An archeological dig in south Mississauga has unearthed remnants of the city’s past.

An Indigenous settlement dating back 2,400 years has been uncovered at a former residential property on the corner of Stavebank Road and Premium Way, according to Ward 7 Coun. Nando Iannicca.

“It predates the Roman Empire. That’s extraordinary,” he said at the Nov. 8 council meeting.

The archeological dig was part of an area assessment required by the province prior to the twinning of the QEW Credit River bridge project. This project will see the construction of a new bridge while the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) repairs the existing structure.

Beginning in May, the dig was scheduled to wrap up this fall.

“But the more they dug, the more they found, and the more they found, the more they dug,” said Iannicca, who personally spoke to the company heading the dig.

Due to the significance of the findings, the MTO is remaining tight-lipped about the specifics of what they found.

“The Ministry of Transportation is currently involved in an ongoing discussion with our stakeholders regarding the archeological work near the Credit River,” said Valentina Stankovic, senior issues advisor for the MTO. “To maintain a respectful relationship with our key stakeholders, the ministry is unable to share additional information at this time.”

Matthew Wilkinson, historian at Heritage Mississauga, predicts the findings date back to the Early Woodland period, which spanned from 1,000 B.C. to roughly 500 A.D. During this period, the area that is currently the city of Mississauga was located in Iroquoian territory.

The Iroquoian people did not typically settle on land for long periods of time; rather, they constructed seasonal settlements along the Credit River. If a seasonal site was found by the archaeologists, common elements would include a slaughter site, bone fragments with cut marks on them, tools, weaponry and other ornamental objects, noted Wilkinson.