Water-Related News

Archaeology lecture series: a prehistoric cemetery in the Gulf of Mexico

Join the Central Gulf Coast Archaeological Society (CGCAS) in partnership with the Alliance for Weedon Island Archaeological Research and Education (AWIARE) for his annual lecture series on the third Thursday of every month, spanning diverse archaeological topics. This evening's speaker will be Dr. Ryan Duggins, the Underwater Archaeology Supervisor within the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research.

An unexpected discovery by a fossil hunter diving a quarter-mile off Manasota Key near Venice, Florida, has led to a groundbreaking archaeological project that could change everything scientists thought they knew about offshore archaeology. Investigations by the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research at the Manasota Key Offshore site (8SO7030) revealed evidence of a prehistoric Native American burial site in what appears to have been a freshwater peat-bottomed pond thousands of years ago. Ongoing archaeological investigation revealed multiple discrete areas containing peat, worked wooden stakes that were used in burial practice, and the remains of multiple individuals. Radiocarbon dating of two stakes dated them to more than 7,200 years old. When this site was in use, the waters of the Gulf of Mexico were about 30 feet below their current level. This talk presents results from remote sensing investigations and underwater archaeological documentation while addressing long term management plans for this delicate and unique site.