Abstract

The Scots Bay Archaeological Project involves field work and community outreach in the Minas Basin area of central Nova Scotia. The focus of the field work component is the excavation of three prehistoric sites involved in the local lithic industry; a quarry site at Davidson Cove, a workshop/habitation site at Clam Cove and a living site in the present village of Scots Bay. The major goals of the field work are (1) to determine how long the lithic sources at Scots Bay were being exploited and by whom and (2) to increase our understanding of the processes of lithic quarrying, processing and distribution in this region. The outreach component of the project introduces the archaeological project to the local community through informal presentations, workshops, on-site visits, and opportunities for volunteering. The provincial government has recently purchased the point of land beyond the community (Cape Split) and is planning to expand an existing system of hiking trails in order to promote tourism in the area. Since Clam Cove and other sties are located on this cape, we are also exploring the potential for archaeological tourism.