fleur de lys archaeological project

1999 field summary

---

Introduction The Fleur de Lys Archaeological Project continued this summer with a focus on survey work. A total of 10 weeks field research was conducted on the northern portion of the Baie Verte Peninsula. In summary, the 1999 field season has added to our knowledge of the prehistory of the Baie Verte Peninsula through the discovery of three new Dorset sites; an early Palaeoeskimo site attributed to the Groswater culture; and sites of the prehistoric ancestors of the Beothuk.

Horse Island Survey The Horse Islands are located approximately 25 kilometres northeast of Fleur de Lys in the Atlantic Ocean. During a three day survey in July, we reported three archaeological sites (two historic and one prehistoric) from our test pit program. The prehistoric site, now known as Horse Island Harbour East (EbAw-1), is a small Dorset camp site that yielded a variety of lithic artifacts, including: linear flakes, microblades, an end scraper, and an endblade fragment. It seems likely that the Dorset peoples who occupied the Horse Islands, probably did so for the purpose of sealing, as Newfoundlanders had historically done. Unfortunately no soapstone fragments were recovered from this preliminary testing which could have linked this occupation to the Dorset soapstone quarry in Fleur de Lys.

 

Plat Bay Cove Survey and Excavation The focus of the 1999 field season was a three week survey of the northern portion of the Baie Verte Peninsula, and the excavation of a "Dorset structure" which we reported in 1997. Subsequently named Plat Bay Cove 1 (EaBa-7), this site is oriented northward, looking across White Bay to the Great Northern Peninsula (see photo below). It was first occupied by Dorset peoples, probably about about 1500 years ago, and then shortly thereafter by peoples of the Beaches Complex. The most recent occupation of this site is marked by many European artifacts, including a cast iron stove found just below the ground surface.

Excavation of a Beaches Complex Site Component at Plat Bay Cove 1 The investigations at Plat Bay Cove 1 resulted in the excavation of a culture previously unknown on the Baie Verte Peninsula. The Beaches Complex is believed to be representative of the prehistoric ancestors of the Beothuk at about AD 1000, and are known through side notched projectile points, large bifacial tools, and through the use of  stone known as rhyolite. The photograph on the right shows the excavation of a portion of the site down to the Beaches level. Much of this level contained fist-sized fire cracked rocks (evidence of a fire or hearth), and thousands of  greyish-white stone flakes.

Beaches Complex Projectile Point The photo to the left is of a culturally diagnostic artifact identified archaeologically as the "Beaches Complex". It is side notched projectile point fashioned from chalcedony, that would have been used as a spear tip, and probably intended for use in a seal hunt. It is shown here slightly larger than scale. It is approximately three centimetres in length.

The Dorset of Plat Bay Cove 1 In a layer situated stratigraphically below the Beaches Complex, lay a small Dorset component. This layer predominately consisted of tiny fine-grained chert flakes and a number of  tip fluted, concave based and triangular shaped endblades (as pictured below at scale) used to tip harpoons heads. The recovery of these culturally diagnostic artifacts, and many small waste flakes, probably indicates that this place was used by Dorset peoples readying themselves for a seal hunt. The Dorset occupation appears to have been similar to the Beaches use of this site, which also is primarily marked by the presence of hunting tools and an absence of processing tools, suggesting that processing activities were completed elsewhere.

 
 

New Palaeoeskimo Sites  Survey work conducted during the final week of July revealed two additional archaeological sites at Plat Bay Cove, both of which are Palaeoeskimo, and probably Dorset in origin. A wider range of Dorset tools were recovered from Plat Bay Cove 2&3, than from Plat Bay 1, including notched microblades (pictured left to scale) which suggests that processing activities also took place at Plat Bay Cove 2. Preliminary testing indicates that the Plat Bay Cove 2 site extends over an area of about 90 square metres at about the same elevation as Plat Bay Cove 1. The Plat Bay Cove 3 site yielded small fine grained flakes, a quartz crystal microblade, and an asymmetrical biface fragment (pictured right to scale).

 

Coachman's Cove Survey Archaeological survey in the neighbouring community of Coachman's Cove resulted in the discovery of  Cow Cove 1 (EaBa-14), a Groswater Palaeoeskimo. This site also looks to contain a second unidentified culture, suspected to be prehistoric Beothuk by the presence of large purple banded siltstone and rhyolite flakes (siltstone flake pictured to scale at right).  Groswater artifacts included an orange coloured serrated chert endblade fragment (pictured left at twice the original scale), microblades and biface fragments.

HOME