Thomas Pluckhahn

History, Complex Hunter-gatherers, and the Mounds and Monuments of Crystal River, Florida, USA: A Geophysical Perspective

ABSTRACT Crystal River (8CI1) is one of Floridas most famous archaeological sites. Yet, after over a century of investigations, its place in the history of Florida and the southeastern United States is not well understood. Crystal River is an important example, in terms of world archaeology, of a monumental landscape constructed by complex hunter-gatherer-fishers along the coast of the southeastern United States. Here, we present the results of our remote sensing program at the site. This research includes topographic mapping, a resistance survey, and ground-penetrating radar transects over various architectural components at the site. These data lend insight into the scale and rapidity of landscape modification at the site, as well as information on the location of previous archaeological excavations and modern disturbances. Further, the data illustrate the potential of shallow geophysical survey to the investigations of shell architecture.

Swift Creek at a human scale

ABSTRACT The interpretive potential of Swift Creek pottery, widely produced throughout Georgia, eastern Alabama, and northern Florida during the Middle and Late Woodland periods between ca. cal AD 100 and 800, has been apparent for many years. Much research has been focused on identifying paddle designs from the impressions left on sherds. Less attention has been devoted to the carving of the wooden paddles and its social context. Drawing inferences from our work on Swift Creek pottery in southern Georgia and Florida, and drawing inspiration from the career of Mark Williams, we consider Swift Creek paddle production “at a human scale.” Extrapolating from the number of paddle designs identified in our sample, we argue that paddle manufacture was an infrequent occurrence, probably conducted by specialists and intended to commemorate major life events.