| The objective of this thesis is to document the Archaic (ca. 10,000 to 2800 BP) lithic assemblage from the West Burleigh Bay site (BdGn-12) and to examine changes in raw material usage and flint-knapping skill during the Archaic period in southeastern Ontario. The use of coarse-grained, locally available, lithic material is a noted characteristic of the Archaic period in the Northeast and the West Burleigh Bay Archaic assemblage fits this model. One third of diagnostic Archaic tools excavated from the site were made on locally occurring, black, lightly metamorphosed, sedimentary material. Toolstone provenance and quality were assessed as were knappers' skill levels to determine if the tools were made with less care and skill or if the quality of the toolstone affected the appearance of finished tools. Analysis determined that flint-knapping skill levels at the West Burleigh Bay site remained constant throughout the Archaic but that raw material quality fluctuated.;Keywords. Ontario archaeology, Archaic, lithic technology, raw material provenience, raw material utilization. |
