James Wright's (1972) manuscript on the Shield Archaic contains a brief description and illustrations of a semi-subterranean structure from the Aberdeen site (AL-7). The figure to the right is taken from Wright (1972:54). The structure measured about 4.3 m by 3.1 m and had "an entrance way 6 ft in length, a central pit, a hearth, several surviving tent-weighting stones, what is interpreted as a sleeping platform, and a definite concentration of artifacts and debris within the eastern confines of the house" (Wright 1972:55). A radiocarbon determination (S-506) dates the structure to about 1075 BC.
I thank Chris Ellis for looking at my "Most Wanted" list and taking the time to scan and send me the portion of Wright's paper that described the structure from Aberdeen. A second structure was documented at Aberdeen, and is presumably described in Wright's separate report of the Aberdeen excavations (which I will now add to my list of things to track down).
I don't yet have a map showing the location of the site. I believe (please correct me if I'm wrong - I will confirm/clarify details of the site's location when I get a copy of the full report) the Aberdeen site is located in what is now the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut, on the Thelon River, presumably near Aberdeen Lake. At the time of Wright's work at Aberdeen, the region was known as the Keewatin District. Although this is pretty far afield from the Eastern Woodlands, I think it is useful to include information on sites like these for comparative purposes. I'm not currently maintaining a map of Nunavut (or Manitoba), but I might add one depending on how the database grows.
House Structure 1 from Aberdeen will be Structure 2256 in the database.
I thank Chris Ellis for looking at my "Most Wanted" list and taking the time to scan and send me the portion of Wright's paper that described the structure from Aberdeen. A second structure was documented at Aberdeen, and is presumably described in Wright's separate report of the Aberdeen excavations (which I will now add to my list of things to track down).
I don't yet have a map showing the location of the site. I believe (please correct me if I'm wrong - I will confirm/clarify details of the site's location when I get a copy of the full report) the Aberdeen site is located in what is now the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut, on the Thelon River, presumably near Aberdeen Lake. At the time of Wright's work at Aberdeen, the region was known as the Keewatin District. Although this is pretty far afield from the Eastern Woodlands, I think it is useful to include information on sites like these for comparative purposes. I'm not currently maintaining a map of Nunavut (or Manitoba), but I might add one depending on how the database grows.
House Structure 1 from Aberdeen will be Structure 2256 in the database.
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