Windover archaeological site

Infobox nrhp2
name = Windover archaeological site
nhl = yes


caption =
location = Brevard County, Florida
nearest_city = Titusvillecite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1980&ResourceType=Site
title=Windover Archeological Site|accessdate=2008-06-21|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service]
locmapin= Florida
lat_degrees = 28
lat_minutes = 32
lat_seconds = 19
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 80
long_minutes = 50
long_seconds = 36
long_direction = W
area =
designated_nhl = May 28, 1987
added = May 28, 1987cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2008-06-21|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]
refnum = 87000810
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body = Preservation & Education Trust, Inc.

The Windover archaeological site is an Early Archaic (6000 to 5000 BC) archaeological site found in Brevard County near Titusville, Florida, USA. Windover is a muck pond where remains of 168 individuals were found buried in the peat at the bottom of the pond. The skeletons were well preserved because of their burial in the peat. Radiocarbon dating on two bones excavated from the pond yielded dates of 7,210 years and 7,320 years before the testing date in 1982 (approximately 5,230 and 5,340 BC). Remarkably well preserved brain tissue has been recovered from many skulls from the site, and DNA from the brain tissue has been sequenced. The collection of human remains and artifacts recovered from Windover Pond may be the largest such collection from the Archaic Period.

Discovery and excavation

The site was discovered in 1982 when work was begun on building a road across the pond in a new housing development, Windover Farms. A backhoe operator noticed several skulls in the bucket of his machine. The sheriff and medical examiner determined that the burials were not recent. The developers, Jack Eckerd and Jim Swann, halted construction at the pond and called in archaeologists. The developers also changed their development plans in order to leave the pond intact, paid for the first radiocarbon dating, and donated $60,000 worth of pumping equipment to be used in excavating the pond.

Adequate funding to excavate the pond was obtained in 1984. The buried bones were 6 feet or deeper beneath the surface of the peat at the bottom of the pond, under 3 to 10 feet of water. A network of 160 wells around the pond was used to lower the water table enough to permit excavation of the peat. The workers used shovels and hand tools to remove the peat until the level of the burials was reached. One of the lead archaeologists compared excavating the peat to trying to dig chocolate mousse under water. Only half of the pond was excavated, with the remainder left undisturbed for future investigation.

Human remains

The remains found included males and females of all ages. The average height of adult males was five feet nine inches. Skeletons showed effects of disease and healed wounds. Many bones showed interruption in growth of children, perhaps due to severe disease or malnutrition. Osteoporosis was evident in older women; adults exhibited a large incidence of osteoarthritis. Some skeletons showed wounds that were likely the cause of death. The pelvis of one man had a bone spear point embedded in it. Others had severe skull fractures. One skeleton was of a boy of about 15 who had spina bifida. In addition, all of his bones were fragile, and he had lost one foot and the stump had healed. As his condition almost certainly meant he was paralyzed below the waist, this find has implications for the care needed to keep him alive for 15 years in a hunter-gatherer community. Children and teenagers were buried with more grave goods than were adults, indicating the high value placed on children.

About 100 undisturbed burials were found with bones articulated. Most were buried in a flexed position, on their left sides, and with their heads toward the west. The bodies were held down in the graves by sharpened stakes. The bodies were buried in clusters, in five or six episodes of short duration that were scattered over a thousand years. Thirty-seven of the graves contained woven fabrics, indicating that the bodies had been wrapped for burial.

The archaeologists discovered in late 1984 that brain tissue had survived in many of the skulls. Lumps of greasy, brownish material was found in several skulls when they were opened for examination. Suspecting that this was brain tissue, intact skulls were sent for X-ray, CAT scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which showed recognizable brain structures. Cell structures could been seen under a microscope. By one account, an archaeologist accidentally discovered the brain tissue while analyzing a skull. The tissue was only identified after it fell onto the ground. Thus, the brain sample that landed onto the ground marked the discovery of the oldest remains of brain tissue. At least 90 of the recovered bodies had brain tissue that survived due to the preservative effects of the peat. The state of preservation of the brain tissues indicates that the bodies were buried in the peat within 24 to 48 hours after death.

Gut contents were found with many of the burials. These included seeds of wild grapes, elderberries and prickly pear fruit, often in very large quantities. Teeth were worn down early in life, presumably from sand in food, but very few had cavities.

Artifacts

Many artifacts that were deposited with the bodies were also preserved. Archaeologists at this site were able to recover a total of 86 pieces of fabric from 37 graves, including seven different textile weaves, which appear to have been used for clothing, bags, matting, and possibly blankets and ponchos. Numerous other artifacts such as atlatls and projectile points were also found at Windover. The occupants of Windover hunted animals, fished and gathered plants. They used bottle gourds for storage, which is the earliest evidence for vegetable container storage discovered in North America. Animal bones and shells found in the graves indicate that they ate white-tailed deer, raccoon, opossum, birds, fish and shellfish.

References

Sources

*Fagan, Brian. 2005 "Ancient North America." Thames & Hudson, Ltd.: London.
*Brown, Robin C. 1994. "Florida's First People". Sarasota, Florida: Pineapple Press, Inc. ISBN 1-56164-032-8
*Milanich, Jerald T. (1998) "Chapter 1: Ancient Floridians." "Florida's Indians from Ancient Times to the Present". University Press of Florida. ISBN 0-8130-1599-5

External links

* [http://www.flheritage.com/facts/reports/places/index.cfm?fuseaction=ListAreas&county=brevard Brevard County listings] at [http://www.flheritage.com Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs]
* [http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1980&ResourceType=Site Windover Archeological Site] at [http://www.cr.nps.gov/nhl National Historic Landmarks Program]
* [http://www.nbbd.com/godo/history/windover/ Historical Society of North Brevard, Inc. THE WINDOVER ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROJECT]