As cleanup crews were restoring this Florida spring to pristine condition, underwater archeologists sifting through the detritus that was pulled from the depths discovered artifacts that track the history of humans in the state.
Artifacts from a spring —
As cleanup crews were restoring this Florida spring to pristine condition, underwater archeologists sifting through the detritus that was pulled from the depths discovered artifacts that track the history of humans in the state.
Courtesy SEARCH
8000-500 BC: This deer antler was likely a billet used to manufacture stone tools.
Artifacts from a spring —
8000-500 BC: This deer antler was likely a billet used to manufacture stone tools.
8000-500 BC: Bone fishhooks were used from the Archaic period until European contact.<br />
Artifacts from a spring —
8000-500 BC: Bone fishhooks were used from the Archaic period until European contact.
8000-500 BC: Bone pins were used for clothing, hair and body jewelry, and, as may be the case at the springs, spearing fish.
Artifacts from a spring —
8000-500 BC: Bone pins were used for clothing, hair and body jewelry, and, as may be the case at the springs, spearing fish.
A mid-20th century Hubley Long Barrel Texan Jr. cap gun. This artifact represents a transition in toy gun manufacturing from pure cast-iron to die-cast cap guns. The Hubley Manufacturing Co. was founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1894, and produced cast-iron toys, doorstops, bookends and other objects. All Hubley toys were hand-painted and are now collectors' items.
Artifacts from a spring —
A mid-20th century Hubley Long Barrel Texan Jr. cap gun. This artifact represents a transition in toy gun manufacturing from pure cast-iron to die-cast cap guns. The Hubley Manufacturing Co. was founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1894, and produced cast-iron toys, doorstops, bookends and other objects. All Hubley toys were hand-painted and are now collectors' items.
1600s Spanish Majolica plate, a ceramic type that first arrived in Florida with Juan Ponce de León in 1513.
Artifacts from a spring —
1600s Spanish Majolica plate, a ceramic type that first arrived in Florida with Juan Ponce de León in 1513.
AD 100-1500: Pasco Plain pottery appears in the Woodland through Mississippian periods. This one is the only known fully intact Pasco Plain bowl to be recovered in Florida. The Woodland period is characterized by a mixed subsistence pattern consisting of hunting, fishing and collecting wild resources. Mississippian period subsistence consisted largely of estuarine fish and shellfish. Artifacts from both periods include pottery, stone tools and bone tools.
Artifacts from a spring —
AD 100-1500: Pasco Plain pottery appears in the Woodland through Mississippian periods. This one is the only known fully intact Pasco Plain bowl to be recovered in Florida. The Woodland period is characterized by a mixed subsistence pattern consisting of hunting, fishing and collecting wild resources. Mississippian period subsistence consisted largely of estuarine fish and shellfish. Artifacts from both periods include pottery, stone tools and bone tools.
1700s: Chattahoochee Brushed pottery, a ceramic type used by the Seminoles.
Artifacts from a spring —
1700s: Chattahoochee Brushed pottery, a ceramic type used by the Seminoles.
1885-1966: A sample of the recovered soft-drink bottles. The bottling industry first used applied color labels in 1934.
Artifacts from a spring —
1885-1966: A sample of the recovered soft-drink bottles. The bottling industry first used applied color labels in 1934.
AD 200-700: St. Andrews Complicated Stamped pottery. These designs were made by carving the pattern into a paddle and then pressing it into the clay before firing.
Artifacts from a spring —
AD 200-700: St. Andrews Complicated Stamped pottery. These designs were made by carving the pattern into a paddle and then pressing it into the clay before firing.
The oldest of the stone tools recovered was a Suwannee projectile point. Dating from the Paleo-Indian period (10,000 - 8,000 BC), Suwannee points are lanceolate in shape and measure between 7.5-12 cm on average. Although found across much of Florida, Suwannee points are most commonly found in the Ichetucknee and Santa Fe Rivers.
Artifacts from a spring —
The oldest of the stone tools recovered was a Suwannee projectile point. Dating from the Paleo-Indian period (10,000 - 8,000 BC), Suwannee points are lanceolate in shape and measure between 7.5-12 cm on average. Although found across much of Florida, Suwannee points are most commonly found in the Ichetucknee and Santa Fe Rivers.