Presenting a roundup of all the stories, photos and projects that got us excited this month! We had a busy start to the year! January found us putting out the call for field technicians for this spring, seeing our research hit mainstream publications, and participating in a fun photo challenge! Carbonized seeds that we discovered a site in Brantford, Ontario made a big splash...
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Meet Jessica Lytle, Associate Archaeologist and Project Manager in our Environmental Assessment Division! Jes has a passion for paleobotanical analysis, as evidenced by her recent work helping to identify 3,000 year old quinoa seeds in Ontario. It was early 2008. I was halfway through my undergrad degree and taking a few archaeology courses, and the economic recession was hitting HARD! I knew that finding a...
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We are always amazed at how many talented photographers we have on staff! I hope you enjoy these photos that offer a little glimpse into the world of archaeologists and cultural heritage workers. These photos show the range of work we do at ASI, whether it is a beautiful nature shot, a city scene, an exciting artifact, or the fun times we have out in the...
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This November marks 20 years since we began doing cultural heritage work at ASI! Back in 1998 David Cuming became our first Cultural Heritage Specialist, soon to be joined by Mary MacDonald. We owe so much to David and Mary who not only brought an essential new discipline to ASI, but have made huge contributions towards conserving Ontario’s heritage throughout their careers. After leaving ASI,...
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Presenting a roundup of all the stories, photos and projects that got us excited this month! October found us presenting at conferences, getting into the Halloween spirit, and looking back at cannabis in the archaeological record for Legalization Day. We love getting into the Halloween spirit here at ASI! We took some spooky group photos at our Toronto and Burlington offices! What do you think...
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Presenting a roundup of all the stories, photos and projects that got us excited this month. August has found us getting outside, having picnics, celebrating our dogs, and teaching some great kids about archaeology! This month we got on board the Ontario Parks #30x30challenge which invites everyone to spend 30 minutes outside for 30 days straight. In archaeology and cultural heritage fieldwork we often get the...
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Presenting a monthly roundup of all the stories, photos and projects that got us excited this month. July has found us trying to escape the heat, answering questions through the Ask An Archaeologist hashtag, and learning about ancient bread! Ask An Archaeologist is a new concept that grew out of the heritage community in the UK. The idea was simple, on July 18th people...
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Meet Jose, Field Technician for our Mitigation Division! When Jose Gutierrez isn’t uncovering Toronto’s past as part of our historical crew, he’s passionately engaging in Peruvian archaeology. I was always into history but the Indiana Jones trilogy made me want to pursue something similar to what Indy did. I took whatever history or geography courses that were available in high school. I was finally able to...
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As part of our historical recipe project, our Assistant Manager of Communications Caitlin Coleman brought in raspberry shrub, a fruit and vinegar syrup that is used to make refreshing beverages! Since we were sampling this recipe before a long weekend, we decided to try our hand at cocktails, and used the raspberry shrub to make some simple gin mixed drinks. In the days before refrigeration, a vinegar based...
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It’s our favourite time of the year! The ground is finally unfrozen and mostly dry, so Ontario’s archaeology season has officially begun. Unusually, we have had small crews out doing survey work in April because we had a such a warm spring. But as of May 1st we have a full retinue of crews, and the work begins in earnest! In our Burlington and Toronto offices...
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As part of our historical recipe project, our Lab Manager Alexis Dunlop brought in sweet macaroni pudding! The transition of pasta from a sweet to uniquely savoury ingredient provides a fascinating insight into how our tastes and expectations have changed over time. In Anne Yentsch’s article Applying Concepts from Historical Archaeology to New England’s Nineteenth-Century Cookbooks, she notes a marked drop off post 1870 in the...
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Previously we shared the great spider photos that our report writer Mike Brand captured during his time doing archaeological survey work. Today in honour of St Patrick’s Day we are bringing you a fresh round-up of Mike’s wildlife photos, this time featuring snakes snapped in and around Ontario archaeological sites! Many of these snakes were photographed while doing survey work along Highway 69, such as the...
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