Choris

An early form of the Norton tradition of Western Arctic pre-history, dating to c 1500-500 BC. The type site is at Kotsebue Sound. Cape Krusentern, Point Barrow, and Onion Portage are other Arctic sites with the characteristic coarse stamped pottery. Tool assemblages are diverse with some of polished slate. Oil lamps first appear in Choris times.

The earliest manifestation of the Norton tradition of Western Arctic prehistory. The most characteristic artefact is coarse stamped pottery, the technology for which was probably imported from Asia. Tool assemblages are usually diverse and clearly different from earlier levels, for example at Point Barrow. Tools of polished slate and oil lamps first appear in Choris times. Considerable local variation in assemblages at Choris sites makes it difficult to generalize about this tradition. The type site is at Kotsebue Sound but there are Choris components at Cape Krusenstern and Onion Portage as well as other Arctic sites. The most characteristic dates are cl500-500 be.