the quarterly reader Florida Public Archaeology Network - Central Regional Center July 2014 Moonlight and History: Moon Over The Mounds Season kicks o upcoming events: with open house and Archaeology Works Expo By: Nigel Rudolph aug 6: Material Science @ Archer Branch Moon Over the Library, Archer. Mounds is starting aug. 13: How Old Is September 5th here at It? Workshop. @ Archer Branch Library, Archer. the Crystal River Archaeological State aug. 13: Timucuan Pyrotechnology. @ Park. If you haven’t Alachua Branch Library, had a chance to attend Alachua. this event before, it’s a sept. 4: Crystal River casual moonlit tour, Mound Complex, lecture guided by torch light and conversation. Brooksville Branch around the mound Library. complex at the sept. 5: Moon Over Archaeological Park. The Mounds. Open House The tour guides & Archaeology Works Expo @ Crystal River encourage lots of Archaeological State questions as they lead Above:Torch-lit Mound A during Moon Over The Mounds Park. the group around the mounds and burial Archaeology State Park technology, shell tools, activities, participants complex, stopping Museum, where FPAN ancient diets, and much can learn to use the inside this periodically to give staff will be putting on more! Children and prehistoric spear issue: interpretations of an Archaeology Works adults will experience thrower or “atlatl” and Moon Over The 1 prehistoric life at Expo. Kids and adults archaeology in various watch a demonstration Mounds Crystal River and attending will have the ways, ranging from the of dugout canoe Crystal River Mural 2 discuss specific aspects chance to participate in methods archaeologists construction. Come The Reindeer: New 2, 3 of the site’s many lots of hands-on use to learn about the early for the Open Model By CRBB interesting features. activities from all of past to recreating some House and Expo and FPAN @ the Library 3, 4 The first Moon over FPAN’s Archaeology of the technologies of stick around for the Summer Camp 4 the Mounds will kick Works workshops on Crystal River’s earliest Moon over the Mounds Recap off with an open house topics like: prehistoric inhabitants. Along with tour when the sun goes Scallop Season Past 5 at the Crystal River pottery, hunting the Archaeology Works down. and Present Central Regional Center News page 2 Crystal River Archaeological State Park, Mural Artists Selected By: Nigel Rudolph In April’s newsletter, we mentioned the call to artists for a mural to be painted at the Crystal River Archaeological State Park. Our hopes for the mural would be that it provides a visual representation of the humanity of prehistoric Crystal River. One feature that the Archaeological Park Museum lacks is any representation of the people who once called the site their home. To get a better understanding of the site, the burial complex, Mound A, and the Plaza, we Photo courtesy of Ciamar Studio (www.ciamarstudio.blogspot.com) must recognize that real people once lived and thrived along the Studio/Shark River Creative, Inc. visitors to create a living connec- Crystal River. Fishing and We were very impressed with the tion to the past, and to help them hunting, making pottery, and presentation of their digitally understand the structure of life making canoes--these aspects of rendered concept and believe it on the mound complex. Viewing follow us: daily life are so vital to getting a to be a very unique approach to the mural should help visitors to on Facebook @ complete understanding of the fulfill the Park’s hopes of identify and differentiate the facebook.com/FPANcentral site’s rich history. conveying a glimpse into a day individual mounds and their We had many talented artists in the life of Native Americans purpose, thus enriching their On Twitter @ submit proposals with examples who once lived at the Crystal visit to the actual mound site.” twitter.com/FPANcentral of previous work, concept River site. - Ciamar Studio/Shark River sketches/idea both written and “The mural will help to bridge Creative, Inc. http://www.cia- On Instagram @ illustrated, for the mural at past and present by providing a marstudio.com/ fpancentral Crystal River. The caliber of dynamic visual representation of We are very excited about the submitted work and experience village life. After visitors view artists getting started and look was very high all around and it the mural and exit the museum forward to the mural’s official made for a tough decision by the to explore the mound complex, unveiling during Florida Archae- Mural Committee. We did come they will be able to visualize ology Month 2015. to an agreement on a team of what life was like there in the Florida artists from Ciamar past. The goal is to enable Resurrecting the Reindeer: A New Model by the Crystal River Boat Builders By: Steve Kingrey President, Crystal River Boat Builders In telling the story of local ing river of slow brown water The wreck of one such maritime history here in Citrus that allows transit to much of vessel found on the Withla- County, Florida we are chal- the County but it presents coochee was documented by lenged to include our inshore challenges to those who wish Gary Ellis Of Gulf Archaeolo- as well as coastal craft. The to navigate it. Limerock and gy Institute. Likely active in Withlacoochee River defines chert outcrops, tree fall and the late 1800’s the Reindeer is the northern and eastern ever changing water levels a smallish stern wheel steamer boundaries of Citrus County. require a versatile and rugged that is interesting in design and The Withlacoochee is a wind- vessel. construction (cont. page 3) Page 3

