehurst, and Mount Woodham, on property that is currently a part of the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) campus. UTM’S archeological field school has been examining artifacts under the umbrella of the Schreiber Wood Project. Through this project, undergraduate students have been collecting and documenting artifacts from two sites, AjGw-534 and AjGw-535 (Iverholme), associated with the Schreiber occupation. The project collection now includes approximately 20,000 artifacts, including dental hygiene products from the late 19th and early 20th century, such as bone toothbrushes and metal toothpaste tubes. This poster examines changes in dental hygiene from the late 19th to early 20th century and a shift towards the manufacture and use of Canadian-made products by settlers in Southern Ontario.

 

08:00 AM: Assessing the Extent of Stable Isotopic Intra-bone Variation Through Incrementally Sampled Cow and Kangaroo Bones
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Olivia Hall - Trent University
  • Alexis Rausch - Trent University
  • Alexandra Derian - Trent University
  • Julia McCuaig - Trent University
  • Paul Szpak - Trent University

Bone collagen is one of the most commonly sampled tissues in stable isotope research since it can preserve for thousands of years in the archaeological record. Because it remodels slowly, bone collagen is assumed to reflect an individual’s average diet over several years, and the entire bone will have approximately the same isotopic values throughout. This study questions the validity of this assumption by investigating the presence and degree of intra-bone isotopic variation in collagen stable isotope compositions by sampling kangaroo (Macropus/Osphranter sp.) tibiae and cow (Bos taurus) radii. Our data demonstrate more intrabone isotopic variability than has been previously assumed and that certain areas of the bone predictably remodel faster than others. Pericortical bone has isotopic compositions corresponding to the diet in early life and these are generally more homogenous, while the perimedullary region is more isotopically variable and consistent with diet closer to death. We suggest that researchers should avoid taking small samples of bone (when possible) if reconstructing long-term diet via isotopic analysis is the object of the study. Our data also highlight the potential of using multiple samples of the same bone as a way to measure dietary changes in an individual's life.

08:00 AM: Clarification of the Drivers of Variation in Marine Sulfur Isotopes
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Jennifer Routledge - Trent University
  • Paul Szpak - Trent University

Marine sulfate is isotopically homogenous around 34S 21‰, leading to the expectation of little variation in the 34S of marine organisms. Some species, however, have significantly different 34S from the majority. Benthic species, such as filter feeding bivalves and specialist consumers such as walruses may have distinguishable 34S but the underlying mechanisms of this observed variation need to be clarified. This study examines the two potential drivers of differences in sulfur isotopes at the species level: trophic position, and foraging ecology. By analysing archaeological samples of walrus, ringed seal and polar bear from three discrete Arctic sites on Ellesmere Island, Devon Island and Northwest Hudson Bay, we have clarified and confirmed that differences in 34S are not driven by trophic level effects but that bacterial influences on the sulfur cycle, particularly in the benthos and potentially in sea ice, are assimilated by marine organisms, in ways that are informative about the local system.

08:00 AM: Reconstructing Roadways of a Late 19th to Mid-20th Century Settler Residential Site in Southern Ontario.
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Sarah  Sayeed - Department of Anthropology- University of Toronto Mississauga
  • Leann  Ling - Department of Anthropology- University of Toronto Mississauga
  • Aliya Moore - Department of Anthropology- University of Toronto Mississauga

A British-Canadian family named the Schreibers occupied a part of the northwest corner of what is now the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) campus between 1868-1930s. Following the Schreiber’s occupation, the property was purchased by Reginald Watkins, a merchant from Hamilton. The property underwent extensive changes under Watkins’ ownership that can still be observed today; several cultural landscape features from the Schreiber’s and Watkins' occupation continue to be identifiable, including roadways and trails that served as the focus of our research during the 2022 UTM advanced archaeological field school. This poster examines the roadways used by Watkins and the Schreibers during their respective occupations of the property, why certain transportation systems may have been operational in the past, and how different routes on the property may have been connected to better understand how and potentially why settlers utilized the natural landscape of Southern Ontario. This poster also summarizes our methodological approach and reasoning behind identifying, mapping and dating the property’s roads and trails. 

08:00 AM: Where Communities Meet: The Importance of Community Inclusion at the Ferryland Site (CgAf-2)
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Jordan Hollahan - Memorial University

In the summers of 2019 and 2021, I received the opportunity to combine my knowledge of archaeology with my passion for meeting new people. As the Program Coordinator for the Colony of Avalon’s “Archaeologist for a Day Program,” I was responsible for teaching the public about the processes of archaeological excavation and its importance for understanding the past. This program of community inclusion, based in Ferryland Newfoundland, sees participants working alongside archaeologists as part of an ongoing community-university research partnership. Participants focus their efforts on an actively eroding area of the archaeological site; thereby assisting with mitigation efforts necessitated by coastal erosion, recording and recovering tangible pieces of Ferryland’s past before they are lost to the sea. This poster will exhibit a brief overview of the archaeological site at Ferryland and how this kind of interactive and educational opportunity is a positive outcome for everyone involved (the local community, the general public, and academically trained archaeologists). Driving interest in awareness of this archaeological site—rich in material culture—through increased tourism, is a positive benefit to Ferryland, a rural Newfoundland community. The poster will include photographs of the site, artifacts that participants found, and information about the program. 

09:00 AM: Ceramic Pipe Analysis and the Occupational History of the Dorchester Village
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Natascha Beisswenger-Mooney - Western University
  • Peter Timmins - Western University

Lead Author: Natascha Beisswenger-Mooney

Co-author: Peter A. Timmins (presenter)

 

The Dorchester site (AfHG-24) is a Middle Iroquoian village, located in Dorchester, Ontario, excavated by Timmins Martelle Heritage Consultants in 2004. This research focuses on the analysis of ceramic pipes as a method to test and refine the complex settlement chronology of the village. Pipes found within houses were analyzed by examining cross-section stem shape and complexity of the motif. An index of complexity was developed combining the variety of decorative techniques present and the coverage of the overall motif. The results of the analysis were compared to the settlement pattern sequence presented by Johnathan Freeman (2019) based on the analysis of  interior motifs, upper rim motifs, and collar base shapes on ceramic vessels. The pipe analysis results were also compared to a series of recently obtained maize-based AMS radiocarbon dates from 9 of the 17 houses. These three lines of evidence have suggested a plausible and well-supported settlement chronology for the site.

09:00 AM: What the Fort? An Overview of the 2021 and 2022 Field Seasons at Fort Carlton
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Sarah  Pocha-Tait - University of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Archaeological Society
  • Alexis K. B. Hunter - University of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Archaeological Society

Fort Carlton was a fur trade post which operated from 1810-1885. Its original location was at the forks of the two Saskatchewan Rivers, but in 1810 it moved further southwest to a prime location along the North Saskatchewan River. This area holds the Cree name Pehonanik meaning “the waiting place”. The fort underwent five separate building phases during its time at this second location. Excavations in the 1960s and 70s by Ian Dyck and Anthony Ranere revealed the fourth and fifth building phases, which is where the reconstructed fort stands today at Fort Carlton Provincial Park. Further excavations ensued in 2021 and 2022 to the west of the reconstructed fort in search of the previous building phases and other features. The artifact assemblage currently sits at approximately 50,000, with about 80% consisting of faunal remains. This poster will provide an overview of these faunal remains, particularly the ones from 2021 and will highlight some of the key domestic artifacts found such as birch bark, bone tools, and ceramics.