Princess Point complex
| Alternative names | Princess Point culture |
|---|---|
| Period | Middle Woodland to Late Woodland |
| Dates | c. 500 CE – 1000 CE |
| Type site | Princess Point site |
| Followed by | Glen Meyer culture |
| Defined by | David Marvyn Stothers |
The Princess Point complex (also called the Princess Point culture) is an archaeological culture of the Middle to Late Woodland period of northeastern North America.
The complex marked a transition between the latter part of the Middle Woodland period[1] and the early Late Woodland period.[2] One date estimate places the time period of the Princess Point complex as lasting from around 500 CE to around 1000 CE.[3] It later developed into the Glen Meyer culture.[4]
Named for its type site at Princess Point near modern-day Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, the complex was present in the area between the Grand River and the Niagara Peninsula.
It is characterized by a horticultural economy, including the cultivation of maize, as well as aspects of sedentism.[5] It was originally conceptualized by the archaeologist David Marvyn Stothers.[1]
Social changes
The Princess Point marked a transition to early maize-based agriculture and an increasingly sedentary way of life. Stothers describes Princess Point maize cultivation as "developmental-experimental",[4] and notes the appearance of palisaded agricultural villages containing proto-longhouses.[4] Maize cultivation as a supplement to foraged foods began at least as early as 500 CE.[6]
There was a general westward geographic shift in focus during this period, with the appearance of sites such as the Glass site (Borden AgHb-5) on the western bank of the Grand River. By the end phase of this Grand River focus, however, occupation had shifted away from river-adjacent floodplains to well-drained sandy hills and plains in modern-day Norfolk County, which were more suitable for maize agriculture.[4]
Sites
Some notable sites associated with the Princess Point Complex include:
- Forster site – also contained a Glen Meyer component[7]
- Glass site (AgHb-5)[8]
- Porteous site (AgHb-1) – transitional Princess Point–Glen Meyer site[9]
See also
References
Citations
- ^ a b Noble 1982, p. 177.
- ^ Crawford et al. 1998, p. 124.
- ^ Bursey 2003, p. 192.
- ^ a b c d Stothers 1974, p. 42.
- ^ Haines et al. 2011.
- ^ Haines et al. 2011, p. 232.
- ^ Bursey 2003, p. 191.
- ^ Stothers 1974, p. 37.
- ^ Noble & Kenyon 1972, p. 11.
Bibliography
- Bursey, Jeffrey A. (2003). "Discerning Storage and Structures at the Forster Site: A Princess Point Component in Southern Ontario". Canadian Journal of Archaeology. 27 (2). Canadian Archaeological Association: 191–233. JSTOR 41103448.
- Crawford, Gary W.; Smith, David G.; Desloges, Joseph R.; Davis, Anthony M. (Summer 1998). "Floodplains and Agricultural Origins: A Case Study in South-Central Ontario, Canada". Journal of Field Archaeology. 25 (2). Taylor & Francis: 123–137. doi:10.2307/530574.
- Haines, Helen R.; Smith, David G.; Galbraith, David; Theysmeyer, Tys (2011). "The Point of Popularity: A Summary of 10,000 years of Human Activity at the Princess Point Promontory, Cootes Paradise Marsh, Hamilton, Ontario". Canadian Journal of Archaeology. 35 (2): 232–257. ISSN 0705-2006. JSTOR 23267554.
- Noble, William C. (1982). "Potsherds, Potlids, and Politics: An Overview of Ontario Archaeology During the 1970s". Canadian Journal of Archaeology (6). Canadian Archaeological Association: 167–194. JSTOR 41102241.
- Noble, William C.; Kenyon, Ian T. (1972). "Porteous (AgHb-1): A Probable Early Glen Meyer Village in Brant County, Ontario" (PDF). Ontario Archaeology (19). Ontario Archaeological Society: 11–38.
- Smith, David G.; Crawford, Gary W. (1997). "Recent Developments in the Archaeology of the Princess Point Complex in Southern Ontario". Canadian Journal of Archaeology. 21 (1): 9–32. ISSN 0705-2006. JSTOR 41103320.
- Stothers, David Marvyn (1974). "The Glass Site AgHb-5 Oxbow Tract, Brantford Township, Brant County, Ontario" (PDF). Ontario Archaeology (21). Ontario Archaeological Society: 37–43.
Further reading
- Crawford, Gary W.; Smith, David G. (October 1996). "Migration in Prehistory: Princess Point and the Northern Iroquoian Case". American Antiquity. 61 (4). Cambridge University Press: 782–790. doi:10.2307/282018.
- Snow, Dean R. (October 1996). "More on Migration in Prehistory: Accommodating New Evidence in the Northern Iroquoian Case". American Antiquity. 61 (4). Cambridge University Press: 791–796. doi:10.2307/282019.
- Stothers, David Marvyn (1977). Princess Point Complex. Mercury Series. University of Ottawa Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctv170nr.
.svg){kind=small}  | This Canadian history article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |