Windover Archaeological Site: Preservation in a Florida Peat Pond

 

Steve Vanderjagt, the backhoe
operator that first discovered
Windover. (photo courtesy of 
FSU Digital Archives)

We can't wrap up our month on plants and archaeology without talking about Windover! We are of the opinion that it is one of the most fascinating sites in Florida and that is partially because of the plant remains found there. Windover was discovered in 1982 at a construction site in Brevard County, Florida. A backhoe operator unintentionally discovered human remains, which were later identified as part of a prehistoric cemetery dating to over 7,000 years ago. The preservation  was unprecedented due to the environmental conditions at the site. The deceased had been buried in a  mucky pond, using handwoven fabric and wooden stakes to keep them in place. This mucky pond created an anaerobic environment, with very little bacteria to degrade the fragile remains-both human and plant.

If you are familiar with Windover, then you are familiar with the fact that human brain matter and other very unique finds were discovered. And while we agree that those finds are amazing, we are going to concentrate on the plant remains today. The same environmental conditions that lead to excellent human remain preservation also allowed for great preservation of plant remains. 

The wooden stakes and the fabric used to secure the deceased at the bottom of the pond are both plant material. In fact, the handwoven fabric was made of palm fiber and are the oldest surviving textiles in the New World. Eighty-seven fragments were recovered from the site. They were extremely fragile and required special care while being transported to the lab for very specialized and delicate processing and analysis. 

Palm fiber handwoven fabric from Windover. 
(Photo courtesy of FSU Digital Archives)

When we think of early agriculture, we assume that early people were growing plants mainly for food,but Windover provided evidence that products of agriculture also served other purposes. A bottle gourd container was recovered from the site. This would have been a light and durable container for food and liquid. This particular example is the earliest known example of a bottle gourd north of Mexico! Plants that were both gathered and cultuivated could also be used for medicinal purposes.

 Life was hard for these prehistoric people and many of those buried in this ancient cemetery died young. Almost half of the deceased were under 18, and most don't appear to have lived past 40. Their teeth show sign of wear from both grit in their diet and the use of their teeth as tools. There was evidence of broken bones, abscesses, and illness. The large number of seeds found in the stomach region of several of the burials may represent one of the earliest known examples of medicinal plant use. 

Imagine, all of this found at one site in Florida and completely by accident! Not only is this absolutely phenomenal from a scientific perspective (not to mention some cool conversation starters at cocktail parties!), but it also is a prime example of why there are laws in place that protect archaeological sites. Florida is constantly under development and that is why there are permits and processes to ensure sites like Windover have a chance to be both documented and preserved when appropriate. This is also why there are laws in place that protect human remains. Archaeologists that work in Cultural Resource Management play a vital role in ensuring that Florida's archaeological heritage is properly documented.