The Little Shaver Site:
Exploring Site Structure and Excavation Methodology on a Small Unploughed Site


Peter Timmins
Ministry of Transportation - Southwest Region
London, Ontario

Abstract:  Excavations conducted in 1991 on the Little Shaver site, located 
near Ancaster, Ontario, yielded substantive data concerning Middle Archaic 
(Brewerton) and Early Woodland (Meadowood) settlement patterns and site 
structure. Highly controlled excavations were conducted to assess the 
utility of piece plotting compared to shovel excavation. Current models of 
hunter-gatherer site formation were applied to the Little Shaver data. 
This analysis highlights the need to maximize the information potential of 
small undisturbed sites while at the same time refining models of 
hunter-gatherer site formation.