ANT 315H - ARCTIC ARCHAEOLOGY

Prof. Max Friesen max.friesen@utoronto.ca Office: Anthropology 400A McLennan Physical Laboratories Rm. 137, Tuesdays 5-7 Overview: Despite its harsh environment, the North American Arctic has seen the development of a series of diverse and successful societies. In this course, the culture history of the region will be explored as both the intrinsically valuable record of Inuit and related peoples, and a case study for the examination of general anthropological issues, including adaptation to "marginal" environments, variability in hunter-gatherer social organization, and the nature of indigenous interaction with the expanding European World-System. Data will be drawn from both the ethnographic and archaeological records, in order to provide a comprehensive view of the Arctic past, with an emphasis on the eastern Arctic (northern Canada and Greenland). The course will consist of one two-hour lecture per week. Course Information: Announcements, assignments, readings, and other course materials will be made available through the ANT 315 course web site, available through the U of T Portal. Students are required to check this web site regularly. Textbook: Maxwell, Moreau (1985). Prehistory of the Eastern Arctic. Academic Press, Orlando. A reprint of this out-of-print book can be purchased at the U of T Bookstore. Other Required Readings: Other articles and book chapters will be placed on the ANT 315 course web site. Marking Scheme: - Map Quiz (Jan. 17) - Book Review of Arctic archaeological site report (max. 4 pages) (Feb. 14, in class) - Essay (8-10 pages) (Mar. 20, in class) - Term Test (Apr. 3, in class)

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n.b.1: In all cases, page numbers for written work refer to single-sided, double-spaced (not 1.5), 12-point (not 11 point) font printing. These page numbers refer to text only; references cited, figures, and tables can add additional pages. n.b.2: For all written work, a late penalty of 10% per day, including weekends, will be applied, unless a relevant medical note is submitted. n.b.3: Written work must be submitted as a hard copy; electronic submissions will not be accepted.

ANT 315H Arctic Archaeology

Preliminary Topic Outline

Jan. 10 Jan. 17

Introduction to Course Overview of Recent Inuit Culture, Part 1 - An outline of the ethnographic record to set the stage for the course Map Quiz Overview of Recent Inuit Culture, Part 2 The Arctic Environment - Climate, landscapes, flora, and fauna Doing Archaeology in the Arctic - Advantages and disadvantages of fieldwork in remote Arctic locations The Arctic Small Tool tradition in the Western Arctic - ASTt origins in the Bering Strait region and development in Alaska Site Report Review due in class Reading Week No Class The Peopling of the Eastern Arctic - Spread of the ASTt into the Canadian Arctic and Greenland - Early culture and adaptations Development of the Dorset tradition - Eastern Arctic culture history to A.D. 1300 The end of Dorset and the origin of the Thule Tradition - The enigmatic disappearance of Terminal Dorset culture in the eastern Arctic - Development of whale hunting societies in Alaska and their migration east Development of the Thule tradition Essay due in class Development of Recent Inuit Culture - Adaptation to new environments and interaction with Europeans Term Test (covers all lectures and readings to date)

Jan. 24 Jan. 31

Feb. 7

Feb. 14

Feb. 21 Feb. 28

Mar. 6

Mar. 13

Mar. 20

Mar. 27

Apr. 3