Thomas E. Lee
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Thomas Edward Lee (1914–1982) was an
archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
for the
National Museum of Canada The national museums of Canada () are the nine museums in Canada designated under the federal ''Museums Act'' and operated by the Government of Canada. The national museums are responsible for "preserving and promoting the heritage of Canada and al ...
in the 1950s. He was the discoverer of Sheguiandah on
Manitoulin Island Manitoulin Island ( ) is an island in Lake Huron, located within the borders of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, in the bioregion known as Laurentia (bioregion), Laurentia. With an area of , it is the Lake ...
. Public interest in the find contributed to passage in
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
of a bill to protect archeological sites. While working with
Laval University Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxe ...
'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 The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
and
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
, he studied archaeology.


Career

Lee started working at the National Museum of Canada soon after completing graduate school. His discoveries while with them include Sheguiandah on
Manitoulin Island Manitoulin Island ( ) is an island in Lake Huron, located within the borders of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, in the bioregion known as Laurentia (bioregion), Laurentia. With an area of , it is the Lake ...
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. Lee returned to the site three more times with teams to undertake thorough evaluation of the artifacts and the geology.Robert E. Lee, Chapter 2, ''The Sheguiandah Site: Archaeological, geological and paleobotanical studies at a Paleoindian site on Manitoulin Island, Ontario'', ed. Patrick Julig (2002), Toronto: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 2002. 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
Paleo-Indian Paleo-Indians were the first peoples who entered and subsequently inhabited the Americas towards the end of the Late Pleistocene period. The prefix ''paleo-'' comes from . The term ''Paleo-Indians'' applies specifically to the lithic period in ...
and 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 Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxe ...
. He taught there for the rest of his career. In 1964, Lee investigated the Cartier Site at Payne Lake on Quebec's Ungava Peninsula. He thought it could be the earliest European settlement in North America. (This conclusion was extrapolated from results of
carbon dating Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon. The method was ...
.) He found a stone landmark which Inuit tradition said had preceded their arrival in the area. Thinking it to be an artifact of
Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9â ...
exploration, Lee named it " Hammer of Thor". Some scholars believe it may be an ancient Inuit '' inukshuk'', a type of stone landmark. In 1970, Lee excavated & researched
longhouses A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building for communal dwelling. It has been built in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe, and North America. Many were built from timber and often re ...
on Pamiok Island, Ungava Bay, near Kangirsuk. 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". This would make these sites the same age as ''
L'Anse aux Meadows L'Anse aux Meadows () is an archaeological site, first excavated in the 1960s, of a Norse colonization of North America, Norse settlement dating to approximately 1,000 years ago. The site is located on the northernmost tip of the island of Newf ...
''. Lee revisited the site of his 1952 discovery at Manitoulin Island, Ontario. While being a resident in
Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
, 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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Thomas E 1982 deaths 1914 births University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni University of Toronto alumni 20th-century Canadian archaeologists