Interpreting Iroquoian site structure through geophysical prospection and soil chemistry: Insights from a coalescent community in Ontario, Canada

Abstract

In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries A.D., northern Iroquoian communities in southern Ontario and upper New York State came together into large, palisaded village aggregates. Over time, these coalescent communities exhibit increasing degrees of socio-political complexity and reorganization of the built environment. This paper employs magnetic gradiometry, magnetic susceptibility, and soil phosphate analysis to help infer the settlement structure of Spang, a coalescent community located east of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The results are interpreted with reference to the fully-excavated Draper and Mantle sites, occupied before and after Spang in this contiguous community relocation sequence. The results suggest the potential presence of longhouses, a palisade, and a central plaza consistent with increased community integration over time. As geophysical prospection is infrequently employed on Iroquoian village sites, the results suggest the potential of these techniques as components of research designs employed by researchers and cultural resource managers.