Dorset culture

E384773

The Dorset culture was a prehistoric Arctic society that preceded the Thule Inuit, known for its distinctive stone tools, art, and adaptation to high-latitude environments across northern Canada and Greenland.

All labels observed (3)

Label Occurrences
Dorset culture canonical 5
Early Dorset 1
Late Dorset 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (79)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Paleo-Eskimo culture ⓘ
archaeological culture ⓘ
prehistoric Arctic culture ⓘ
archaeologicalEvidence art objects ⓘ
burials ⓘ
house ruins ⓘ
middens ⓘ
archaeologicalPhase Early Dorset ⓘ
linked to: Dorset culture

Late Dorset ⓘ
linked to: Dorset culture

Middle Dorset ⓘ
archaeologicalSite Cape Dorset ⓘ
Disko Bay ⓘ
Foxe Basin ⓘ
Igloolik region ⓘ
linked to: Qikiqtaaluk Region

Port Refuge ⓘ
artForm engraved ivory objects ⓘ
maskettes ⓘ
small carved figurines ⓘ
artStyle highly stylized animal figures ⓘ
highly stylized human figures ⓘ
associatedWith Paleoeskimo tradition ⓘ
chronologyMethod radiocarbon dating ⓘ
climateAdaptation high-latitude Arctic environments ⓘ
continent North America ⓘ
country Canada ⓘ
Greenland ⓘ
didNotUse bow and arrow ⓘ
dog traction ⓘ
disappearanceCause climate change hypothesis ⓘ
possible introduced diseases ⓘ
replacement by Thule Inuit hypothesis ⓘ
dwellingType semi-subterranean houses ⓘ
snow houses ⓘ
economy hunter-gatherer ⓘ
endTime c. 1500 CE ⓘ
ethnicGroup Paleo-Eskimo peoples ⓘ
floruit Late Prehistoric period ⓘ
followedBy Inuit ⓘ
Thule culture ⓘ
geneticContinuityWithInuit low or absent ⓘ
languageFamily unknown ⓘ
mainAreaOfActivity Baffin Island ⓘ
Canadian Arctic Archipelago ⓘ
linked to: Arctic Archipelago

Hudson Bay region ⓘ
Labrador coast ⓘ
West Greenland ⓘ
linked to: western Greenland
materialUsed antler ⓘ
bone ⓘ
chert ⓘ
ivory ⓘ
quartzite ⓘ
soapstone ⓘ
namedAfter Dorset Island ⓘ
notableFeature absence of pottery ⓘ
distinctive triangular endblades ⓘ
elaborate shamanistic art motifs ⓘ
extensive use of sea ice for hunting ⓘ
precededBy Independence I culture ⓘ
Independence II culture ⓘ
Saqqaq culture ⓘ
region Arctic ⓘ
linked to: Arctic region
startTime c. 500 BCE ⓘ
subsistence caribou hunting ⓘ
fishing ⓘ
marine mammal hunting ⓘ
sealing ⓘ
technology burin-like tools ⓘ
ground stone tools ⓘ
microblade technology ⓘ
soapstone lamps ⓘ
soapstone vessels ⓘ
toolType adzes ⓘ
drills ⓘ
endblades ⓘ
scrapers ⓘ
sideblades ⓘ
transport boats ⓘ
sea ice travel ⓘ
sleds ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (7)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Thule Inuit → developedFrom → Dorset culture ⓘ
Thule Inuit → replacedCulture → Dorset culture ⓘ
Dorset culture → archaeologicalPhase → Early Dorset ⓘ
linked to: Dorset culture
Dorset culture → archaeologicalPhase → Late Dorset ⓘ
linked to: Dorset culture
Arctic Small Tool tradition → influenced → Dorset culture ⓘ
subject linked to: Arctic small tool tradition
Norse Greenland → neighboringCulture → Dorset culture ⓘ