Central Gulf Coast Archaeological Society Lecture Series, 2011 Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center

Robin C. Brown, M.D., Author and Primitive Technologist

Plant Usage by Prehistoric Floridians

Archaeological preservation of plant remains is generally poor, particularly in warm, wet climates like Florida. But plant usage is vital to the understanding of past civilizations—food, tools, weapons, shelter, warmth, transport, clothing, even religious ritual. At a handful of wet sites, both plant and animal remains are spectacularly preserved.  From these we have a depth of information that dramatically illustrates how much we miss when our study of the past is constrained to stone and pottery.