Deltaterrasserne ("Delta Terraces") is a pre-
Inuit occupation archaeological site located near the head of
Jørgen Brønlund Fjord on the
Peary Land peninsula
A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...
in northern
Greenland. It is one of the largest archaeological sites in Peary Land,
and was discovered in September 1948 by the
Danish explorer and archaeologist
Eigil Knuth during the second summer of the
Danish Pearyland Expedition.
Occupied during the period of 2,050–1,750
BC,
the site contains features of
Independence I
Independence I was a culture of Paleo-Eskimos who lived in northern Greenland and the Canadian Arctic between 2400 and 1900 BC. There has been much debate among scholars on when Independence I culture disappeared, and, therefore, there is a margin ...
and
Independence II cultures.
Function and construction
Deltaterrasserne was constructed of large, terraced stones, ranging from to above sea level.
Knuth named the site's ruins and caches in order of their descending elevation.
These are scattered over of beach terraces in a multicomponent campsite.
The highest of the terrace sites is named Terrace A. Its three ruins contain tent rings, central hearth, charcoal, and a gravel berm periphery, along with a meat
cache. Terrace B is located most centrally within the site and also has the most features, including open-air box hearths and dwellings. Terrace C contains only one feature, a cache with a paved lower floor. Terrace D contains caches, dwellings, and an open-air hearth. Terrace E is the lowest of the terraced ruins and features a
Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...
tent ring. A striking resemblance has been noted between the Deltaterrasserne dwellings with those from northern Eurasia.
Artifacts
Hundreds of organic, faunal, and lithic artifacts were recovered. Organic artifacts included items such as axes, charred
driftwood, pointed sticks, pins, and birch bark rolls. Faunal artifacts included bird, fish, and mammalian remains. Lithic artifacts include burin spalls.
[Grønnow, pp. 126] The most common artifacts were
microblades,
burins,
flint flakers, and bone needles. Some needles exhibited rectangular eyeholes, typical of
Independence II culture, while others had round eyeholes, typical of
Independence I culture.
Found at Terrace B was a side prong fragment for a
leister or bird
dart
Dart or DART may refer to:
* Dart, the equipment in the game of darts
Arts, entertainment and media
* Dart (comics), an Image Comics superhero
* Dart, a character from ''G.I. Joe''
* Dart, a ''Thomas & Friends'' railway engine character
* Dar ...
.
[Grønnow, pp. 130-131]
References
{{Coord, 82, 07, 30, N, 29, 53, 18, W, display=title
Archaeological sites in Greenland
Former populated places in Greenland
Prehistory of the Arctic