Lecture at Oak Hammock looks at northern Florida Gulf Coast

November 8, 2011

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida archaeology professor Ken Sassaman will give a lecture on the ancient wonders of the northern Florida Gulf Coast at 4 p.m. Nov. 10 at Oak Hammock.

The discussion will highlight the north Gulf Coast of Florida, which is one of the least developed areas of the state and one of the least known to archaeologists.

Sassaman will discuss a new long-term project to locate and document pre-Columbian sites in the area, which has already uncovered the remains of settlements as old as 4,000 years. These complement a record of massive shell mounds and mortuary facilities that were impacted by both natural and cultural forces in the last two centuries.

The north Gulf Coast is subject to ongoing destruction from rising seas, emphasizing the need to salvage information about this relatively unknown area before it is destroyed.

The event is open to the public and will be held in the commons building of Oak Hammock.

Sassaman is the Hyatt and Cici Brown Professor of Florida Archaeology, with specialties in the Archaic and Woodland periods of the American Southeast, technological change and community patterning.