Event Details

Futurescapes of the Late Archaic

Time: 7:00 pm til 8:00 pm

Location: Florida Historical Society Library, 435 Brevard Ave, Cocoa, 32922

Description: The first of our "In the Dirt" lectures for Spring. Dr. Ken Sassaman.
After experiencing rising water for centuries, ancient communities of the northern Gulf coast of Florida became accustom to retreating from the shoreline. A variety of archaeological evidence suggests that coastal retreats were not only anticipated by past experience, but also structured to minimized the impact of change on society. The placement of settlements, cemeteries, monuments, and caches would suggest that Late Archaic communities (ca. 4500-3500 years ago) made reference to the winter and summer solstices and thus used the annual cycle of the sun to chart time in space. A futurescape of anticipated abandonment and settlement would eventually encompass the entire Gulf coast, leading to the crescendo of Late Archaic culture known to archaeologists as Poverty Point.

FPAN is hosting this event.