A Predictive Model of Prehistoric Activity Location for Thunder Bay District, Ontario

Conference Paper

Abstract

This paper will summarize in fifteen minutes, three years of research conducted for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources by the Centre for Archaeological Resource Prediction, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay. The result of this research is a predictive model of prehistoric activity location that combines two of the traditional methods for developing predictive models. An 'inductive archaeologist's model' and a 'deductive cultural model' are combined to develop maps presuming favourable locations for the existence of archaeological sites. Three examples of this model's application will be presented and avenues of future work will be discussed.