Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Mengxi

  Lin

  - Lakehead University
• Matthew

  Boyd

  - Lakehead University

During early Holocene low-water phases, portions of the Lake Huron basin were exposed as terrestrial landscapes. The Alpena–Amberley Ridge is one such feature, now submerged beneath the modern lake. Plant macrofossils preserved in submerged peat deposits are used here to reconstruct local vegetation and environmental conditions of this ~9,000-year-old drowned landscape.

Peat samples were collected by divers and ROV from multiple sites across the ridge and processed using standard plant macrofossil recovery and identification methods. Identifiable remains were classified by functional group and analyzed at the site level to assess spatial patterns in vegetation and hydrological conditions.

Macrofossil assemblages are dominated by aquatic and wetland herb taxa, indicating the development of peat-forming wetlands before the lake-level rise. Assemblage composition varies among sites, suggesting spatially heterogeneous vegetation patterns likely influenced by local hydrology and microtopography. Woody taxa are rare or absent across the sampled sites.

These results provide direct, in situ paleoenvironmental evidence for the submerged paleolandscape and contribute to the environmental context for ongoing archaeological research on early Holocene Caribou movement corridors in the Lake Huron basin.

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Wrenn

  Yano

  - University of British Columbia
• Michelle

  Dvorkin
• J. Jeffrey

  Werner

  - Okanagan College
• Flannery

  Surette

  - Okanagan College

Groundstone tools have been understudied despite being used as markers of significant cultural change across coastal and interior British Columbia. As some of these objects are linked to networks of trade and exchange, increased sedentism, the prestige economy, and the emergence of social complexity, more work is needed to establish basic terms and categories. Based on online museum collections with objects from Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Northern California and artefacts held by the Penticton Museum and Archives and Peachland Museum (Interior British Columbia), this review attempts to define different categories of hand tools commonly referred to, often interchangeably, as hand mauls, mauls, pestles, hand hammers, and pounders in the literature. Past definitions often relied on perceived function even though these tools encompass activities as diverse as plant and animal processing, pigment production, and wood-working. This poster presents the preliminary results of a typology of groundstone tools in this region, employing a systematic approach that draws on ethnographic accounts, provenance, design, physical characteristics, material, and patterns of wear and damage to define types. 

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Autumn

  Saulnier

  - University of Alberta

A key aim of experimental archaeology is to ‘recreate’ past phenomena through controlled and objective testing of hypotheses, fostering a product-focused approach that commonly dismisses the subjective and relational experiences of the crafts being studied. Yet, this experience is an integral aspect of how many North American Indigenous cultures understand and perceive their relationships to objects. Our innate uncertainty about the past further limits the possibility of recreating it, making artefact ‘replications', however morphologically correct, a shell of humanity. There are also inherent circumstantial differences between past lifeways and present academia that limit the possibility of replication; for example, deadlines, outcome biases, and a lack of habitus.

This research proposes a multivocal approach to experimental archaeology that promotes Indigenous science, experience, and relationality. The main focus will be on building a process-oriented experience of ceramic production centred on community, relationality, reciprocity, and sensorial experience. The aim will be to experiment with the process of creating ceramics that mirror pre-contact pottery vessels found in Alberta. This experience will include hands-on material sourcing from non-urban areas, manufacturing and pit-firing of ceramic wares, and documenting project and personal successes and/or failures.

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Cerena

  Bond

  - Mount Royal Univeristy
• Mia

  Kirkman

  - Mount Royal Univeristy
• Dr. Samanti

  Kulatilake

  - Mount Royal University

Ancient Lanka, is a diamond-standard open-access journal that supports reconstructing the past, archaeological and beyond, within Sri Lankan contexts and through collaborative academic publishing. Hosted by the Mount Royal University Library and sustained through volunteer editorial work and institutional support, the journal offers a decolonial pathway amplifying diverse voices by publishing in three languages: English, Sinhala, and Tamil, while using open review, that supports transparency and constructive scholarly exchange. The editorial team consists of volunteer professionals who work collaboratively with authors. The journal involves Mount Royal University undergraduates who work closely with the Editor-in-Chief as Research Assistants, assisting with correspondence, proofreading, references and article formatting. Research Assistants benefit by developing transversal skills, while being valued members of an open access publishing community. This poster highlights the international collaborations undertaken to create Volume 4 (2025), commemorating the life and work of a distinguished Sri Lankan archaeologist, Professor Sudharshan Seneviratne. The volume embraces interdisciplinarity with articles on archaeological excavations, surveys, material culture, and commentaries that illuminate Sri Lanka’s past.

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Andrea

  Richardson

  - Cape Sable Historical Society

Climate change is a significant threat to the places and stories that we can tell about our heritage and archaeological sites in Nova Scotia. We see the direct impacts of sea level rise, loss of sea ice, more intense storms, flooding, erosion, drought and wildfires on archaeological sites and resources. As these effects intensify, more and more culturally significant places - and the stories they hold - may be damaged or lost. We can find hope in collaboration and action. Between 2019 and 2022, the archaeology sector in Nova Scotia worked together to create a climate adaptation strategy for the sector. Archaeologists are working with communities, activists and other disciplines to respond to the impacts of climate change on communities and their stories, so that communities are empowered to make decisions on the future of their cultural heritage. We can find hope in this collaborative action, while also acknowledging to communities that significant barriers to action still exist.

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Tatiana

  Craft

  - University of Lethbridge

Microblade technology is a defining feature among archaeological assemblages in the Arctic, with lower occurrences in Subarctic regions like northern Alberta. There are, however, over 50 sites with reported evidence of microblade technology within Alberta’s Lower Athabasca Basin. Despite the prevalence, these assemblages have often been described using classification systems from neighbouring regions, resulting in confusion about the origins of microblade technologies in this region, and the technological processes that produced these tools. This poster describes the development of a typology that will allow archaeologists to more effectively identify and compare microblade assemblages in northeastern Alberta. By studying the frequency, distribution, and material types of microblades, microcores, projectile points, and associated debitage present in Lower Athabasca Basin Middle pre-contact (ca. 7,750 to 4,000 BP) assemblages, I argue microblades and their associated artifacts within that region suggest interactions with Arctic groups to the north and west. Creating a technologically focused typology is the first step towards understanding the nature of these interactions.

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Lauren

  Spear

Within the Canmore, Alberta area, there are many locations in which pictographs appear, though their history has largely been neglected. Since 1880 Canmore has had a rich coal mining history and the town blossomed around its extraction. Over twenty-five historical sites dating back to 1883 are still the main focus of historical understanding in town. As such, this project focuses on the pictographs of Grotto Canyon (EgPt-1), Rats Nest Cave (EgPt-33), Spray Lakes (EgPu-4), and the Grassi Lake Rock Shelters (EgPu-5) surrounding Canmore. This study takes on a reflexive approach, as it encompasses both a strong tie to the Canmore community, and to myself, as an archaeologist who had lived in the Bow Valley for over twenty-four years. From knowing about these sites as a child, to developing a curiosity about them, and ultimately, to researching them as an archaeologist, my interest in this project stems from my own dynamic, and ever-changing, relationship with these sites. Drawing from conversations and interactions with Indigenous communities, the Canmore Museum and Geoscience Centre, and the Canmore Caving Company, the goal of this project is to examine the relationship between these pictograph sites and the coal mining history that Canmore is known for.

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Jaryn

  Anderson

  - University of Calgary

Decades of gradual economic and legislative shifts have caused the majority of archaeological work in Canada to be carried out by CRM (cultural resource management) companies. Consequently, there is rising interest in re-examining this data, not only to identify potential areas of further research and/or documentation, but also to ensure that academic archaeologists are familiar in working both the CRM and academic spheres. This project reanalyzed data provided by Stantec and the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Center on a single project in the Northwest Territories that uncovered lithic materials from two archaeological sites, and provided an updated interpretation based on a combination of lithic analysis methodologies and an in-depth archaeological background. The conclusions of this research suggest the two sites, though briefly-occupied, are culturally-significant and located within a greater network of human occupations generally relating to the hunting of caribou in the Northwest Territories. This research hopes to provide an opportunity for future conversation around CRM-based research projects and potentially-increased collaboration between academic and CRM-focused archaeologists.

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Iris

  Sinani

  - Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
• Talia

  Joffe

  - Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
• Roman

  Igl

  - ARDIG - Archäologischer Dienst GesmbH, St. Pölten, Austria
• Eduard

  Pollhammer

  - Office of the Lower Austrian Provincial Government, Department of Art and Culture, Archaeological Park Carnuntum, Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, Austria
• Rebecca

  Gilmour

  - Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Carnuntum, a Roman capital (1st–4th centuries AD) in present-day Austria, consisted of two interconnected settlements: a civilian and a military city. When Carnuntum residents died, they were buried in cemeteries surrounding these settlements. Roman grave construction is believed to reflect an individual’s socio-economic status during life, with people of lower status buried in simple pit graves, while higher status individuals received more elaborate stone/tile cists or sarcophagi. This study applies this premise to grave constructions in the Carnuntum southern civilian cemetery, located along the modern Bernsteinstrasse. Photographs of 390 features were observed and categorized as Sarcophagus, Stone/Tile Cist, Pit/Wood or Cremation grave types. The prevalence of each grave type was compared and their spatial distributions were visually examined. Most graves were simple pit constructions (85.5%); 12.9% were tile/stone cist or sarcophagus type burials. These preliminary results suggest that while this region of the southern civilian cemetery was predominantly used by people of lower socio-economic status, some higher status individuals were also buried in this area. This research represents a first step in illuminating the lives of Roman civilians who are often under-represented and overlooked in historical accounts.

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Nicole

  Sussens

  - University of Alberta

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a minimally invasive geophysical equipment commonly used to identify subsurface features. It is used in archaeological contexts because it allows us to visualize the size, shape and material properties of subterranean objects features like graves. This study presents unexpected results of two small-scale GPR surveys conducted in cemeteries within Windsor, Ontario, each of which unveiled surprising results when compared with available data (headstones). In the first case, a plot with two visible headstones was examined in the “pauper’s area” of Windsor Grove Cemetery, and the map view showed a single anomaly. However, examination of the depth slices identified three burials, one of which consisted of a double burial (one person buried atop the other). Archival evidence provided by the cemetery confirmed the double burial. In the second case study at St. John’s Anglican Church, the headstone indicated the burial of a two-year-old. The resultant anomaly was larger than expected, and consistent with surveys of adult burials. In both cases, data from headstones was not consistent with GPR. These cases illustrate the continued importance for archaeologists to use all available data sources when mapping historic cemeteries, and stress the need to focus analysis on depth splices.

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Emmet

  Lee

  - Simon Fraser University
• Ellery

  Proctor

  - Simon Fraser University
• Genevieve

  Wick

  - Simon Fraser University
• Willem

  King

  - Simon Fraser University
• Hua

  Zhang

  - Simon Fraser University
• Farid

  Rahemtulla

  - University of Northern British Columbia
• Dongya

  Yang

  - Simon Fraser University

Located in the Upper Babine River of north-central British Columbia, Smokehouse Island is an archaeological fishery site used by the ancestral Nedut’en (Lake Babine Nation) approximately 1,000 years ago. Previous ancient DNA (aDNA) research identified the sex-selective harvesting of male sockeye salmon—a practice linked to sustainable resource management. Conversely, a small sample of eight Chinook salmon remains showed a female bias, raising a critical question: was this a deliberate sex-selective strategy or simply a result of a limited sample size?

This research addresses the question by analyzing 30 additional Chinook salmon vertebrae from the site. Using a PCR-based approach to amplify fragments of the mitochondrial D-loop and nuclear genome, we identified the species and sex of each bone. Our data seem to confirm a higher harvest of female Chinook salmon, revealing a fishing strategy opposite to that used for sockeye and suggesting an egg-targeting fishery practice.

Our study highlights the efficacy of aDNA analysis for identifying archaeological remains. This genetic information enables precise reconstructions of traditional fishery practices and resource management strategies, enhancing archaeological understanding while contributing to conservation efforts. 

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Damon

  Tarrant

  - Simon Fraser University
• Michael

  Richards

  - Simon Fraser University

Isotope measurements of archaeological tissues and materials can be used to study past diets, mobility, and climates. Our research focuses on the use of these measurements to explore past human and animal mobility. However, to understand the isotope values of archaeological samples we need to compare them to high-resolution baseline isotope maps across regions and landscapes of interest. Until recently, no baseline isotope maps of British Columbia were available, so a main focus of our recent research has been producing these large-scale maps by measuring the sulfur and strontium isotope ratios of modern plants collected from across British Columbia. Our preliminary results examine the major environmental factors that influence the isotopic ratios from the southern coast of British Columbia to the Rocky Mountains, and how these ratios can be used as a baseline for mobility and migration studies. Further, we discuss our ongoing research developing province wide isoscapes for larger scale studies of trade, mobility, migration, and environmental reconstructions across the province.

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Paninnguaq

  Boassen

  - Ilisimatusarfik - University of Greenland
• M. Cecilia

  Porter

  - University of Calgary

This poster specifically engages with the question how better approached Academic – Kalaallit Inuit partnerships can better co-produce and represent knowledge. This question is considered via a case study of the creation of an interactive heritage map for the Aasivissuit – Nipisat UNESCO World Heritage site in West Greenland. Specifically the project team, which comprised one Kalaaleq (Greenlandic Inuk) project staff member and one settler-Canadian researcher, is considered. These differing professional and personal positions brought different prospectives to the work. The poster highlights lessons learned in the development of the map project, as well as key takeaways with regards to pursuing genuine community - academic partnership.  

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Amanda

  Dow

  - WSP Canada Inc. Calgary, Alberta, Canada

In consulting archaeology, the field of sight is limited by constraints related to schedule, budget, and physical boundaries of the proposed development. Occasionally, a find within our field of vision is so discrete and well-defined to suggest an equally tidy conclusion is attainable. However, a recent find made along the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains presents the limitation of definitions and understanding.

This poster introduces a lovely little collection and opens a Pandora’s box deciphering intent. Can we reconstruct the situation in which these objects were created? Or left behind? Can archaeologists interpret meaning in artifacts without questioning what is influencing our opinions of value? Our own appreciation for accumulating material goods should not be projected onto past cultures, nor should modern values of ownership and disposability.

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Joshuah

  Lockett-Harris

  - University of Calgary
• Kathryn

  Reese-Taylor

  - University of Calgary
• Felix

  Kupprat

  - Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
• Armando

  Anaya Hernandez

  - Universidad Autonoma de Campeche
• Debra

  Walker

  - University of Florida

Ancient Maya E Groups – as loci of socio-political continuity, socio-cultural change, and social memory – anchored the growth and development of lowland Maya cities across millennia of urban development, ca. 1000 BCE – 900 CE. Often centrally located, they represent the earliest and longest-lasting formalized lowland architectural arrangements. These solar-oriented plaza-pyramid complexes each had unique developmental histories, but shared similar layouts, with a western pyramid facing across an open plaza towards a long platform surmounted by a smaller eastern pyramid(s). Recent archaeological investigations of the central Brisa E Group at Yaxnohcah documented a two-millennia-plus (1000 BCE- 1250 CE) construction and occupation chronology, with architectural renovations and/or ritual events witnessed in nearly every major period. This demonstrates that the construction, maintenance, and elaboration of its central E Group-style plaza-pyramid complex was integral to the multimillennial development of sociopolitical complexity and urbanism at Yaxnohcah. This poster presents the documented sequence from the central E Group of Yaxnohcah, to identify important moments of material and sociopolitical transformation and continuity.

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Finn

  Ohirko

  - Mount Royal University

I would like to present a poster on my recent field school experience as an undergraduate participant in the K.A.R.P. 2025 field season. I had four weeks of experience excavating a 70 metre range structure at the Ancient Maya site of Ka'kabish. Additionally, the advantage of living at Indian Church Village meant I was able to visit the site of Lamanai which I also touch on in my poster. I  explain the importance of Ka'kabish and Lamanai and where they are located as well as exploring what I learned from my field experience. More specifically, I would like to focus on how Lamanai and Ka'kabish continued occupation during the Post-Classic period after what is commonly mis-identified as the "collapse of the Maya”. Finally, I mention Indian Church Village for their hospitality and their significance in the field work that has been done through K.A.R.P.

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Cadence G.

  Norn

  - Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Mount Royal University
• Arianne

  Boileau

  - Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Mount Royal University

Zooarchaeological remains are critical for understanding past human-animal relationships and broader cultural practices. Yet, their interpretive value often depends on their archaeological context. In legacy collections, this information is frequently absent, leading to their dismissal as having limited research potential.

This study challenges that assumption by analyzing a decontextualized faunal collection housed at Mount Royal University. Although small, the assemblage yields meaningful information about human activities associated with its deposition. Zooarchaeological analysis reveals a hunting practice focused on caribou. Evidence of burning, chop marks, and cut marks indicates intensive carcass processing related to meat preparation, with green-bone fractures suggesting marrow cracking. Skeletal element representation is dominated by appendicular elements, indicating selective transport of high-utility portions and deposition within a primary living space. The presence of additional taxa, including bison, narrows the assemblage’s geographic origins to areas of species overlap, likely within the Arctic. 

Despite the absence of contextual data, patterns of taxonomic abundance and anthropogenic modification remain interpretable. By systematically applying standard zooarchaeological methods, this study demonstrates that legacy collections provide substantive insights into past subsistence practices. More broadly, it highlights the research potential of decontextualized collections that are often overlooked in archaeological repositories.

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Wyatt

  McDonald

  - Lifeways of Canada Limited

Archaeological investigations at Site 550x in Tulita, Northwest Territories, were conducted in advance of construction of a new Parks Canada facility. Excavations revealed heavily mixed deposits containing artifacts from multiple time periods, with limited intact stratigraphy.     

To address this, all temporally diagnostic historic artifacts were systematically analyzed to establish production ranges. Diagnostic attributes such as maker’s marks, manufacturing techniques, and material characteristics, were identified across artifact classes such as glass, ceramics, metals, and ammunition.     

The accumulated data from the assemblage was used to construct a timeline of artifact production, allowing materials to be grouped based on overlapping date ranges. This approach resulted in the identification of three broad components: a Precontact occupation represented by lithic materials, an early 20th-century occupation associated with the Northern Traders Post, and a later 20th-century occupation reflecting continued community use. 

These results demonstrate that even in mixed contexts, production ranges of diagnostic artifacts can provide a framework for separating occupations and reconstructing long-term land use.

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Todd

  Kristensen

  - Archaeological Survey of Alberta
• Emily

  Moffat

  - Archaeological Survey of Alberta
• Jack

  Ives

  - University of Alberta

Over 25,000 projectile points and 1.5 million lithic artifacts from archaeological sites in Alberta inform pre-contact toolstone preferences, mobility patterns, and social connections. Pre-contact people in the province relied heavily on local sedimentary and metamorphic rocks (quartzite, chert, siltstone, quartz, and petrified wood) that were of moderate knapping quality but produced durable tools with long use lives. This suited mobile populations with seasonally-restricted access to supplies and infrequent encounters with people offering higher quality toolstones. While the sourcing potential of sedimentary and metamorphic rock is low, rare exotics (e.g., obsidian, Knife River Flint, Tertiary Hills Clinker, and jade) reveal social networks that connected hunter-gatherers across Alberta and North America. This poster offers an illustrated synthesis of Alberta’s pre-contact lithic raw material use to inform future studies and site-specific evaluations of significance in cultural resource management (CRM).

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Yael

  Toyber

  - Simon Fraser University
• Arianne

  Boileau

  - Mount Royal University
• Grace Hua

  Zhang

  - Simon Fraser University
• Dongya

  Yang

  - Simon Fraser University

The Central American river turtle (Dermatemys mawii) was a culturally and ecologically significant species for Mesoamerican cultures, such as the ancient Maya. Archaeological evidence from Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize highlights its importance in subsistence, status display, and ritual practices. We propose that ancient DNA, if recovered, can provide insights into long-term human–environment interactions.

In this study, six D. mawii skeletal samples from three archaeological sites in Guatemala and Belize were analyzed, spanning ~1,200 years from the peak of the Classic Maya civilization to the Spanish conquest. Mitochondrial ND4 fragments were successfully amplified from all samples, confirming species identity and revealing a unique haplotype and distinct maternal lineage.

These results demonstrate the feasibility of recovering ancient DNA from tropical contexts and highlight the value of archaeological datasets for reconstructing past population diversity. With expanded sampling and analysis of more informative D-loop fragments in the future, we can track temporal and spatial changes in D. mawii populations. This work contributes to biomolecular conservation and could provide insight into the sustainable management and recovery of this critically endangered species.

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Yiorgos

  Tsounis

  - Ember Archaeology
• Ranger

  MacLennan

  - University of Alberta
• Timothy

  Allan

  - Ember Archaeology

The area of Limestone Mountain near Sundre, Alberta, has two archaeological sites (EkPt-3 and ElPu-8) which were excavated by Reeves and Head in 1979. Before a time where radiocarbon dating was common-practice, these sites were dated based on projectile point typologies. The research showcased on this poster focuses on the re-dating of faunal material from both sites. The initial conclusions of the researcher who identified the sites, determined that the age of the sites was from the Middle Precontact Period (ElPu-8) and the Late Precontact Period (EkPt-3). However, the radiocarbon dates from this study shed new light on the occupation of these sites. This study will showcase the results of six radiocarbon dates from ElPu-8 and EkPt-3, and place the sites in the context of the Limestone Mountain chronology. The Suess Effect complicates dating material likely deposited after 1700 AD, and because many of the results indicate that site occupations were from this time period, complications arise about the initial conclusions about site use.

Format: In-Person
Author(s):

• Allison

  Thornitt

  - Ember Archaeology

Zooarchaeological remains from archaeological sites are often poorly preserved and fragmentary when collected in CRM (Cultural Resource Management) settings. Morphologically diagnostic features are rarely retained, making it difficult to identify faunal remains below the class level and contributing to misinterpretations of those remains, which in turn can affect understanding of a particular site. Several sites containing zooarchaeological remains were identified in the Limestone Mountain area of Alberta. Two sites were initially identified and excavated in the 1970s, but an in-depth analysis of the recovered faunal remains had not been completed until now, where both traditional morphometric identification and ZooMS analysis sheds light on the occupations of the sites. ZooMS (Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry) is a relatively recent tool developed to aid in accurate taxonomic identification and a common application of PMF (peptide mass fingerprinting), in archaeological research. This poster will discuss the how the ZooMS analysis was completed on the Limestone faunal remains and its results, alongside a more traditional zooarchaeological analysis of the three sites remains. A broader overview of ZooMS analysis will also be presented; its development, use cases, methods, and limitations.