Baker Site
Located on a tributary of the West Don River in Vaughan, the Baker site is an early fifteenth century A.D. Iroquoian settlement excavated in advance of subdivision development.
Bishop’s Block Site
Bishop’s Block is a site located in downtown Toronto that was excavated to make way for the newly built Shangri-La hotel. Foundations of four townhouses built in 1832 and 1860 were uncovered, and tens of thousands of artifacts were analyzed from this important early-nineteenth century site.
Butler Site
The excavation of the late-eighteenth-century and early-nineteenth-century Butler Homestead site has made a significant contribution to our understanding of the early history of Colonel John Butler (famous Loyalist) and his family in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and to regional and national history in general.
Sweat Lodges and Solidarity: The Archaeology of the Hubbert Site
In 1990, ASI undertook salvage excavations at the Hubbert site, a mid- to late-fifteenth century Late Woodland period settlement located on the eastern margin of the Innisfil upland overlooking the broad valley of Lovers Creek. In the course of excavating 3,260 square metres of this one hectare settlement, two longhouses were completely exposed, while the […]
The Archaeology of the Dunsmore Site: 15th-Century Community Transformations in Southern Ontario
Located in southern Simcoe County, Ontario, the Dunsmore site is a two-hectare, mid- to late 15th-century Iroquoian settlement that had a complex history – one that may have included both seasonal tenancies and year-round occupations.The settlement appears to have served as both a seasonal fishing camp and a semi-permanent agricultural village, perhaps involving members of […]
The Archaeology of the Grandview Site: A Fifteenth Century Iroquoian Community on the North Shore of Lake Ontario
The excavation and analysis of the Grandview site has shed important new light on the Iroquoian settlement of the north shore of Lake Ontario. Based on the results of the ceramic analysis, Grandview is estimated to have been occupied primarily during the early Late Iroquoian period (ca. A.D. 1400-1450.)
The Moatfield Ossuary: Isotopic Dietary Analysis of an Iroquoian Community, Using Dental Tissue
The Moatfield ossuary (AkGv-65) was discovered in North York, Ontario, in 1997. Archaeological Services Inc. was contracted to exhume and then re-bury the human remains. Located on the periphery of a Late Woodland Iroquoian village, the ossuary included 87 people, 58 of them adults. First Nations authorities allowed the analysis of one tooth per person. […]
What Lies Beneath: Excavating the Past
In an article for Ground Magazine published quarterly by the Ontario Association for Landscape Architects, Williamson and Hughes discuss the practice of Cultural Resource Management in Ontario and delve into the province’s 13,000 years of complex history, specifically from a Toronto perspective.
A Forty-Year Fascination With Fort York
This is the first summary of archaeological contributions to our understanding of the War of 1812, published as the war commemorates its 200th anniversary. The contributors of original papers discuss recent excavations and field surveys that present an archaeological perspective that enriches– and often conflicts with—received historical narratives. The studies cover fortifications, encampments, landscapes, shipwrecks, […]
Dining With John and Catharine Butler Before the Close of the Eighteenth Century
The partial excavation of the homestead of Colonel John Butler in the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake has afforded the opportunity to explore the daily activities of one Loyalist family after the establishment of the British colony of Upper Canada in the 1780s. In particular, the large collection of zooarchaeological material (over 14,5000 specimens) can provide information […]