Thomas E. Lee

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other people named Thomas Lee, see Thomas Lee (disambiguation).

Thomas Edward Lee (1914–1982) was an

Laval University's Centre for Northern Studies, Lee discovered the Cartier Site on the Ungava Peninsula
in Quebec.

Early life and education

Thomas Edward Lee was born April 6, 1914, at Port Bruce, Elgin County in southwestern Ontario, Canada. At the University of Michigan and University of Toronto, he studied archaeology.[1]

Career

The Hammer of Thor
Pamiok Island, Longhouse No. 2

Lee started working at the National Museum of Canada soon after completing graduate school. His discoveries while with them include Sheguiandah on Manitoulin Island in 1952. Public interest was raised by the finds, which included a wealth of artifacts. Lee believed he found evidence of four successive cultures. The important find contributed to passage in 1953 of legislation to protect archeological sites in Ontario.[2] Lee returned to the site three more times with teams to undertake thorough evaluation of the artifacts and the geology.[3]

Sheguiandah has also been excavated by other teams, including Storck and Patrick Julig, who disagreed with some of Lee's conclusions. All agree the site has evidence of

Archaic
cultures, dating to about 10,000 BCE.

In 1960, he was commissioned to study the former 1660 Des Ormeaux battle site in Long Sault, Ontario.

When Lee's mentor was ousted from the National Museum, Lee resigned out of loyalty. He did not gain full-time archaeological work until he took a position with

Laval University
. He taught there for the rest of his career.

In 1964, Lee investigated the Cartier Site at

inukshuk
, a type of stone landmark.

In 1970, Lee excavated & researched

longhouses on Pamiok Island, Ungava Bay, near Kangirsuk.[4][5]

The Cartier Site revealed stone foundations, similar to other discoveries in the Canadian Arctic. Lee thought these to be "temporary shelters built by Norse voyagers visiting the region around A.D. 1000". [6] This would make these sites the same age as L'Anse aux Meadows.

Lee revisited the site of his 1952 discovery at Manitoulin Island, Ontario. While being a resident in

Ottawa, Ontario
, he had died on August 2, 1982.

See also

  • Hammer of Thor (monument) - thought by Lee to be a monument erected by the Vikings, on the Ungava Peninsula in northern Quebec

References

  1. ^ Lee, Thomas E. (1954). "The First Sheguiandah Expedition, Manitoulin Island, Ontario", American Antiquity 20:2, p. 101, accessed 13 Apr 2010
  2. ^ Lee, Thomas E. (1955). "The Second Sheguiandah Expedition, Manitoulin Island, Ontario", American Antiquity 21:1, p. 63, accessed 13 Apr 2010
  3. ISBN 0-660-18755-8
  4. ISBN 0889284008
    .
  5. ISBN 978-1-883642-56-3
    .
  6. ISBN 978-1-883642-56-3
    .
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thomas_E._Lee&oldid=1230162706"