Charlie Lake Cave
No artifacts were found in the cave itself, which measures 45 m × 6 m (148 ft × 20 ft), but in a kind of waste pit in front of the cave entrance. The artifacts go back 11,000 years, including a fluted point, six retouched flakes and a small bone bead. These findings provide evidence of the northward migration of hunters and bison. In addition, two buried ravens were found, which are the oldest traces of rituals in Canada.
Knut R. Fladmark examined the archaeological site for the first time in 1974 and returned in 1983. Excavation areas were opened, and paleo-Indian stone tools and animal bones remains were discovered. The excavation layers were found to be intact, and it soon turned out that the oldest layer is representative of the historic megafauna. This first excavation revealed five layers.
See also
Bibliography
- Knut R. Fladmark, Jonathan C. Driver and Diana Alexander: The Paleoindian Component at Charlie Lake Cave (HbRf 39), British Columbia, in: American Antiquity 53/2 (1988) 371–384.
- Jonathan C. Driver: Raven Skeletons from Paleoindian Contexts, Charlie Lake Cave, British Columbia, in: American Antiquity 64/2 (1999) 289–298.
- Jonathan C. Driver: Stratigraphy, Radiocarbon Dating and Culture History of Charlie Lake Cave, British Columbia, in: Arctic 49/3 (1996) 265–277, online, PDF, 592 kB.
External links
- Charlie Lake Cave: Simon Fraser University. Retrieved 8 Jan 2017