Tag: Archaeology
By Angela Younie
April 21, 2022
Glossary Series – Beaver River Sandstone
Beaver River Sandstone is a stone used for flintknapping that was found in two major quarries near Fort McKay in northern Alberta. It can appear in all shades of grey and brownish grey, with small embedded crystals of medium to dark grey quartz (called “inclusions”). Depending on where it was quarried, it can range from
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By Madeline Coleman
December 8, 2021
Hazards of the Job – Deep Trenches
Archaeology may not be as dangerous as portrayed in popular shows like Indiana Jones but we often overlook a very common fatal hazard.
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By Brian Leslie
September 10, 2021
Edible Plant Series – Cattails
Did you know that cattails are edible? Unlike wild mushrooms, which can be difficult to identify and poisonous, most people can easily recognize cattails (Typha latifolia). It is difficult to mistake a two meter tall plant with a large, brown, fluffy corndog-looking thing at the top, for something like water hemlock. Juvenile plants are more
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By Brian Leslie
March 6, 2020
Harriet Boyd Hawes
To celebrate International Women’s Week, I present Harriet Boyd Hawes (1871 to 1945), a pioneer in the field of classical Greek archaeology. Her anthropological approach to fieldwork and the understanding of past lives were well ahead of the times and helped the discipline move away from arm-chair studies focused on high status artifacts and museum
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By Brian Leslie
April 17, 2019
Wildfire and Archaeology: The good, the bad, and the opportunity
In recent years, wildfires in Canada and the United States have brought devastation to many communities. In the last 10 years, wildfires have burned nearly two million hectares of land in Canada alone. Human intervention, aimed at stemming the destruction wrought by wildfires during the last century, has actually increased the threat of large fires
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By Corey Cookson
March 8, 2019
Birgitta Wallace
In honour of International Women’s day we will explore the life and studies of Birgitta Wallace. She is a Swedish-Canadian female archaeologist and expert on Norse archaeology in North America. Born in 1944, Birgitta Wallace studied and received her degree in her home country, Sweden. She studied at Uppsala University and underwent field training in
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By Madeline Coleman
August 28, 2018
Muddy Lab Secrets
The mud we slog through in the field doesn’t always stay in the field. It’s wrapped around a lot of the artifacts we find, and ends up in our sample bags. Once we get back from the field, we start the process of washing all the artifacts. As the sediment is brushed away, some of
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By Corey Cookson
August 14, 2018
Fort Edmonton Park Expansion
As part of the upcoming expansion of Fort Edmonton Park, an Indigenous Peoples Experience exhibit is being added. The multimedia exhibit will educate visitors about the Indigenous histories and cultures of the Edmonton region in an engaging and interactive way. The exhibit will include an outdoor amphitheatre, teepees, campsite recreations, and an indoor arena show.
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By Brian Leslie
July 31, 2018
Gear Review – Bulldog Spades
As a CRM archaeologist, my shovel is one of my most utilized pieces of equipment. Delicate excavation requires the fine touch that a trowel provides and archaeologists that do a great deal of this type of work are generally very picky about their trowels. Similarly, those of us that spend their days digging test pits
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By Madeline Coleman
July 18, 2018
The Whiskey Jack!
In 2015 a two year poll was issued by Canadian Geographic for a new National Bird. In the end, our little Grey Jay took the lead, beating out the common loon, black-capped chickadee, snowy owl, and Canadian Goose. Although not officially recognized as the new National bird yet, it was selected as an avian representation
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