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Archaeology Teaching Lab

 

The Archaeology Teaching Lab

This classroom is equipped with state-of-the-art audio visual aids to facilitate teaching and student presentations, as well as all the necessary equipment required for analytical procedures in archaeology.  This lab is furnished with display cases that demonstrate the archaeological process and highlight artifacts from the department's archaeological research collections.


Student Research Area

This area is reserved for undergraduate students who wish to work on their projects outside of normal class time.  Equipped with a computer, scanner and laser printer, this area also facilitates document and map preparation. 

Wet Lab

Access to this area is restricted to those individuals who have completed their required health and safety training.  This space offers students the opportunity to prepare their own skeletal specimen as part of ANTH 3X03 -  Zooarchaeology.  It is equipped with an exhaust hood, sinks, and all the necessary dissection equipment.  The wet lab also serves as an area for flotation of archaeobotanical specimens, bulk sediment analysis, and the cleaning and processing of shell-midden matrix.

 The Outdoor Lab for Experimental Art and Archaeology (OLEAA)


Archaeology Resources and Equipment

Zooarchaeology Teaching Collection - There are over 70 comparative faunal specimens used in teaching and research.  The collection contains small and large mammals, and various avian and fish species from Ontario, as well as faunal samples from the Arctic and the Northwest Coast. 

Comparative Ceramic Collection - This collection features different types of clays, decorative styles and manufacturing techniques from across Ontario.

Comparative Lithic Collection - This collection contains an array of stone-tool types commonly found across Ontario, as well as raw material sources, and specimens from each stage of the lithic manufacturing process. 

Comparative Botanical Collection - An assortment of over 180 different macro- and micro-remains as well as digitized images from both modern and archaeological contexts are available.  The collection focuses on the edible fruit and vegetable plants of Ontario and the Northwest Coast.

Microscopy and Digital Imaging - The archaeology lab has several stereo microscopes with 2x, 4x, 10x, magnification as well as a Nikon Digital Zoom microscope and imagining system.  This powerful microscope system is connected to a computer where digital analysis can be done in real time, and projected onto a screen to facilitate learning the techniques of digital microscopy in the classroom. 

Archaeological Research Collections

The archaeological research collections housed by the Department of Archaeology consist of over 500,000 individual items.  The collection is used by students and faculty in research, and we welcome scholars from other institutions to use our lab facilities while conducting research.

The Research Collections consist of three main bodies:

Ethnographic Collection - Over 200 pieces of historic material culture from across North America, Australia, and Africa.

Donated and Ontario Collections - Over 20,000 artifacts from archaeological sites across Ontario, this collection features individual donations, but also the Rutherford Smith Collection as well as the A.E. Wood Collection of Ontario artifacts.

Archaeological Research Collections - This collection consists of partially and fully excavated sites from across Ontario.  The collection focuses primarily on Neutral Iroquoian sites from Southwestern Ontario, but also includes sites from Central and Northern Ontario.

 

For questions regarding the lab facilities and archaeological collections please contact:     

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