Arts and culture

ARCHAELOGY

For more information about archaeologcal sites in Quebec, go to :  www.archeoquebec.com

Site of archaeological searches

Phone: (819) 583-4411 poste 231 Fax: (819) 583-5344 E-mail: mailto:pierre.corbeil@cldgranit.qc.ca Website: http://www.culture-megantic.qc.ca/

The site is not open to the public. Since 2001, the School of searches of the Department of anthropology of the University of Montreal bustles on the territory of the MRC of the Granite. A group consisted of professors and trainees studies minutely the ground and the basement around lakes, in search of the indications of an ancient human occupation. The long-term objective of their researches consists in reconstituting the Amerindian history of the region and it, the arrival of the first human groups until the period of the contact with the Europeans. In the term of the first sixty days of excavations realized in 2001 and 2002, more 30 000 artefacts were taken by the ground of Méganticois. The archaeologists are henceforth capable of establishing the presence of two temporary camps on sites "Gros bouleau" and "du Chalet" in the sector of the dump of the lake of municipality of Frontenac. The human presence on these sites goes back up to the archaic period, that is more than 8 000 years before today. The identity of the groups nomads who circulate in Méganticois is not confirmed, but it is possible that it is about ancestors of the Abenaquis Indians. In summer, 2003, the team of the School of searches of the University of Montreal discovers on the site " Cliche-Rancourt " of the stone objects cut bury in the ground of a terrace overhanging the Araignées river in the Municipality of Frontenac. Three advanced fragments with groove of former Paléoindien are brought to light for the first time on the Quebecois territory. These invaluable objects constitute the most ancient indications of the human occupation in Quebec. This human occupation goes back up to more than 12 000 years before today. Stemming from the tradition American western native Clovis, it distinguishes itself by the way of cutting the points of lance by fitting out couvrantes grooves there. Objects similar to those of Méganticois were already found on archeological sites of Maine, New Hampshire, of the Vermont as well as in Ontario and in the Nova Scotia. The removal of a groove from the base represents a delicate technical gesture which can easily break the point. This groove has for main function to facilitate the emmanchement of the point in a wooden handle. It is important to know that the site of archaeological searches is only reserved for the researchers-archaeologists.