J&J Hunt Submerged Archaeological Site - Paleoindian and Archaic Culture in Florida

Paleoindian and Archaic Culture in Florida

While the exact date of the peopling of the Americas is of major debate among archaeologists it is widely accepted that the first occupation occurred at least 13,500 – 14,000 years ago. Currently, the oldest known widespread Paleoindian culture in North America is the Clovis culture. It is believed that the Clovis people occupied many parts of North America by 13,500 years ago, including Florida (Faught and Latvis 2000). The next known occupation in North America (and Florida) is the Archaic culture. The archaeological evidence suggests that the Archaic culture appears after the Clovis culture around 11,500 years ago. The dates of these two cultures and the level of the sea at the time of their existence are very important to archaeologists. While many of these sites are unknown and lie underwater today, it is very important to remember that a site found on the coast or submerged in modern times was much farther inland in prehistory. In fact there are currently no known “truly” coastal Paleoindian sites with a maritime tradition.