(originally published in the Mammoth Trumpet, June 2001, Vol.16(3):10 ) (a quarterly magazine of the Center for the Study of the First Americans)
George Wisner www.canadianarchaeology.ca-the Website of the Canadian Archaeological Association-is a superb example of human engineering done right. Finding background information on radiocarbon dating and locating radiocarbon dates in Canada, the Arctic, even in parts of the U.S. is an intuitive process for the casual inquirer or serious researcher.
Significance Archaic
Click the CARD link for complete data, including location, provenience, and the submitter's name. The maps are only one means of accessing CARD. You can also search the database through information fields: by site code; site name; province, territory, or state; laboratory number; material dated; cultural affiliation; a range of dates; or any combination of these fields. A location field contains searchable county names, major drainages, and the islands of the Arctic Archipelago; a taxa field lists the scientific names of vertebrates associated with dates. Besides CARD and a tutorial on radiocarbon dating, the Website features news and events of the Canadian Archaeological Association. A source this rich in information, instantly accessible from anywhere in the world, was impossible before the Internet. |
Choose
"Mapping Ancient History" to locate a data set in CARD using Geological
Survey of Canada maps. Select the time period of interest (1,000 to 14,000
years ago, or 18,000 years ago) for the map showing the location of dated
faunal remains and of dated and undated human occupations. This example
is the map of 8,000 years ago. (The Website makes effective use of color,
which unfortunately we can't show in our black-and-white publication.)
You can show or hide political boundaries. For greater detail, zoom in
on an area. Then choose "Identify" and click an icon for a summary of the
associated data set. For this example: