ABSTRACT: A preliminary look at the Fincastle Kill Site (DlOx-5).

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Abstract

In the summer of 2004, excavations were carried out at the Fincastle Kill site (DlOx-5). The site is located just North of Purple Springs, in Southern Alberta. Geographically the archaeological remains are concentrated in a parabolic dune that has now stabilized. Due to the fact that the site was being looted, the main aims of the excavation were to locate any remaining in situ material and to determine the nature of the prehistoric activities that took place there. Although large sections of the site have been disturbed, an intact bone bed was discovered in the Eastern area. Following a checkerboard pattern of 1 x 1m squares, a 44 m2 block was worked on, unearthing thousands of well preserved bison bones, fire broken rock and lithic artefacts. The spatial distribution of the faunal remains indicates extensive processing, although selective butchering is attested by the presence of several articulations. The lithics are dominated by Knife River flint suggesting a connection to the Dakota area. Typologically the projectiles are similar to Besant points (most specifically Sonota), however, the two C14 dates place the kill event to around 2500 BC, 1000 years early than expected. Processing and analysis work is currently taking place, with the intention to examine the spatial relationships of the remains, the hunting strategies used, the butchering techniques, the seasonality of the site, and the origin of these hunters.

Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology