Abstract

This paper presents a case study to illustrate the practical application of a method for prehistoric site potential mapping in regional studies described by the authors in 1991. The study area is located in the Canadian Shield of north central Ontario. The method described emphasizes a contextual approach incorporating both ecological and cultural data for assessing archaeological potential. Cultural data (ethnographic, ethnohistorical, archaeological) are reviewed to derive general settlement and land-use models. Enviromnental attributes associated with the settlement and land-use patterns are selected and mapped at a scale of 1:50,000 using a GIS. Specific examples of the mapped attributes will be reviewed. The individual mapped attributes are then overlaid to identify the range of environmental situations. The resulting patterns are analyzed to provide a ranking of areas of archaeological potential.