New Histories of Pre-Columbian Florida (Florida Museum of Natural History: Ripley P. Bullen Series)

“Theoretically sophisticated and empirically well-grounded. Sets a course for exciting new directions in archaeology at the edge of the American South and the broader Caribbean world.”—Christopher B. Rodning, coeditor of __Archaeological Studies of Gender in the Southeastern United States__ “Successfully repositions the story of Florida’s native peoples from the peripheries of history and anthropology to center stage.”—Thomas E. Emerson, author of __Cahokia and the Archaeology of Power__ Given its pivotal location between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, its numerous islands, its abundant flora and fauna, and its subtropical climate, Florida has long been ideal for human habitation. Yet Florida traditionally has been considered peripheral in the study of ancient cultures in North America, despite what it can reveal about social and climate change. The essays in this book resoundingly argue that Florida is in fact a crucial hub of archaeological inquiry. __New Histories of Pre-Columbian Florida__ represents the next wave of southeastern archaeology. Contributors use new data to challenge well-worn models of environmental determinism and localized social contact. Indeed, this volume makes a case for considerable interaction and exchange among Native Floridians and the greater southeastern United States as seen by the variety of objects of distant origin and mound-building traditions that incorporated extraregional concepts. Themes of monumentality, human alterations of landscapes, the natural environment, ritual and mortuary practices, and coastal adaptations demonstrate the diversity, empirical richness, and broader anthropological significance of Florida’s aboriginal past. This Volume Aims To Bring The Archaeological Study Of Florida's Pre-columbian Past Up To Date, Using New Techniques, Technologies And Data To Reveal That The Pre-columbian Natives Were Not Isolated And Environmentally Segregated, As Was Previously Thought. Introduction: New Approaches To Ancient Florida / Neill J. Wallis And Asa R. Randall -- Archaic Histories Beyond The Shell Heap On The St. Johns River / Asa R. Randall, Kenneth E. Sassaman, Zackary I. Gilmore, Meggan E. Blessing, And Jason M. O'donoughue -- Deconstructing And Reconstructing Caloosahatchee Shell Mound Building / Theresa Schober -- Monumentality Beyond Scale: The Elaboration Of Mounded Architecture At Crystal River / Thomas J. Pluckhahn And Victor D. Thompson -- New Insights On The Woodland And Mississippian Periods Of West-peninsular Florida / George M. Luer -- Radiocarbon Dates And The Late Prehistory Of Tampa Bay / Robert J. Austin, Jeffrey M. Mitchem, And Brent R. Weisman -- Northwest Florida Woodland Mounds And Middens: The Sacred And Not So Secular / Michael Russo, Craig Dengel, And Jeffrey Shanks -- North Gulf Coastal Archaeology Of The Here And Now / Kenneth E. Sassaman, Paulette S. Mcfadden, Micah P. Monés, Andrea Palmiotto, And Asa R. Randall -- The Modification And Manipulation Of Landscape At Fort Center / Victor D. Thompson And Thomas J. Pluckhahn -- Crafting Orange Pottery In Early Florida: Production And Distribution / Rebecca Saunders And Margaret K. Wrenn -- It's Ceremonial, Right? Exploring Ritual In Ancient Southern Florida Through The Miami Circle / Ryan J. Wheeler And Robert S. Carr -- Woodland And Mississippian In Northwest Florida: Part Of The South But Different / Nancy Marie White -- Ritualized Practices Of The Suwannee Valley Culture In North Florida / Neill J. Wallis -- Ritual At The Mill Cove Complex: Realms Beyond The River / Keith Ashley And Vicki Rolland. Edited By Neill J. Wallis And Asa R. Randall. A Florida Quincentennial Book Includes Bibliographical References And Index.

Given its pivotal location between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, its numerous islands, its abundant flora and fauna, and its subtropical climate, Florida has long been ideal for human habitation. Yet Florida traditionally has been considered peripheral in the study of ancient cultures in North America, despite what it can reveal about social and climate change. The essays in this book resoundingly argue that Florida is in fact a crucial hub of archaeological inquiry.

New Histories of Pre-Columbian Florida represents the next wave of southeastern archaeology. Contributors use new data to challenge well-worn models of environmental determinism and localized social contact. Indeed, this volume makes a case for considerable interaction and exchange among Native Floridians and the greater Southeastern United States as seen by the variety of objects of distant origin and mound-building traditions that incorporated extraregional concepts. Themes of monumentality, human alterations of landscapes, the natural environment, ritual and mortuary practices, and coastal adaptations demonstrate the diversity, empirical richness, and broader anthropological significance of Florida's aboriginal past