IntroductionOver the past 11,000 years the area we know today as Nova Scotia has been settled by many different groups of people. The first people to come to the area are known to archaeologists as the Palaeo-Indians. The first permanent European settlement was established in the early seventeenth century.Written records only became available in the last 500 years and much of the daily life of ordinary people has gone unrecorded. By studying the things left behind, discarded, or lost by people, archaeologists try to reconstruct life in the past. Depending on the goals set out for each archaeological project, various research methods can be employed. Archaeologists can only tell a part of the story since only the most durable materials will survive the natural process of decay or human destruction. Some aspects of culture, such as customs, beliefs and music may survive through oral tradition, but there are still large gaps in our knowledge. Future archaeological discoveries may help us to tell a more complete story.
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