CARD fuzzes location data for public visitors to the database. Accessing CARD's full capabilities requires an account available only to researchers at accredited institutions.
- Lab number
- GSC-1445
- Field number
- CMC- 403
- Material dated
- marine shell; coquillage
- Taxa dated
- Mya arenaria
- Locality
- on the south shore of Minister's Island, Passamaquoddy Bay, Charlotte County, New Brunswick
- Map sheet
- 21 G/03
- Submitter
- D. Sanger
- Date submitted
- July 4, 0097
- Measured Age
- 650 ± 130
- Normalized Age
- 1060 ± 190
- δ13C (per mil)
- -0.0
- Significance
- Late Prehistoric; Préhistorique récent
- Context
- mid-point of shell midden, N15/W41, 35-40 cm depth
- Associated taxa
- Mammalia: Castor canadensis, Ondatra zibethicus, Erethizon dorsatum, Alces alces, Rangifer tarandus, Odocoileus sp, Phoca vitulina, Phoca groenlandica, Halichoerus grypus, cf. Cystophora sp, Ursus americanus, Procyon lotor, Lutra canadensis, Canis familiaris, Vulpes vulpes, Lynx canadensis, Homo sapiens; Aves Pisces, Myoxocephalus octodecimspinosus; Mollusca, Littorina littorea
- Additional information
- Littorina littorea at same level, demonstrating its prehistoric occurrence in North America
- Comments
- BgDs-10, Minister's Island: This is a shell midden site spanning a long time range, from Late Archaic to Late Prehistoric. Pearson (1970) tested the site with a 7 sq m excavation, and collected Y-1293, the oldest of eight dates now available. Sanger's (1987: 105-109) 85 sq m excavation a decade later was designed to explore the meaning of the early date obtained by Pearson and also to search for buried semi-subterranean houses. In addition to four such houses, Sanger found a mass grave containing the remains of 12 individuals. Similarities between the artifacts in this grave and those in the Adena-related Augustine mound, "in addition to other Late Archaic and possible Early Ceramic Period evidence, probably explains the early date ... recovered by Pearson" (Sanger 1987: 106). The four houses belong to the Middle and Late Ceramic periods, and the shell midden itself to the Late Ceramic period. Comment (D. Sanger): Suggested ages were based on estimate of A.D. 1000 as terminal date. Results of GSC-1452 and GSC-1445, however, clearly indicate that the site was occupied up to the late prehistoric period. GSC-1580 seems too recent for the associated artifact assemblage. Possibly the hearth was contaminated by recent charcoal. GSC-1581, representing a minimum date for a mass burial, is extremely useful as the burial is suspected to be Late Archaic. GSC-1674, also very useful, tends to confirm the suspicion that GSC-1580 from the same site is too young. It now appears that dentate-stamped pottery persisted in the Passamaquoddy Bay area until A.D. 900, at which time cord-wrapped stick became the predominant decorative technique. Comment (R.E. Morlan): Normalizing GSC-1452 and GSC-1445 to -25 parts per mil causes them to conform to Sanger's original estimate of a terminal date for this site. Fauna: Aves: Gavia immer, Gavia stellata, Podiceps auritus, Branta canadensis, Anas rubripes, Anas penelope, Bucephala islandica, Bucephala albeola, Clangula hyemalis, Somateria mollissima, Somateria spectabilis, Melanitta fusca, Melanitta perspicillata, Mergus merganser, Haliaeetus sp, Larus argentatus, Pinguinus impennis, Uria aalge