It’s that time of year again! As the screens are folded, the shovels stowed, cameras tucked away in their bags, everyone’s toes are about to be toasty warm in their slippers at home and the field season is coming to a close… which means it’s time for our Field Photo Contest! Join us in voting for your favorites in each of the four categories: Fieldwork, Above Ground Heritage, Artifacts, and the always popular, Nature! Be sure to scroll all the way down so you don’t miss any of this year’s magnificent submissions. Voting is anonymous until voting ends on Friday, December 8th at 4pm. Once we rel ..read more

To celebrate #InternationalArchaeologyDay, join us for a behind-the-scenes peek at a day in the life of an Ontario field archaeologist! Have you ever wondered what it takes to be an archaeologist? Our staff gets to flex all kinds of muscles on an average workday, including (but by no means limited to): A love of the outdoors (and all the varied weather that comes with working outside)? Check! Keen attention to detail for spotting tiny artifacts or subtle changes in soil colour? Check! Ability to work in a tight-knit team? Check! Get fit at work? Check! Come see what life is like for an Ontar ..read more

We are lucky to have fantastic staff who have taken stunning photos across our 2022 Field Season! This year is our 7th year running our Field Photo Contest which brings to light the incredible landscapes, wonderful wildlife, and onsite comradery! The photos are organized into four categories: Fieldwork, Above Ground Heritage, Artifacts, and Nature. lease ensure you scroll to the bottom to see all the photos and categories, and vote for your favourite in each one! We’re running the contest anonymously this year until voting ends on Friday, December 9th at 4pm. Once the winners are announced, al ..read more

2021 has been a year filled with amazing projects, all documented by the talented photographers we have on staff! This is our sixth year running this contest to give our amazing employees their due. The photos are organized into four categories: Above Ground Heritage, Fieldwork, Artifacts, and Nature.  Make sure you scroll down right to the bottom to see all the photos in all the categories, and vote for your favourite in each one! We’re running the contest anonymously this year until voting ends on Monday, November 29th. Once the winner is announced, all photos will be credited with the ..read more

For National Indigenous People’s Day, we are highlighting the artistry of beads that we have recovered from Indigenous archaeological sites and celebrating the innovative beading of contemporary Indigenous artists. After sharing the careful craftsmanship and manufacturing process of excavated beads, we will be profiling four inspiring Indigenous artists who are finding new meaning in their craft. Indigenous beadwork often involves meticulous embroidery using colourful glass beads, which were first introduced to North America through European trade. From an archaeological perspective, the impo ..read more

A Detailed Ceramic Analysis of the Sidey-Mackey Site The Sidey-Mackay site is a Tionontaté village that dates to approximately 1580 and is located close to present-day Creemore, Ontario. This was once the home of several hundred people who built longhouses, cultivated the land to grow the three sisters, and created beautiful objects including ceramic vessels. The village was located on a flat terrace above the Mad river valley offering a nice view and plentiful resources. Excavation History of the Sidey-Mackey Site The first written reference to the site appears in the Collingwood Saturday ..read more

It’s that time of year again when we admire all of the amazing photographers we have on staff! We hope you enjoy this little glimpse into the world of archaeologists and cultural heritage workers. In the last four years we have had such a wealth of great photos, that this year we decided to organize the submissions into four categories: Fieldwork, Artifacts, Above Ground Heritage, and Nature.  Make sure you scroll down right to the bottom to see all the photos in all the categories, and vote for your favourite in each one! We’re running the contest anonymously this year until voting ends ..read more

The Challenges of Curating Early Plastic Artifacts in Archaeological Collections Earlier this fall we pulled a small archaeological collection out of our archive only to discover a minor disaster. An artifact made from an early form of plastic was beginning to decompose, releasing gas into the rest of the collection. The result was a fragmented artifact, partially melted archive-quality plastic bags, and bags and provenience cards whose recorded information had faded to an almost illegible bright yellow. Our problematic artifact was a faux tortoiseshell hair comb which was likely made from c ..read more

It’s that time of year again when we admire all of the amazing photographers we have on staff! We hope you enjoy this little glimpse into the world of archaeologists and cultural heritage workers. These photos show the range of field experiences at ASI, whether encountering a natural landscape, a unique building, an exciting artifact, or just fun times out in the field!  We’re running the contest anonymously this year until voting ends on Thursday, December 12th. Once the winner is announced, all photos will be credited with the photographer’s name. Happy voting! You can open ea ..read more

It’s a spooky time of year, and we decided to have a little Halloween fun! We challenged our crews to decorate their screens, and they were all so creative! Scroll down to look at all their entries, and vote for your favourite below. Allanah Macdonald‘s crew showed their love of gaming with their submission! Raquel Smith, Leanne Ruston, Marci Nash, Allanah Macdonald, Nathan Garcia, and Andrew Howarth all pose with their Tallbird screen, from the Don’t Starve video game. Erika Johannsen‘s crew put together a last minute costume that turned out amazing! This minecraft creeper just popped ..read more