Archaeology

Chasing Bones: An Archaeologist's Pursuit of Skeletons

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Chasing Bones: An Archaeologist's Pursuit of Skeletons

In January 2001, Rachel Wentz walked away from a career as a firefighter/paramedic in Orlando to pursue a PhD in anthropology, specializing in the analysis of human remains. Her studies at Florida State University focused on ancient skeletons from the Windover site, but took her into the darker world of forensics and beyond. Travel with Dr. Wentz to the famed museums of London, Paris, and Italy, the fragrant landscapes of Ukraine, the beautiful shores of the Caribbean, and back to Florida. This engaging and fast-paced memoir provides the reader a first-hand glimpse into the fascinating world of bioarchaeology, where skeletons hold the clues to past lives and the ancient civilizations from which they came.

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Price:$14.95

Florida Frontiers “The Miami Circle”

When Juan Ponce de León sailed into the mouth of the Miami River in 1513, he encountered a large Tequesta Indian village.

Pedro Menéndez de Avilés attempted to convert the Tequesta to Christianity, establishing a short lived mission at the village in 1567. Another failed mission was established there in 1743. The Spanish could not persuade the Tequesta to abandon their ancient belief system.

The native people of Florida were almost completely wiped out by unfamiliar diseases brought by the Europeans.

Florida Frontiers “Local archaeology group earns statewide recognition”

Brevard County is home to an impressive list of important archaeological excavations including a unique prehistoric pond cemetery, numerous Indian mounds, paleontological sites, colonial era shipwrecks, and pioneer homesteads.

Since 1953, members of the Indian River Anthropological Society have been participating in the discovery, excavation, and recording of archaeological sites in Brevard County.

Dr. Jerald T. Milanich

Jerald T. Milanich is an American anthropologist and archaeologist, specializing in Native American culture in Florida. He is Curator Emeritus of Archaeology at the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida in Gainesville; Adjunct Professor, Department of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Florida; and Adjunct Professor, Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Florida. Milanich holds a Ph.D in anthropology from the University of Florida.

Florida Frontiers “Native Floridians and Mississippian Culture”

About 1,000 years ago, agricultural communities were established in what would become the Southeastern and Midwestern United States, and what is called the Mississippian culture flourished.

Keith Ashley is an archaeologist and research coordinator at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. Ashley’s research is demonstrating a link between Native Floridians and the thriving Mississippian culture.

Florida Frontiers “Archaeologist Kathleen Deagan and Fort Mose”

Historical Archaeologist Kathleen Deagan led a series of excavations that identified the original encampment of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés from 1565.

From that encampment, the city of St. Augustine was established as the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in what is now the United States.

“We began that project in the 1970s, thinking we were going to be studying an Indian village,” says Deagan, Distinguished Research Curator and Professor Emerita from the University of Florida.

Florida Frontiers “New Discoveries at the Old Vero Man Site”

More than a century after prehistoric human remains were discovered among the bones of extinct animals in Vero Beach, new archaeological discoveries are being made in the same location.

The site’s lead archaeologist, Andy Hemmings, will give a presentation called “The Old Vero Site: Recent Work and its Place on the Paleoindian Landscape of Florida,” Saturday, March 19, at 3:00 pm, at the Library of Florida History in Cocoa.

Florida Frontiers “New Legislation Could Encourage Looting of Historic Artifacts”

Professional archaeologists, archaeology enthusiasts, and concerned citizens from throughout the state are opposing legislation currently being considered in Tallahassee.

House Bill 803 and Senate Bill 1054 would allow anyone who purchases a $100 permit to dig for historic artifacts in state owned waterways using a trowel. After dislodging the artifacts, a person could remove them, take them home, and even sell them.

Any context that archaeologists could provide for the artifacts and important opportunities to educate the public about our shared history could be lost.

Florida Frontiers “Windover Exhibition Opening This Weekend”

This Friday night, a woman who was ritualistically buried in Brevard County more than 7,000 years ago will be brought back to life.

Using some of the same forensic reconstruction techniques used to identify modern crime victims from skeletal remains, artist Brian Owens has created the Windover Woman sculpture that will be unveiled this weekend.

“This was a fun project,” says Owens. “I usually work in bronze, so this more lifelike silicone material was a new challenge for me.”

Florida Frontiers “The People of Windover Exhibition”

The Windover Dig in Titusville, Florida was one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the world.

Nearly 200 ritualistically buried bodies were discovered, wrapped in the oldest woven cloth found in North America. The amazingly well-preserved remains were determined to be between 7,000 and 8,000 years old, making them 3,200 years older than King Tutankhamen and 2,000 years older than the Great Pyramid in Egypt.

Searching Sand and Surf: The Origins of Archaeology in Florida

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Searching Sand and Surf: The Origins of Archaeology in Florida

Archaeology as a discipline is well established in Florida, but that wasn.t always the case. Travel back to when archaeological sites were curiosities on the landscape and speculation as to their origins thrived. Searching Sand and Surf explores the roots of modern archaeology in the state, as seen through articles published in the Florida Historical Quarterly. Witness the evolution of contemporary archaeology in Florida and trace the development of the discipline through some of its most influential voices.

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Price:$12.47
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