Lithic Raw Material Characterization and Technological Organization of a Late Archaic Assemblage from Jacob Island, Kawartha Lakes, Ontario
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LITHIC RAW MATERIAL CHARACTERIZATION AND TECHNOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION OF A LATE ARCHAIC ASSEMBLAGE FROM JACOB ISLAND, KAWARTHA LAKES, ONTARIO A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Faculty of Arts and Science TRENT UNIVERSITY Peterborough, Ontario © Copyright by Kathleen S. Elaschuk 2015 Anthropology M.A. Graduate Program May 2015 Abstract Lithic Raw Material Characterization and Technological Organization of a Late Archaic Assemblage from Jacob Island, Kawartha Lakes, Ontario Kathleen S. Elaschuk The objective of this thesis is to document and characterize the raw material and technological organization of a Late Archaic assemblage from Jacob Island, 1B/1C area (collectively referred to as BcGo-17), Peterborough County, Kawartha Lakes, Ontario. The purpose of this research is to gain a greater understanding of the Late Archaic period in central Ontario; particularly information on locally available raw material types (i.e., Trent Valley cherts) and regional interaction. My aim is to define the range of materials exploited for stone tool production and use, and to explore how variation in material relates to variation in economic strategies; I also complete a basic technological study. The collected data is then compared to temporally and geographically similar sites, and used to interpret possible relationships between acquisition practices, technology choices, and mobility. It was found that although the assemblage agrees with some of the mobility and raw material utilization models from south-western Ontario, many do not explain what was occurring on Jacob Island. Keywords: Ontario archaeology, Archaic, lithic technology, Trent chert, lithic economic strategies, lithic raw material, mobility, exchange, Trent Valley archaeology ii Acknowledgements This thesis would not have come to completion without the support of numerous people. First among those goes to my advisor James Conolly for his unwavering and continued support. I sincerely thank him for his patience and understanding during every step of this work. His comments and advice formed this thesis into what it is today. I would next like to thank Bill Fox for his endless knowledge and support. Without him my understanding of Ontario cherts would not exist, and the following thesis would not be as strong and/or as comprehensive. I would also like to thank my other committee members Laure Dubreuil and Alicia Hawkins for their useful comments and edits during the final process, and although she retired before I finished, I also thank Susan Jamieson for her initial input and Ontario knowledge that shaped this work. I would like to thank the staff and faculty of the Anthropology Department at Trent University, especially Marit Munson and Kristine Williams for their pep talks and support. A special thanks to Jeff Dillane from McMaster University for supplying me with data from his own research on raw material and projectile points. Another special thanks goes to David Black from the University of New Brunswick for his aid in characterizing the New England rhyolite, and for first sparking my interest in lithics with his own enthusiasm. This work would not have been completed without the financial support of certain sources. First I would like to thank the Richard B. Johnson Fund for aiding in the payment of the petrological study. I would also like to thank TUARC for awarding myself and James Conolly the Collaborative Research Grant, which subsidized the cost of the thin-sections. Without these funds the thin-sections and chert characterizations would iii not have occurred. Finally, without the help of bursaries and funding from the School of Graduate Studies at Trent University my study would not have been possible. Without the support and help of my friends this thesis would have been very difficult, if not impossible. Firstly I would like to thank Dan Savage for not only being a couch to crash-on and the all-around-computer-fixer, but one of the kindest people I know. Next I would like to thank Kendall Hills for being my conscious and/or cheerleader depending on what was needed at the time. I would next like to thank Arianne Boileau for always being willing to talk no matter the time. I would also like to thank Nayla Abu Izzeddin, Jack Barry, Samantha Price, and Samantha Walker for always being there for quick chats, in-depth conversations, or a night out on the town (although that applies to the afore-mentioned as well). Finally I would like to thank my family that surrounded me with love during this process. I thank my parents, Nancy and John Elaschuk, for supporting me and always being proud; for pushing me, but giving me a soft place to land; and for always being willing to listen. I would especially like to thank my Mom for reading through this thesis multiple times, summarizing articles when the time was short, and always feeding me even when I was too stressed to eat. I would also like to thank my brothers, Adam and Alex, for providing wise and entertaining words. Finally and most of all, I thank my future husband, Jeremy Kindervater, for the love, compassion, and patience. He saw this nearly from beginning to end, and I could not ask for a kinder or more supportive partner to spend my future with; I love you and thank you. iv Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ ii Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................. v List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ vii List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. ix Chapter 1 − Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Region and site area ............................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Importance of Research ......................................................................................................... 4 1.3 Research Questions ................................................................................................................ 5 1.4 Chapter Summaries ................................................................................................................ 6 Chapter 2 – Geological Overview of Ontario and Kawartha Lakes Region .................................... 8 2.1 Geology of Ontario ................................................................................................................ 8 2.2 Geology of the Kawartha Lakes ........................................................................................... 13 2.3 Common Lithic Material Categories .................................................................................... 16 Chapter 3 – Archaeological Background ....................................................................................... 24 3.1 Cultural Historical Framework ............................................................................................ 25 3.2 Descriptions of similar sites to Jacob Island ........................................................................ 39 3.3 Jacob Island (BcGo-17) ....................................................................................................... 55 3.4 Summary .............................................................................................................................. 62 Chapter 4 – Theoretical Framework and Methods ......................................................................... 65 4.1 Theoretical Framework ........................................................................................................ 66 4.2 Methods ................................................................................................................................ 77 4.3 Jacob Island JI-1-B/1-C Documentation Procedure ............................................................. 85 Chapter 5 – Lithic materials of Jacob Island (BcGo-17) ............................................................... 90 5.1 Local Lithic Materials .......................................................................................................... 91 5.2 Non-Local Materials .......................................................................................................... 108 5.3 Unidentified Lithic Raw Material Characterizations ......................................................... 118 5.4 Petrographic Analysis Results ........................................................................................... 131 5.5 Geological Prospection of Jacob Island ............................................................................. 138 5.6 Raw Material Characterization of JI-1B, 1C ...................................................................... 140 5.7 Summary ............................................................................................................................ 145 Chapter 6 – Technological Results of JI-1B, 1C.........................................................................