Southwold Earthworks
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2014) |
Neutral people | |
| Site notes | |
|---|---|
| Excavation dates | 1935, 1976 |
| Management | Parks Canada |
| Public access | Yes |
| Website | Parks Canada |
| Official name | Southwold Earthworks National Historic Site |
| Designated | 1923 |
The Southwold Earthworks is the remains of a pre-contact village site of the
Background
Occupied between AD 1450 and 1550, it is located in
The site consists of an oval ring of earthworks enclosing archaeological remains of a double palisade and village, which may have included up to 24 longhouses. Estimated to have originally been about 0.8 hectares (2 acres) in size, the village was surrounded by a double ring of earthworks, which served as the foundation for a double ring of upright pickets or palisades, which completely circled the village. The main entrance was believed to have been located at the northeast corner of the earthworks. Two other openings, one on the northwest and one in the southern section of the perimeter, permitted a small stream to flow between the rows of palisades.
Heritage recognition
The Southwold Earthworks was one of the first sites considered for official recognition by the
Archaeological investigations
Two major archaeological investigations were conducted at Southwold Earthworks, in 1935 during the Great Depression and in 1976. Oral tradition within the local Oneida community recounts that Southwold was used as a ceremonial site, which was enclosed by the palisade so that activities taking place within the village were screened from the view of people outside the wall. According to the same oral tradition, the site would have been occupied not as a year-round village, but as a seasonal place of pilgrimage. The palisade was not defensive in nature, but protected a center for healing and purification rituals.
Archaeologists found the site atypical of Neutral villages of the period: it is located on flat land with no natural defensive advantages and, despite the presence of apparent fortifications, it contains no evidence of ever having been attacked. Although archaeological estimates of site population were that about 800 people could have lived there, the site has little evidence of the refuse and garbage of occupation.
References
- ^ Southwold Earthworks, Directory of Designations of National Historic Significance of Canada
- ^ Southwold Earthworks. Canadian Register of Historic Places.
Further reading
- Jury, Wilfrid (December 1946). "Southwold Prehistoric Earthworks". .
External links
