Matrix Heritage

09/02/2026

Archaeologists spend a lot of time looking at holes in the ground… but we’re not just looking for artifacts.

Soil colour, texture, stratigraphy, disturbances, features and the artifacts found within them can all help us piece together what happened in a particular place — and in what order.

Sometimes a small change in the soil tells a much bigger story. And sometimes? The absence of archaeology tells us something important too.

Because in archaeology, context is everything.

Next time you see a hole in the ground, you might look at it a little differently.

08/27/2026

Proud to have the Matrix Heritage team helping support this work in Northwestern Ontario — and it looks like they’re having fun while doing it! 🚁🌲

08/27/2026

08/26/2026

The archaeology is pretty cool, but the people make the field season.

Long days, early mornings, bugs, mud, heat, rain, and more kilometres through the bush than anyone wants to count — you get to know your crew pretty well.

You work hard together, look out for each other, laugh through the rough days, and come home with stories that probably aren’t nearly as funny to anyone who wasn’t there. 😂

We’re incredibly grateful for the people who make up our field crews. The sites and projects change, but the friendships and relationships built along the way are one of the best parts of archaeology.

Here’s to the crews that make fieldwork worth it. 💙 💚

08/26/2026

Proud to have played a part in the archaeological excavations that are helping tell the stories of those buried at Ottawa’s historic Barrack Hill Cemetery. We’re looking forward to seeing this research shared at the Canadian Museum of History!

Did you know that below downtown Ottawa lies the remnants of the city’s first settlers’ graveyard, Barrack Hill Cemetery? Why is it there? Why wasn’t it moved? Who was left behind?

☕ Join Dr. Janet Young, Curator of Biological Anthropology, on September 2 as she marks the 200th anniversary of Ottawa by exploring the history behind the creation and usage of Barrack Hill Cemetery.

Get your ticket 🎟️ https://www.historymuseum.ca/events/bytown-200th-anniversary-learning-from-ottawas-first-settlers-through-bioarchaeology

08/24/2026

Turns out archaeology is kinda chic, tbh. 🪏

Digging holes, interpreting layers, uncovering stories, and protecting the past. What’s your favourite kinda chic archaeology fact?

08/22/2026

Laying in a grid in the rain isn’t always glamorous… but at least we did it in style. ☔️🌲

Matrix Heritage blue overhead and forest-floor green underfoot — perfectly on brand. 💙💚

08/19/2026

Loved this meme format so much we had to dig up an archaeology version of our own. ⛏️😂

What other anti-archaeology language needs to go?

08/18/2026

Sometimes the best fieldwork vantage points are already built for you. 🌳📸

Finding a hunting blind beside the site meant an instant upgrade for our overview photos. A little extra elevation goes a long way when you’re trying to capture the scale of a pedestrian survey!

Plus, you get the obligatory crew photo looking up. 😂

08/09/2026