DIPTERA PUPARIA FROM PRE-HISTORIC GRAVES

Abstract

Archaeological excavation on the Augustine Mound, New Brunswick, Canada is adding new insights into Canada's prehistoric people as well as into entomology. This human burial site (Cfd1-2) consists of an artificially constructed mound of earth, approximately 11 m in diameter and 0.8 m into the gravel subsoil of a river terrace. The site has been dated between 2000 and 2500 years ago, based on cross-dating to other archaeological sites in Eastern North America and on one carbon date of 2330 ± 110 B.P. (F1-344) which was unfortunately from a disturbed context. The artifacts placed with the dead indicate some form of close cultural contact between the people of Atlantic Canada and the American mid-west (Turnbull 1976). The most unusual aspect of the site is the quantity of preserved organic materials recovered from the graves. Many fragmentary pieces of hide, and copper beads (the likely agent of preservation) were found with the dead.