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Canada / BC / GbTo-31 (Boardwalk) / S-472
- Lab number
- S-472
- Field number
- CMC- 325
- Material dated
- charcoal
- Type of date
- Archaeological
- Locality
- on the northwest side of Elizabeth Point, Digby Island, Prince Rupert Harbour, British Columbia
- Elevation (m ASL)
- 0-7.6
- Date uploaded
- February 14, 2020
- Normalized Age
- 3460 ± 80
- δ13C (per mil)
- -25.0
- Stratigraphic component
- lowest cultural zoneArea B AU 1, Square I6, north wall
- Comments
- GbTo-31, Boardwalk: This is a prehistoric winter village of the Gispakloats tribe of the Tsimshian, a shell midden containing ca. 310,000 cubic metres of cultural material. Comments by MacDonald (Rutherford et al., 1973): S-471 was possibly contaminated by cultivation or occupation during latter part of 19th century. Subsequent excavations produced no historic material in association with undisturbed deposits, and abandonment of site is estimated at about AD 1700. S-742 is an acceptable date but indicates more rapid accumulation than expected in view of S-743. Comments by Inglis (Rutherford et al., 1975): All dates show localization of occupation during various periods. A given date from one area cannot be applied to the whole site occupation. S-752 is the earliest date for the site with an occupation time span of >4000 years. S-748 and S-751 are acceptable in general temporal context. Two other dates from same excavation unit (S-472, S-473) fit into the same period confirming some sort of localized rapid deposition. Further evidence of rapid buildup and some stratigraphic mixing comes from an individual dog burial extending from 213.4 to 251.5 cm below datum. S-750 dates the initial occupation of Area D, ca 600 years after Area B. S-749 provides a terminal date for the use of the shell ridge of Area C for a burial area, AD 700, 1100 years before abandonment of the site. Comments by Inglis (Rutherford et al., 1979): S-983, S-984, and S-986 date burials on the back ridge of the shell dump and are earlier than expected, indicating that the rear platform was no longer used long before the village site was abandoned. Box burials, some with grave good such as copper, amber, dentalia, shell beads and sea otter teeth, and a cache of warrior weapons were associated with the dates, suggesting that ranked society was established in the Middle Horizon. S-987, from the top of a ridge between two house pits in from of the S-986 location, supports the interpretation of the back area being abandoned some 2000 years BP. Dates on shells are normalized following Stuiver and Polach, 1977.