Archaeology of Precolumbian Florida

By Jerald T. Milanich

Book Overview

The books in the Florida and the Caribbean Open Books Series demonstrate the University Press of Florida's long history of publishing Latin American and Caribbean studies titles that connect in and through Florida, highlighting the connections between the Sunshine State and its neighboring islands. Books in this series show how early explorers found and settled Florida and the Caribbean. They tell the tales of early pioneers, both foreign and domestic. They examine topics critical to the area such as travel, migration, economic opportunity, and tourism. They look at the growth of Florida and the Caribbean and the attendant pressures on the environment, culture, urban development, and the movement of peoples, both forced and voluntary. The Florida and the Caribbean Open Books Series gathers the rich data available in these architectural, archaeological, cultural, and historical works, as well as the travelogues and naturalists' sketches of the area in prior to the twentieth century, making it accessible for scholars and the general public alike. The Florida and the Caribbean Open Books Series is made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, under the Humanities Open Books program.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 194737270X
• ISBN13: 9781947372702
• Release Date: February 2018
• Publisher: Library Press at Uf
• Length: 502 Pages
• Weight: 1.61 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

The Bible of Florida Archaeology

This book, published in 1994, is still the standard reference for anyone wanting to understand the archaeology of the Native American cultures of Florida up to the time of European contact in the early 1500's. Dr. Milanich begins with the earliest Native American cultures known in Florida (or anywhere in the Americas), the Paleoindians, arriving more than 12,000 years ago. He traces the growth of Native American cultures through the Early, Middle, and Late Archaic periods, and examines what we know of the cultures of northern, central, and southern Florida - ending with the St. Johns II, Fort Walton, Safety Harbor, and Caloosahatchee cultures, which were, respectively, the Timucuan, Apalachee, Tocobaga, and Calusa known to us from the historic records. Milanich is extremely readable, and his work provides clear, fascinating, and important detail about each of the cultures known to archaeology from this entire region. For those who mistakenly think Florida's Native cultures were limited to the Seminoles, this book shows how the peoples of Florida, the first in all North America to encounter Europeans, were among the most powerful and complex societies north of the peoples of Mesoamerica. Whether you're an archaeologist or historian specializing in studies of the people of this region, or a general reader with an interest in Native American culture and history - buy this book. It's excellent and enjoyable reading.