The Newfoundland and Labrador Archaeological Society (NLAS) is keen on engaging with private collectors of archaeological material. Under the recently-developed Community Collections Archaeological Research Project (CCARP) the NLAS hopes to locate and record these private collections as well as facilitate public education and awareness of heritage and archaeological resources. The following photo gallery showcases artefacts from the James Anstey collection from Back Harbour, Twillingate which is the first collection catalogued under this project.

It’s important to note that collecting artifacts is contrary to Newfoundland and Labrador’s Historic Resources Act. With this project, the NLAS does not condone the future collection of artifacts, but rather, it serves as a mechanism which allows existing collections to be shared for educational purposes.

The Community Collections Archaeological Research Project was funded through the Cultural Economic Development Program – Heritage, Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. The work was carried out by Robert Anstey, Division of Archaeology, University of Cambridge.

UPDATE

Robert Anstey has completed his analysis of the James Anstey collection from Back Harbour, Twillingate. His report is available here as a PDF.  Thanks to Steve Hull and the Provincial Archaeology Office for the in kind contribution of formatting the report for publication.

The Anstey Site 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Back Harbour-3

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Batrix Island

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We look forward to future CCARP projects, and if you have a private collection you would like to share with us for this endeavour, please email us at nlas@nlarchsociety.ca

– – – – – – – – – –

Definitions

Plummet: A ground stone weight with incised grooves for attaching a suspension line. Possibly used as a net or line sinker.

Biface: A stone tool with flakes removed from two surfaces.

Preform: An unfinished tool.

Endscraper: A stone tool with a scraping edge made by chipping the end of a flake of stone. Used to scrape animal hides, wood and bone.

End-of-blade scraper: A scraper made from a blade or microblade. The working edge is on the narrow end of the blade.

Concave sidescraper: A scraper with a concave working edge. The working edge is on the long edge of the tool.

Endblade: A small pointed flaked stone tool used to tip harpoon heads.

Dart: Similar to an endblade but with two or more side notches. Possibly used in bird hunting.

Microblade: A small thin flake with parallel sides removed from a core.

Core: A chunk of stone from which flakes are removed during tool manufacture.

Burin-like tool: A flat ground nephrite or silicified slate tool used for graving, scoring or planing hard organic materials like bone.

Abrader: A stone tool with abrasive qualities used for grinding, sharpening, or shaping other stone tools.

Adze: A stone woodworking tool with one end ground down to a sharp working edge. The working edge is set at a right angle to the handle. These tools usually have a flat cross-section.

Axe: Similar to an adze but the working edge is parallel with the handle. These tools usually have a triangular cross-section.

Celt: A thick ground stone woodworking tool. It may have been used as an adze or axe.

Gouge: A ground stone woodworking chisel with a concave working edge.

Bayonet: A long ground stone projectile point that may have been used for marine mammal hunting. These tools are often found in burials.

Hammerstone: A hard stone used as a hammer during tool manufacture and other activities. One or both ends usually show evidence of battering.