Announcements
Please check back to this page as it is updated often.
Letchworth public archaeology day!
Saturday, August
27, 10 am 2 pm
Letchworth
Love Mounds Archaeological State Park
Letchworth Mounds includes some of the largest native earthworks in Florida,
but what do we know about the people who built them? Where did they live?
What did their houses look like? How long did they stay? Archaeologists are
working to answer these questions and more Join us for our public day to
learn about this important site and see archaeological research in action!
Activities include a guided tour of the site, overview of an active excavation,
and educational displays from local archaeology organizations
Please Join us for our June Monthly Meeting!
Please join us for our last monthly meeting of the season. We will again hold a hybrid meeting at the Martin House, as well as on Zoom. Reception begins at 6:30, with talk at 7 pm. Please feel free to bring a snack to share.
University of Florida PhD candidate Amanda Hall will be presenting (in person) on her doctoral research on Lamar clay balls, whose exact purpose has puzzled archaeologists for decades.
The Lamar balls are baked clay objects that have been recovered from Mission Period (ca.1630 to 1704) sites mainly in the Apalachee Province/Tallahassee Hills region. The purpose of these fist-sized balls often stamped with designs is unknown. First recovered in the 1950s, until recently, the Lamar balls appeared to be a post-contact phenomenon unique to northwest Florida. However, several Lamar balls dating from A.D. 1450 to the Mission Period have since been recovered from three adjacent sites in southwest Georgia. The region is proposed to be the Province of Capachequi, which was visited by Hernando de Soto in 1540 following his stay in Apalachee. Before this project, the balls had not received any formal analyses capable of revealing aspects regarding their manufacture and potential function. Researching these avenues provides an understanding of how and why the balls were made as well as illuminating pre-and post-European contact connections between Native Americans in the Apalachee Province and those in the proposed Capachequi Province. This talk offers a preliminary discussion of the Lamar balls based on what archaeological and historical research has revealed to date.
Florida PAST is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: PAST Monthly Meeting
Time: Jun 7, 2022 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Meeting ID: 842 7176 1990
Passcode: 660359
Please join us for our May monthly meeting!
We will hold our next monthly meeting at the B. Calvin Jones Center for Archaeology/The Governor Martin House, on Tuesday, May 3. Reception begins at 6:30 pm, with talk beginning at 7 pm. Feel free to bring a snack to share. For those unable to join us in person, our Zoom option will be available. Our presenter, Martin Menz, is unable to be in Tallahassee and will be lecturing via Zoom which will be projected on the large screen for those choosing to meet in person.
In early 2020, Martin Menz began excavating at the Letchworth site (8JE337) near Monticello with help from PAST and FSU volunteers. One of the excavation units at this large Woodland period ceremonial center uncovered the remains of a 1,500-year-old house, complete with a stratified hearth and storage pits. In this presentation, Menz compares this structure with possible houses from nearby Woodland period mound centers like Block-Sterns, Kolomoki, and McKeithen, and outlines how occupation at Letchworth differed from these other sites.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84271761990?pwd=NkJ3ZSt0bFJNMFBwcTFEdlVOR3l0dz09
Meeting ID: 842 7176 1990
Passcode: 660359
Join us at the B. Calvin Jones Center for Archaeology for our first in-person meeting at our regular location in two years!
Please join us for a very special tribute to former PAST board member and FSU Anthropology Chair/Professor, Glen Doran. Dr. Geoff Thomas will present:
A Tribute to Glen H. Doran (1950-2021)
In 1982, Glen was asked to assess a pair of human crania unearthed by a backhoe operator, from a pond at Windover Farms housing subdivision, near Titusville in Brevard County, Florida. Radiocarbon dates on these remains indicated that they were approximately 8,000 years old. A portion of an extensive Archaic period cemetery with remarkable levels of preservation was uncovered from excavations during three field seasons (1984-1986). In addition to human interments, the site contained perishable organic materials, such as hand-woven fabrics, wooden artifacts, animal bones, seeds, fruits, and brain tissue. This project resulted in the excavation of 168 individuals in total. Windover represents the single largest Archaic period population in North America for its age.
This tribute will primarily illustrate a history of the excavations taken on by Glen and his colleagues during the 3 field seasons at Windover, Yet, Glen accomplished so much more than just his work on Windover. His entire professional career (35 years) was spent at FSU’s Department of Anthropology and his influence, enthusiasm, and dedication to the field and to life will forever inspire his family, friends, and colleagues.
Reception begins at 6:30 pm, with talk beginning at 7 pm. Feel free to bring a snack to share. For those unable to join us in person, our Zoom option will be available: Florida PAST is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: PAST Monthly Meeting
Time: Apr 5, 2022 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Meeting ID: 842 7176 1990
Passcode: 660359
Thank you for hanging in there with us!
We apologize for not being able to provide presentations the past two months, but we're back on track! Dr. Jayur Mehta will be presenting on his work in the Mississippi Delta region of Louisiana on Tuesday, February 1 at 7 pm. Check out our Facebook page and your inbox for details on how to join us. And for a very special return to in-person meetings, we will be meeting at Jubilee Cottage at Goodwood Museum and Gardens on Tuesday, March 1. Our very special presenter will be long-time PAST member Dr. Mary Glowacki. Stay tuned for details!
We've been working at Goodwood Museum and Gardens!
Goodwood will be remodeling the Gray Cottage, which is located in the back of the main house, on the west side. Work focused on the foundation of the cottage in an effort to determine when the addition to the south of the original structure was added. Artifacts were minimal, but evidence points to a late 19th to early 20th century addition.
