An interpretation of French ceramics from a migratory fishing station, Dos de Cheval, Newfoundland (EfAx-09)

• Main Author: St. John, Amy
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 2011
• Subjects: Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/9622/; https://research.library.mun.ca/9622/1/StJohn_Amy.pdf

Excavations at Dos de Cheval (EfAx-09) on Newfoundland's Petit Nord present the opportunity to study a complex and extensive ceramic assemblage from a French migratory fishing station. The 17th- to 19th-century ceramic assemblage includes Normandy stoneware, brown and white faïence, Ligurian-style coarse earthenwares and several varieties of French coarse earthenwares, including some obscure Breton products. A morpho-functional vessel typology provides a framework through which to interpret these ceramics and a functional analysis of ceramics reveals social and economic contexts of the fishery on several scales. Ceramic trends aid in the understanding of features on the site, and use of space on the site as a whole. The non-sedentary nature of life on the Petit Nord is reflected in the archaeological dominance of vernacularly produced provisioning containers, primarily Normandy stoneware. At the largest scale, provisioning links, trade links and links between vernacular industries in Newfoundland and France are examined.