The cooking pots of Canadian Basque sites: new arguments for old problems

Summary

When the first whaling stations were excavated in Canada in the 1980s, the pottery we bring to the discussion became one of the Basque settlements’ index fossils. It consists of ovoid shaped pots decorated with applied bands. Although the first studies showed that the pottery was not Basque, its origin has been difficult to pinpoint and many propositions are still put forward. We have been able to approach the issue in some depth by using several techniques to study pieces of pottery of the same type recovered in the Basque Country. The techniques include X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The characteristics of the materials used in the pottery lead us to discard some of the origins proposed and consider new possibilities. Moreover, on the basis of the pottery’s morphological and decorative features, we seek to suggest the most likely centre of production.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Archaeology of Basque Fisheries throughout the Atlantic, a Reappraisal   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-16,03