Florida’s History Through Archaeology
Beginning on September 16, the Public Archaeology Lab at New College of Florida and Time Sifters Archaeology Society, with funding from the Florida Humanities Council, will present five lectures at New College on topics addressing Florida archaeology and anthropological issues. The talks are free and open to the public. The series runs through May 2010 on the third Wednesday of every other month in the Mildred Sainer Pavilion, 5313 Bay Shore Road, between 6:00 pm and 7:30 pm. Guest speakers represent the University of Florida, University of South Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History and the Florida Public Archaeology Network. Time Sifters Archaeology Society was formed in 1986 and is dedicated to preservation, education and research. The society has assisted trained archaeologists in a number of excavations, sponsored and/or participated in outreach programs such as Trail of the Lost Tribes and Looking for Angola, and provided significant support contributing to the preservation of local archaeological resources. Time Sifters sponsors eight lectures each year. For more information visit the Time Sifters home page. The New College Public Archaeology Laboratory (NCPAL) is committed to facilitating education, outreach and the study of archaeology within a broader anthropological and interdisciplinary context. As both a physical space and intellectual project curated by New College students and faculty, NCPAL is dedicated to the ethical advancement of knowledge about past human cultures and societies in order to engage with social issues of the present. Utilizing the rich resources of the region's diverse communities, NCPAL produces and disseminates valuable knowledge of our shared cultural heritage. Due to limited seating, reservations are highly recommended. Contact the New College Events Office at (941) 487-4888 or email events@ncf.edu. To visit the Traces of Our Past home page, click here.
March 17
Ancient Art of Florida's Native People Barbara Purdy, University of Florida
Prior to approximately four thousand years ago, aboriginal Floridians used only bone or wood to create images of the animals they hunted or the deities they feared and revered. Ceramic technology had not been introduced yet and suitable stone for carving or incising does not occur in Florida. A few bone specimens, but none of wood, have survived from the earliest documented time period (i.e., >11,000 BP). Beginning around seven thousand years ago, the preservation of art objects made of usually perishable materials increases because of the development of anaerobic conditions in a few permanently waterlogged locations. In this presentation, I show examples of native art produced in bone and wood, and discuss the unfortunate consequences resulting from the loss of information about Florida’s native people because most of the organic components of their way of life have not survived.
May 19
Discovering Civil War FloridaWilliam Lees, Florida Public Archaeology Network
Using state of the art scientific tools, old fashioned dirt archaeology, unusual documents, and his camera, Dr. Lees is discovering Civil War Florida in out of the way places and in our back yards. His research is a journey that connects us to the actual events of the Civil War and Florida's veterans of this devastating conflict.
Previous Lectures
September 16
Coping with Rising Water in Florida for 12,000 YearsKenneth E. Sassaman, University of Florida
To view a video of this lecture, click here.
As debate continues over the causes of global warming, the consequences
of rising water levels are very real. By the end of this century, if
current rates of change continue, much of the modern coastline will be
inundated and near-shore aquifers infiltrated by seawater. Flooding in
river basins will intensify as channels become chocked with sediment
from diminished stream gradients. Communities of aquatic species will
be displaced, some extirpated. Many other unforeseen and indirect
changes will ensue. These
sorts of challenges for humans and the resource on which they depend
are nothing new to Floridians. Since the end of the Ice Age, more than
12,000 year ago, rising water has shaped the contours of culture change
for hundreds of generations of Native American ancestors. As water
levels rose, places of dwelling were inundated and ancient Floridians
were forced to find new places to settle and new ways to subsist. But
what became of their belief systems and the ritual practices that
rationalized their place in the world? Archaeological evidence for the
ceremonial practices of ancient Floridians suggests that the ritual
practices of native people, like the practices of everyday living, were
responsive to changes in ecology and geography. At the same time,
sacred beliefs about water and watery creatures seem to have remained
intact. This pattern of “persistence through change” is illustrated in
the archaeological record of the pond cemeteries and shellmounds of
northeast Florida. Encased in this record of ancient ritual
experience are lessons that may help us cope with our own environmental
challenges.
November 18
Archaeology in the Archives: The Seminole Indian Photographs of Julian Dimock, 1905-1910 Jerry Milanich, Florida Museum of Natural History
Archaeologists
in Florida don’t always dig in the dirt. We also uncover information in
libraries, museums and archives that can inform and enhance
archaeological discoveries and our understanding of the past. Such is
the case with nearly 2000 glass negatives found in the American Museum
of Natural History in New York City. Taken by former New York
stock broker Julian Dimock, the collection of fascinating Florida
images includes more than 200 of Seminole Indians taken between
1905-1910. Dimock’s detailed catalogue, along with other documents,
allows us to establish the date of each photograph, where it was taken,
and who and what is portrayed. The images of Seminole people, camps,
stores, everyday items, the site of a Green Corn ceremony, gardens,
trading posts, canoe trails through the Everglades, and even older
archaeological sites, are a window into Florida a century ago, one that
will enlighten future archaeological inquiries.
January 20
Archaeology of the Unconquered People Brent Weisman, University of South FloridaFlorida's
Seminole and Miccosukee Indians have been in the public eye in recent
years as their economic success with casino gaming continues to make
the news. Many people are aware that the Seminoles and Miccosukees
lived in Florida before the modern day, but the richness of their
history and culture and their connection to the land are not widely
known and appreciated. Although these native people are mentioned in
numerous historical documents, the archaeology of their ancient camps,
villages, farmsteads, and battlefields has its own story to tell. The
work of archaeologists tells us much about how these native Floridians
survived, succeeded, and ultimately triumphed through the years of war
with the U.S., to emerge as Florida's "Unconquered People."
New College of Florida - Traces of Our Past: Florida’s History Through Archaeology
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