Archaeology of the Invisible: Phytolith Analysis at the Cluny Fortified Village (EePf-1)
Date
2018-09-19
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The Cluny Fortified Village site (EePf-1) is the only known fortified village on the Canadian Plains. Archaeologically, the main cultural layer indicates patterns that are not commonly seen elsewhere on the Plains. Many of the larger questions about the people of this site are largely left unanswered, and the experimentation of different methods can offer new perspectives to complement the ongoing excavations at the site. Phytolith analysis has not been extensively explored at the site and can offer perspectives about the presence of natural and cultural signatures. Phytolith analysis has been combined with charcoal analysis and used to explore queries regarding cultural signatures as well as the present and past environment. Three preliminary projects provided opportunities to refine the appropriate laboratory methods for this project which ultimately improved the overall phytolith counts. Over the course of the 2015 and 2016 field seasons at the Cluny Fortified Village matrix samples from both occupational layers were sampled as well as several hearth and non-hearth features. In 2016, a larger scaled survey was conducted to collect samples from the area surrounding the site. These samples form the natural control that will be compared against cultural samples. The Old Women’s Phase site of DkPi-2 (Junction Site) was used as a contemporary cultural comparative. Both phytolith and charcoal sample analyzed were provided by Lifeways of Canada Ltd. A total of 71 phytolith samples and 70 charcoal samples were analyzed. Results are indicative of a stable grassland that has seen little change over the past 300 years. Poaceae grasses are dominant amongst the datasets, with other families contributing less. Through examining phytoliths of productive plants in an archaeological context, a possible cultural signature may be presence.
Description
Keywords
Phytolith Analysis, Charcoal Analysis, Cluny Fortified Village, Northern Plains, Paleoethnobotany, Archaeology, Phytolith, Charcoal
Citation
Dowkes, S. (2018). Archaeology of the Invisible: Phytolith Analysis at the Cluny Fortified Village (EePf-1) (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/33053