Founded in 1947, the main objective of the Florida Anthropological Society (FAS) is to provide a formal means by which individuals interested in anthropological and archaeological studies in the State of Florida may come together.
FAS embraces and encourages the study of the people of Florida from ancient times to the present.
The 15 FAS Chapters and their members strive to bring attention to the ongoing need for preservation of archaeological and historical sites.
Through special events, chapter meetings, speaker presentations, public education programs, and the Society’s professional publications, FAS educates the public about the people, places, and cultures of the past in Florida.
71st ANNUAL MEETING Crystal River 1969 ~ 2019
Crystal River, Florida
May 10-12, 2019
Where were you in 1969? If we’re not mistaken, the Florida Anthropological Society (FAS) held its annual meetings and conference in Crystal River. 50 years later, let’s go back there.
For 2019, Florida Public Archaeology Network’s Central Region and the Central Gulf Coast Archaeological Society are honored to co-host the 71st Annual Meeting of FAS. The meeting will take place in the Manatee Capital of the World, Crystal River. The Plantation on Crystal River will serve as the Conference hotel and the location for organizational meetings and conference proceedings from May 10 to 12, 2019.
The Florida Anthropological Society includes 15 chapters around the state that provide opportunities for public engagement in archaeology and anthropology.
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to visit a chapter page.
Membership in the Florida Anthropological Society supports public education initiatives statewide including an annual conference, student grants, Florida Archaeology Month materials and so much more. Join us today and start receiving a quarterly newsletter and The Florida Anthropologist!
FIELD SCHOOL NEWS
Dr. William Locascio and his Florida Gulf Coast University archaeology field class along with Matthew Colvin (University of Georgia graduate student) are unearthing a 3,700 year old story from a tree island in the Everglades near Lake Okeechobee.
Since the beginning of the Everglades of Florida, there were people.
For thousands of years, Archaic Period Floridians lived in the watery margins of land and water. These early Floridians used generations of knowledge to thrive. They shaped the landscape to their needs. Now, much of the Northern Everglades has been shaped to fit the desires of modern humans.
The tree island being studied is long gone. A casualty of our modern appetite for sugar. Today, vast fields of sugarcane dominate the Everglades Agricultural Area. Fortunately, a farm foreman noticed something unusual. What he saw was a Black Earth Midden from the Archaic Period several thousands of years old. The vigilant foreman protected the Wedgworth Archaic Site from looters and disturbance.
The earliest evidence of humans at this site is 5,000 years old.
Dr. Locascio and his students/colleagues are respectful and dedicated to this special site. They are exploring the lives of these early Floridians carefully extracting exciting artifacts, which will help us all understand the sophisticated lives lived by these early residents of the Everglades. Modern day Floridians are peeling back layers of the Everglades muck to reveal a new story of ancient Florida. A story of human genius and adaptation to a wild environment.
These past people not only lived at this tree island for almost a millennia, they thrived. They thrived ever since the Everglades came into existence.
CHAPTER NEWS AND SPEAKERS
TIME SIFTERS ARCHAEOLOGY SOCIETY
November Speaker Presentation
“The Rosewood Massacre”
by Dr. Edward Gonzalez-Tennant, Department of Anthropology University of Central Florida
Rosewood, Florida was once home to a prosperous African American community until its violent destruction in 1923. The event remained cloaked in collective amnesia until the 1990s. This presentation describes work to update previous research via a mixed methods approach combining historical archaeology, documentary research, and oral testimony. This interdisciplinary approach continues to provide new information regarding the lives of those who lived in the area prior to Rosewood’s destruction. The presentation will discuss recent work funded by the Florida Department of State as well as ongoing work with digital technologies to support public outreach in the area and beyond.
Dr. Edward Gonzalez-Tennant has been conducting archaeological research in Florida since 2005. He is currently a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Central Florida.