.:Why Do I Need to Have an

Archaeological Assessment Done?

This is a commonly asked question by many people in the planning and development industry.

Simply put, archaeological assessments are performed to determine whether there is any historical or cultural value to a piece of property; whether it be an open farm field, an already existing building or a large tract of forest.

Culture and history are intangible elements of our past and future societies and are presented to us through not just the actions of the players at the time, but in the places they visited and physical evidence they left behind. In Ontario these resources run rich and deep, stretching back 10,000 or more years, and encompassing many cultures and societies, most of whom no longer exist.

It is our job as archaeologists to identify and preserve these cultural resources when and where possible and, when preservation is not possible, to record as much information as we can before the resource is lost forever.

To help you understand what archaeologists look for when determining the cultural/historical potential of a property please review this checklist provided by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

Please look under the heading Archaeology Potential Calls and download the "checklist" pdf file. www.mtc.gov.on.ca/en/archaeology/archaeology_glossary.shtmls.