Archaeology and the Meanderings of the Annapolis River: A View from the Boswell Site

Abstract

Boswell (BfDf-08) is the first precontact archaeological site to be excavated along the Annapolis River, in north-central Nova Scotia. Therefore, it is the baseline for our understanding of former Indigenous occupation for this entire drainage system. Thus far, the site has revealed a cultural sequence beginning with the Transitional (or Terminal) Archaic (ca. 4100–2700 BP), followed by Middle and Late Woodland (ca. 2500–1500 BP) occupations. Subsistence activities at the site included fishing, hunting of beaver and birds, and the collection of edible berries and nuts. The deeply stratified sediments at the site give an indication of why so few sites and private collections have been recorded along the Annapolis River. Based on the Boswell excavation, the authors recommend a new strategy for future archaeological work in this understudied part of the province.