Geoarcheology and Prehistory of the St Pierre and Miquelon archipelago: theoretical issues, methods and preliminary results

• Main Authors: Marchand, Grégor, Auger, Reginald, Cédric, Borthaire, Guiavarc'H, Mikaël, Le Doaré, Maureen, Rousseau, Lolita, Stéphan, Pierre
• Other Authors: Centre de Recherche en Archéologie, Archéosciences, Histoire (CReAAH), Le Mans Université (UM)-Université de Rennes (UR)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Ministère de la Culture (MC)-Nantes Université - UFR Histoire, Histoire de l'Art et Archéologie (Nantes Univ - UFR HHAA), Nantes Université - pôle Humanités, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université - pôle Humanités, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ), Archaïos - Archaeology, Culture & Heritage (Archaïos), Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives (Inrap), Littoral, Environnement, Télédétection, Géomatique (LETG - Brest), Université de Brest (UBO)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Littoral, Environnement, Télédétection, Géomatique UMR 6554 (LETG), Université de Brest (UBO)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Géographie et d'Aménagement Régional de l'Université de Nantes (Nantes Univ - IGARUN), Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Institut de Géographie et d'Aménagement Régional de l'Université de Nantes (Nantes Univ - IGARUN), ANR-17-EURE-0015,ISBlue,Interdisciplinary Graduate School for the Blue planet(2017)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2023
• Subjects: Dorset; Groswater; Rhyolite; St Pierre and Miquelon; Recent Period; Paléo-Inuit; Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon; Tradition récente; [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory; [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environment and Society; First Nations; inuit; Newfoundland; Terre-Neuve
• Online Access: https://cnrs.hal.science/hal-03908304; https://cnrs.hal.science/hal-03908304/document; https://cnrs.hal.science/hal-03908304/file/515_P_50815_64a7cda7834eb_7.pdf

International audience The French overseas territory of St Pierre and Miquelon comprises three main islands and is located approximately 20 km south of the island of Newfoundland (Canada). As part of a UNESCO project to classify maritime heritage, a Franco-Canadian team has begun excavating the coastal site of Anse à Henry, which was occupied from the Maritime Archaic time to the historical period. Integrating multiple scales of analysis, the scientific approach adopted is more global than just a simple excavation. It includes a geomorphological component (monitoring erosion, changes in sea levels) and an archaeological component (inventory of the heritage, dating of the various occupations, reconstruction of occupation networks). The project began in 2018 with a systematic survey of archaeological anomalies using LIDAR data, which led to the identification of 43 areas with high potential for habitat remains. Analyses of the shoreline morphologies of Anse à Henry reveal that different sectors of coastline have been affected either by marine erosion processes (wave action) or by subaerial processes such as runoff, colluviation, etc. The 2019, 2021 excavations uncovered extremely well-preserved Groswater occupations in the low-lying area of the site and demonstrated the extent of the site area; a substantial addition to what was excavated in the early 2000s. The Middle Dorset and First Nations occupations (Recent Tradition) have also left abundant remains, but more scattered over the 3.6-hectare site. Surveys throughout the archipelago led to the discovery of five quarries, including the Bois Brûlé quarry in St Pierre exploited for its rhyolite deposits. Results of the geochemical analyses conducted on the Bois Brulé samples link some of these quarries to objects collected at Anse à Henry. Territoire français d’outre-mer, l’archipel de Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon comprend trois îles principales, situées à une vingtaine de kilomètres au sud de l’île de Terre-Neuve (Canada). Dans le cadre d’un projet de classement ...