For many years archaeologist have considered the earliest known Iroquoian villages to be poorly organized assemblages of structures, features, and associated artifacts. A first glance at the excavation map of the Early Iroquoian Calvert site could certainly muster support for such a view. Located in the Thames River valley of southwestern Ontario, the site encompasses a variety of structures including at least fourteen houses, several palisade walls, and thousands of pits, hearths, and artifacts.

This inquiry develops a method of unraveling the seemingly chaotic elements of the Calvert site to reveal an orderly evolution in its occupation history. couched in a clearly articulated theoretical perspective, the study offers and analysis of general interest to all archaeologists who seek to understand complex sites and their modes of formation. In addition, it shed new light on the earliest period of ancient Iroquoian history.