Resurrecting the Reindeer (cont.) details as well as purpose The photograph, luckily, design and construction Become a and use. shows the boat in use so details. When completed Our particular chal- we are able to scale the the Reindeer model will volunteer! lenge in bringing the above water details have many stories to tell. Join the Crystal River State Parks, Reindeer out of the mud shown in the picture. the Florida Public Archaeology and into modern We are currently Network (FPAN), the Friends of Crystal River State Parks, and the consciousness is develop- building a model of the Florida Coastal Offices to assist in ing the craft from two Reindeer in ¼ scale. the preservation of the natural and detailed but incomplete Construction and topside cultural resources of the region. sources. One is the wreck details will be built as if FPAN needs volunteers to help documentation which building full size when with our artifact documentation gives us a good under- possible. These little program. Volunteers will photograph standing of the lower hull steam boats, while they artifacts and enter associated data into our artifact database. We are construction. The other is had much in common, also currently recruiting volunteers a photograph of the boat. were each truly unique in Above: Lower hull frame, for the docent program. We also CRBB model have volunteer programs for Bright Futures students logging community service volunteer hours.

Please contact Nigel Rudolph at [email protected] to become a FPAN volunteer.

Above left: Historic image of the Reindeer. Above right: Reindeer wreckage, lower hull sketch courtesy of Gulf Archaeoloical Research Institute. FPAN Summer Library Programs By: Nigel Rudolph Throughout the summer and technology of Florida’s FPAN Central has been first people as well as the trekking all over the region science behind why these visiting libraries to do materials were used by Native presentations on Florida Americans for thousands of Archaeology. The years. In our “How Old Is It?” programs have been well presentation, we touch on received throughout the some basic archaeological region with some libraries dating techniques, both packing in over 100 children relative and absolute. We and adults for our various “why is Florida archaeology discuss how archaeologists talks! We offer several differ- important?” From pottery to arrange artifacts of similar ent presentations that vary in stone and shell tools, Archae- styles to help determine focus beyond the basics of ology Works: Material chronology, which would be a “what is archaeology?” and Science, focuses on the tools “relative” (cont. page 4) Page 4 Summer Camp Success: Crystal River Estuary Exploration By: Nigel Rudolph “I don’t want history. Muddy marsh summer camp to walks at Ozello, boat end!” I heard this rides down the Crystal sentiment repeated River, real often at the end of excavations during each week of camp. Sifting for Technology Estuary Exploration: at the Archaeological A Science Discovery State Park, throwing Summer Camp 2014 darts at targets using was a success! With the prehistoric atlatl, the Florida and making their own summertime weather wooden boat model cooperating for the using the pedal Above: Camper running for her team during the most part, the campers powered band saw Archaeo-Olympics relay race. Below: Campers were able to enjoy a were all part of the learning to use an atlatl, the prehistoric spear thrower. week’s worth of adventures planned activities involving for the kids during the archaeology, maritime week. Park Biologist, supports us, and it has history, marine Keith Morin, led the for thousands of ecology, and biology. ‘park day’ during years,” said Morin. Enough ‘ologies’ in camp. “I hope that the FPAN and Park Staff, one week to make ‘park day’ will get the along with several your head spin! Every children out into the volunteers, used fun activity was hands-on, resource so they can activities to convey with active see all the variety of important lessons participation by the plants, animals, soils about our natural and campers meant to help and natural processes cultural landscape. them better at work. They should Hopefully next year’s understand the Nature understand that the camp is even better Coast environment ecosystem doesn’t just with many new and and its rich cultural support itself, it returning campers.

