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British Columbia Prehistory
FLADMARK, K, R,: BRITISH COLUMBIA PREHISTORY, OTTAWA, ONTARIO, 1986, x 150 p, fotografias,Encuadernacion original, Nuevo,
150 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1986
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June 11, 2025
This volume provides a comprehensive overview of British Columbia (BC) archaeological research up to forty years ago, presented in a concise format with effective illustrations. It is written in an accessible style, complemented by interesting fictional vignettes depicting life across various prehistoric periods and locations within BC.
You always learn something new. I didn’t know that red cedar was rare in BC until four millennia ago. I didn’t know the locals grew tobacco here in prehistoric times (chewed in a mix with roasted, ground seashells). I didn’t know that Northwest Coast indigenous people used atlatls, although these fell out of use in historic times.
Fladmark categorizes BC into five zones: North, Central, and Southern Coast, Subarctic, and Plateau Interior. He divides prehistory into early, middle, and late periods, noting that only the coast has an earlier period classified as a lithic stage based on pebble tools.
In this volume, Fladmark adheres to the Bering Strait land bridge theory regarding the migration of indigenous people to North America. While acknowledging evidence of human presence over 20,000 years ago, he posits that substantial populations arrived only after 13,000 BCE. Fladmark later supported the theory of ocean-going hunters settling North America.
Research on coastal sites prior to 13,000 BCE has been challenging due to significant sea level fluctuations caused by glacial movements during the last ice age, resulting in some sites being located up mountainsides while others are submerged under the Pacific Ocean.
Fladmark is an emeritus professor from Simon Fraser University (SFU), which is close to my home. I hadn’t even realized that they have a Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography there, so now I plan to make a visit. I contacted Fladmark via his emeritus email on SFU's website for recommendations on more recent summaries of archaeological research about BC, I have yet to receive a response. 😊
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I visited the SFU museum today, which was fun. Here’s a link to some photos of their (small) public collection:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/r_and_t_pet...
You always learn something new. I didn’t know that red cedar was rare in BC until four millennia ago. I didn’t know the locals grew tobacco here in prehistoric times (chewed in a mix with roasted, ground seashells). I didn’t know that Northwest Coast indigenous people used atlatls, although these fell out of use in historic times.
Fladmark categorizes BC into five zones: North, Central, and Southern Coast, Subarctic, and Plateau Interior. He divides prehistory into early, middle, and late periods, noting that only the coast has an earlier period classified as a lithic stage based on pebble tools.
In this volume, Fladmark adheres to the Bering Strait land bridge theory regarding the migration of indigenous people to North America. While acknowledging evidence of human presence over 20,000 years ago, he posits that substantial populations arrived only after 13,000 BCE. Fladmark later supported the theory of ocean-going hunters settling North America.
Research on coastal sites prior to 13,000 BCE has been challenging due to significant sea level fluctuations caused by glacial movements during the last ice age, resulting in some sites being located up mountainsides while others are submerged under the Pacific Ocean.
Fladmark is an emeritus professor from Simon Fraser University (SFU), which is close to my home. I hadn’t even realized that they have a Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography there, so now I plan to make a visit. I contacted Fladmark via his emeritus email on SFU's website for recommendations on more recent summaries of archaeological research about BC, I have yet to receive a response. 😊
---------------------------------------
I visited the SFU museum today, which was fun. Here’s a link to some photos of their (small) public collection:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/r_and_t_pet...
Displaying 1 of 1 review