Archaeological Project from Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon

At the northern end of the island of Saint-Pierre (Saint-Pierre-and-Miquelon), the coastal habitat of Anse-à-Henry is immediately notable for the concentration of archaeological remains found there. Over more than three hectares, house structures, hearths and activity areas testify to frequent occupations, both by Native Americans (Maritime Archaic / 3000-1200 BC and Recent Tradition (0-1500 AD), as well as by Paleo-Inuit populations (Groswater / 800-100 BC and Dorset / 100-900 AD) and seasonal occupations of European fishermen in the modern era.

The Marchand and Auger team established an initial geomorphological and archaeological assessment of the site. During the 3 fields seasons (2019, 2021 and 2022), the team undertook various types of work in order to put in place this first assessment, but the premature death of our colleague Grégor Marchand unfortunately stopped the current project. Many of the research is currently unfinished, so our objective is to continue work in the field, continue the analyses, publish and make the data accessible.

The project deals with different research topics (prehistory, modern archaeology, paleoenvironment, etc.).
Thus, the work will be structured within several thematic hubs:

– “Prehistoric Archaeology”
Excavations at the Anse-à-Henry site; study of lithic artifacts from the excavations; inventory of archaeological sites on the archipelago.

– “Petroarchaeology and quarries”
Characterization of raw material sources and excavations of extraction quarries

– “Geomorphology”
Marine and coastal geomorphology; Monitoring the effects of marine erosion on the cliffs of the Anse à Henry site; evolution of the sideline, remote sensing on the archipelago through the analysis of LiDAR data.

– “Paleoenvironment”
Research related to the reconstruction of the environment (anthracology, etc.)

– “European Archaeology”
Study of historical and archaeological sources concerning the first European fishermen on the Archipelago.