Abstract

From 1987 through 1989, archaeological excavations have been conducted at the Inge-va estate in Perth, Ontario, under the auspices of The Ontario Heritage Foundation. Built in 1823, Inge-va represents one of the fmest Neo-Classical Georgian houses in eastern Ontario. While only occupied by three families since its construction, the archaeological work has focused on the Radenhurst family and in particular, the excavation of an abandoned privy pit deposit which uncovered over 15,000 artifacts in 1988. The large number of ceramic vessels recovered from this discrete feature and the high degree of vessel completeness allowed several analytical and cultural questions to be addressed. Primary data analysis was accomplished with a 4GL relational database, ORACLE. A detailed stratigraphic analysis using a Harris matrix allowed the deposit to be organized into discrete depositional events. These were used as the basis for exploring post-depositional disturbance to the ceramic assemblage as a first step towards developing socio-economic and behavioral inferences.