Archaeological Assessments
In accordance with the archaeological assessment technical guidelines developed by the Ministry of Culture, archaeological assessment takes place through a phased process as follows:
Stage One:
Stage-one investigations consist of an archival search of any known historical, environmental and archaeological data for the subject property. The information obtained in this search may be used to determine the archaeological potential of the study property. Sources in stage-one investigations may include, but ar enot limited to, historical maps and archieves, oral histories, geophysical mapping, and Ministry of Culture site data files.
Stage Two:
During this stage of the assessment, field crews are dispatched to the subject property to examine it directly for the presence of archaeological and heritage resources. Visual inspection or subsurface-testing techniques are employed depending on field conditions. Significant archaeological finds are noted on small-scale field maps, and only diagnostic artifacts (ie. buttons, coins, pottery, bone, stone tools) are retained for analysis. At this point, Ministry of Culture guidelines are employed to determine whether or not a site requires further investigation. If nothing is found, a report is made to the Ministry of Culture and the property will be cleared for development.
Stage Three:
If a potentially culturally-significant deposit is encountered during stage-two investigation, further study is carried out in stage three. The site is submitted to a controlled surface pickup (CSP) in which all surface artifacts are individually plotted using a surveyor's total station. The deposit is subjected to a series of test excavations to determine its age, cultural afiliation, density, and extent. A determination is made, in consultation with the Ministry of Culture, regarding the need for further investigation in the form of full (Stage 4) excavation.
Stage Four:
In the final phase of the process, a site which is endangered and cannot be preserved is subjected to mitigative excavation. Stage-four excavations are carried out according to Ministry of Culture guidelines and industry-accepted standards and practices. At ARA, we endeavour to collect research-grade data. Our collections are curated at Wilfrid Laurier University and are made available to qualified scholars and researchers.
