Before Ontario there was ice. As the last ice age came to an end, land began to emerge from the melting glaciers. With time, plants and animals moved into the new landscape and people followed. For almost 15,000 years, the land that is now Ontario has provided a home for their descendants: hundreds of generations of First Peoples. With contributions from the province's leading archaeologists, Before Ontario provides both an outline of Ontario's ancient past and an easy to understand explanation of how archaeology works. The authors show how archaeologists are able to study items as diverse as fish bones, flakes of stone, and stains in the soil to reconstruct the events and places of a distant past - fishing parties, long-distance trade, and houses built to withstand frigid winters. Presenting new insights into archaeology’s purpose and practice, Before Ontario bridges the gap between the modern world and a past that can seem distant and unfamiliar, but is not beyond our reach. Contributors include Christopher Ellis (University of Western Ontario), Neal Ferris (University of Western Ontario/Museum of Ontario Archaeology), William Fox (Canadian Museum of Civilization/Royal Ontario Museum), Scott Hamilton (Lakehead University), Susan Jamieson (Trent University Archaeological Research Centre - TUARC), Mima Kapches (Royal Ontario Museum), Anne Keenleyside (TUARC), Stephen Monckton (Bioarchaeological Research), Marit Munson (TUARC), Kris Nahrgang (Kawartha Nishnawbe First Nation), Suzanne Needs-Howarth (Perca Zooarchaeological Research), Cath Oberholtzer (TUARC), Michael Spence (University of Western Ontario), Andrew Stewart (Strata Consulting Inc.), Gary Warrick (Wilfrid Laurier University), and Ron Williamson (Archaeological Services Inc).

Marit K. Munson's profile page

Susan M. Jamieson's profile page

Marit K. Munson is associate professor of anthropology at Trent University.

Susan M. Jamieson is professor of anthropology at Trent University.

“Before Ontario is the result of extensive experience, knowledge, and understanding. This group of authors represents the major, active, and long-established authorities of archaeology in Ontario. As such, they have provided the best scholarly input that such a book could, and should, be based upon.” Jean-Luc Pilon, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Carleton University

“[Before Ontario] provides a good overview of Ontario’s prehistory by those who have helped construct it, and people interested in archaeology will … be fascinated by the authors’ engaging discussions of their own research and the numerous case studies they describe.” American Antiquity

“This book is a marvel. It successfully presents state-of-the-art knowledge of Ontario, Canada archaeology simultaneously to professional, paraprofessional, and public audiences. It brings together accomplished regional archaeologists, seamlessly melding together chapters by fifteenauthors. Throughout, the voice is pitch-perfect, clearly explicating the complexities of archaeology at all phases from fieldwork to analysis and interpretation without jargon. Few edited volumes of this scale and scope achieve such clarity and accessibility. This could be used as a textbook at high school, college and graduate school levels, yet retains the feel and style of an academic edited volume. It is a role model of crossing the boundaries of today’s archaeology. [There is a] canyon of practice and realities between Ontario and neighboring New York State. The international boundary has isolated the two sides both methodologically and theoretically. This excellent volume provides an opportunity for archaeologists outside Ontario to catch up quickly on the regional state of the art, erase our isolation and better produce interregional comparisons and envision cooperative projects.” Journal of Anthropological Research