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The Formation of Artifact Assemblages at Workshop/Habitation Sites: Models from Peace Point in Northern Alberta

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Marc G. Stevenson*
Affiliation:
Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Department of Justice and Public Services, Government of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, N.W.T., Canada, XIA 2L9

Abstract

Two complementary models illuminate the formation of artifact assemblages at one type of prehistoric hunter-gatherer campsite—the workshop/habitation site. One model posits three successive stages in the activity contributing to the distribution and composition of lithic artifact assemblages. The other describes the formation of assemblages near exterior hearths and similar features. These models are discussed with reference to the Peace Point site, a rapidly buried and deeply stratified workshop/habitation site in northern Alberta. The implications of these models for refining our understanding of formation processes at other types of hunter-gatherer campsites are noted.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1985

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