Dig reveals some of Quebec City’s archaeological secrets, but location of Champlain’s tomb remains a mystery
Morgan Lowrie
Published December 23, 2018
Updated December 23, 2018
Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press
In the knee-deep mud of a future Quebec City condominium project, it was a spot of dark soil that led archaeologists to uncover the edge of an axe-hewn wooden stake, preserved in wet clay far below the surface.
What eventually emerged last fall was hailed as a major find: a 20-metre segment of a wood palisade, built in 1693 by French troops and settlers to protect against attacks from British and Indigenous groups.
“For the history of Quebec City, it’s extremely important, because these were the first ramparts,†said Jean-Yves Pintal, who led the dig on behalf of archaeological firm Ruralys. “There were small forts before that,†he said, but nothing like the defence these palisades offered.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-dig-reveals-some-of-quebec-citys-archaeological-secrets-but-location/
