Once upon a time in the Arctic : an analysis of Late Dorset metal exchange and interaction in the Eastern Arctic (AD 500-1300)
Around AD 500 Palaeo-Inuit groups, known archaeologically as the Late Dorset, resettled parts of the Canadian Arctic and Greenland their ancestors had left uninhabited for nearly five hundred years. At this time, they started to use and exchange metal that derived from two native sources on opposite ends of the Eastern Arctic and potentially through exchange with the Greenlandic Norse. Despite metal being found in generally low quantities, the presence of it alone in many Late Dorset sites across the Arctic, some nearly one thousand kilometres away from potential sources, has led some researchers to suggest it is under-represented in current collections. This drastically hinders any attempt at understanding how much metal was being used, where it was being used, and why it was being used. Moreover, given its known wide distribution and constrained source regions, metal is a potentially important, measurable, and, arguably, unique indicator of the maximum extent of Late Dorset interaction networks. Fortunately, most Arctic sites have good organic preservation leaving the Late Dorset archaeological record rich in ivory, bone, and wood objects, such as harpoon heads and knife handles, that may have held metal
Jolicoeur, Patrick Charles
CC Archaeology ; GN Anthropology
Once upon a time in the Arctic : an analysis of Late Dorset metal exchange and interaction in the Eastern Arctic (AD 500-1300). Around AD 500 Palaeo-Inuit groups, known archaeologically as the Late Dorset, resettled parts of the Canadian Arctic and Greenland their ancestors had left uninhabited for nearly five hundred years. At this time, they started to use and exchange metal that derived from two native sources on opposite ends of the Eastern Arctic and potentially through exchange with the Greenlandic Norse. Despite metal being found in generally low quantities, the presence of it alone in many Late Dorset sites across the Arctic, some nearly one thousand kilometres away from potential sources, has led some researchers to suggest it is under-represented in current collections. This drastically hinders any attempt at understanding how much metal was being used, where it was being used, and why it was being used. Moreover, given its known wide distribution and constrained source regions, metal is a potentially important, measurable, and, arguably, unique indicator of the maximum extent of Late Dorset interaction networks. Fortunately, most Arctic sites have good organic preservation leaving the Late Dorset archaeological record rich in ivory, bone, and wood objects, such as harpoon heads and knife handles, that may have held metal
upon time arctic analysis late dorset metal exchange interaction eastern arctic around palaeo group_know archaeologically late dorset part canadian arctic ancestor leave nearly hundred_year time start use exchange metal derive native source opposite end eastern arctic potentially exchange norse despite metal_find generally low quantity presence alone many late dorset site_across arctic nearly thousand away potential source lead researcher suggest under represented current collection hinders attempt much metal use use use moreover give know wide distribution constrain source region metal potentially important measurable arguably unique indicator maximum extent late dorset interaction network arctic sit good organic preservation leave late dorset archaeological_record rich ivory bone wood object head knife handle may_hold metal