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Canada / SK / FbNp-17 (Amisk) / S-2534
- Lab number
- S-2534
- Material dated
- bone collagen; collagène osseux
- Locality
- just north of Saskatoon, in the Opimihaw Creek valley, Wanuskewin Heritage Park, South Saskatchewan River, Saskatchewan
- Map sheet
- 73 B/02
- Submitter
- E.G. Walker
- Date submitted
- July 11, 0096
- Measured Age
- 3895 ± 195
- Normalized Age
- 3975 ± 195
- δ13C (per mil)
- -20.0
- Significance
- culture?, anomalous, young; anormal, jeune
- Stratigraphic component
- Level 6
- Context
- Level 6, thin paleosol in sandy loam, varies 80-134 cm depth
- Associated taxa
- Mammalia 1005, Bison bison 145
- Comments
- FbNp-17, Amisk: This site is located on a remnant spur extending into the creek valley from the west. Sedimentation was primarily colluvial, augmented by aeolian deposition. According to Amundson (1986; Amundson and Kelly 1987), a sequence of 12 stratigraphic layers contained seven cultural levels. Level 1 yielded five Plains side-notched points, two Prairie side-notched points, a Plains triangular point, and two Avonlea side-notched points along with three radiocarbon dates. The youngest two are dates on bone (S-2531 and S-2770), and the oldest is on charcoal (S-2537). The variety of point styles and spread of dates indicate that two or more occupations may have been contained in a compressed sequence that could not be separated in excavation. Amundson (1986) suggests that if only two occupations are present they may represent a transition from Avonlea to Prairie side-notched followed by a Plains side-notched component. Without additional data, none of the radiocarbon dates can be definitely associated with a projectile point type. Levels 2 and 3 lacked diagnostic artifacts, but both were dated on bone. The Level 2 date (S-2769) suggests that a substantial temporal hiatus occurs beneath Level 1. The Level 3 date is somewhat older (S-2767). Level 4 yielded six Oxbow points and a date on bone (S-2536). A single Oxbow point was found in Level 5 along with a date on bone (S-2535). No diagnostic artifacts were found in Levels 6 and 7, but each was dated on bone. The Level 6 date (S-2534) has a younger mean than the dates on Levels 4 and 5, but all of them overlap at 2- sigma. The Level 7 date is much older (S-2768) and suggests that a second temporal hiatus occurs near the base of the site deposits. Several years after Amundson's excavations had been back-filled, Abigail Burt opened a test pit farther upslope for the purpose of geomorphological studies. She reached a depth of 2.65 m where a bison radius was recovered, but a date on this bone cannot be directly related to the cultural record. Bison bones from the Oxbow components in Levels 4 and 5 comprised one of seven samples in Leyden's (2004) study of southern Saskatchewan bison palaeoecology. An AMS date acquired by Leyden is slightly older than the Level 5 date and in close agreement with the date resulting from Burt's study.