Summer Library Programs (cont)

dating technique, as well as, “absolute” dating techniques such as dendrochronology and radio- carbon dating. Our Timucuan Technology program illustrates how prehistoric people met their daily subsistence needs before the advent of pottery. Programs will continue throughout the summer into September. Check out FPAN Central’s web- site and Facebook page for upcoming events, or contact Nigel Rudolph at [email protected] to set up an archaeology program at your library. PAGE 5

Between Two Shells: Scallop Season, Past and Present Florida Public By Nigel Rudolph Archaeology Network To understand the culture and life-ways of the food source or possibly as ornament or decora- Central Regional prehistoric Crystal River area we must first have tion. Bay scallop shells are far more fragile than Center a better understanding of the natural environment other bivalves like quahog clams that have the Native people relied on completely for their heavy, robust shells, and would break easily if Univeristy of survival. As I often mention to kids during FPAN used as a tool. South Florida workshops and presentations, 1,000 years ago The abundance of resources that the coastal Crystal River there weren’t any Walmarts or Home Depots to estuaries offered to prehistoric Floridians Preserve State pop into to pick up groceries or tools. The Native allowed them to live in one place for longer than Park people didn’t walk into Publix with their their ancestors and provided them with materials 3266 North stone-tipped spear and impale a rotisserie chick- to build large mounds like that at the Crystal Sailboat Avenue en. Everything the River site. The Native Crystal River, FL Native Americans who people also took 34428 lived along what we advantage of the 352.795.0208 now call the Nature seasonal spawning of Regional Coast, needed for daily different species Director life, they had to find in throughout the estuar- Jeff Moates the environment ies. They would have [email protected] around them. Being had an understanding that Florida is of when to harvest Public surrounded on three different shellfish Archaeology sides by water, marine species all throughout Coordinator I resources played an the year and supple- Nigel Rudolph enormous role in mented their diets with [email protected] sustaining prehistoric life along the coast. fish, turtles, alligator, and all number of other Speaking specifically about the Nature Coast, animal species that thrived in and around the however, it wasn’t just salt water resources coast environment and uplands. With so much Native Americans utilized; the freshwater estuar- sustenance in your back yard, why grow food? ies and the environmental zones along the river The plentiful resources in the rivers and estuaries systems provided plentiful and varied sources of are probably why we don’t find any evidence of food. As much as I like a nice Publix sub every agriculture at coastal sites like Crystal River. once in a while, the richness of resources the Features like Mound A at the Crystal River site, a Native people of Crystal River had at their towering mound of mostly oyster shells and disposal puts even the fanciest grocery store to other shellfish, not to mention the multitude of shame. In some regards our contemporary use of other sites scattered along the Nature Coast, are many of these resources has changed very little proof enough that the Native Americans over the millennia. The start of scallop season consumed literally tons and tons of scallops, this year is evidence of that. According to the oysters, and clams. Next time you climb the Department of Environmental Protection, it’s stairs to the top of Mound A, head off to hunt for estimated that within St. Martins Marsh Aquatic scallops on a Saturday, or slurp down a raw Preserve alone, some 1,500 people head out in oyster on a half shell, boats scallop hunting each week. Bay scallops remember you’re follow- (Argopecten irradians) are recovered consistent- ing in a long tradition of ly at archaeological sites along Florida’s west enjoying the fruitfulness coast. Based on the archaeological evidence, it the Nature Coast marine appears Native Americans used them only as a environment has to offer.

The Florida Public Archaeology Network is dedicated to the protection of cultural resources, both on land and underwater, and to involving the public in the study of their past. Regional centers around Florida serve as clearinghouses for information, institutions for learning and training, and head-quarters for public participation in archaeology.