Bowdoin College Labrador Archaeology Project 1993-95

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Archaeologists have constructed a broad overview of the culture history of the Labrador Inuit using archaeological and ethnohistorical data, and have identified environmental, historical, demographic, and socioeconomic factors that might have affected cultural developments during the past 600 years. Of particular interest has been the evolution of distinctive 18th century communities characterized by large centrally located settlements with communal houses, long-distance trade networks, explicit displays of wealth and strong leadership. Different hypotheses have been posed to explain this development including climate change, population growth, and socioeconomic changes growing out of contact with Europeans. This three-year excavation project is designed to test these hypotheses using settlement materials. The results will contribute to our knowledge of climate change and human adaptation in the Arctic and relate to global change issues.