Windover Culture in Florida

  The people buried here are 2,000 years older than the Great Pyramids of Egypt.

In 1982, backhoe operator Steve Vanderjagt unearthed a human skull. This eventually led to the identification of an ancient burial site now known as the Windover Archaeological Site.

Dating back 7,000 to 8,000 years, the site contains nearly 200 remarkably preserved burials of prehistoric people. Wrapped in what is believed to be the oldest woven fabric ever discovered and submerged in a peat bog, the bodies were arranged in ritualistic fetal positions.

The unique anaerobic environment preserved not only bones but also brain matter in 91 skulls and even stomach contents, revealing diets of fish and berries. DNA analysis showed that the site was a familial burial ground used for over a century.

The Windover findings revolutionized our understanding of prehistoric communities. Artifacts like bottle gourds and atlatls showcased their ingenuity, while the care given to disabled individuals highlighted their attitudes regarding human life.

Learn more: https://myfloridahistory.org/frontiers/article/1

The article linked above from 2014 shows a short slide show of various images during the dig between 1984-86 by archaeologists. They apparently pumped water out so they could find the burials and artifacts.

Nearly 200 separate, intact burials were excavated at the Windover site. With only a couple of exceptions, the bodies had been ritualistically buried and placed in the same fetal position, lying on the left side. The heads were pointed west, with their faces to the north. The deceased were wrapped in what archaeologists believe is the oldest existing woven fabric in the world. Several branches were lashed together to form a tripod that held each body submerged underwater, creating a pond cemetery.

...Archaeologists discovered that ninety-one of the skulls uncovered contained intact brain matter. The stomach contents of one ancient woman indicated that her last meal consisted of fish and berries. DNA tests on the ancient remains proved that the same families used the site as a burial ground for more than a century.

Other discoveries at the Windover Dig help add to our understanding of prehistoric people. The damaged and diseased condition of some of the bones indicated that incapacitated people of this tribe were cared for over long periods of time, even though they could not participate in activities essential to the survival of the group, such as hunting and fishing. Bottle gourds were used as vessels thousands of years before the creation of pottery, demonstrating that the prehistoric people of Windover were horticulturalists as well as agriculturalists. The atlatl was a tool that helped hunters to throw their spears great distances with more strength and accuracy.

...Life for the prehistoric people of Florida was difficult. About half of the remains found at Windover were children, and the oldest people found were about 60.  

I've ordered the book Life and Death at Windover: Excavations of a 7,000-Year-Old Pond Cemetery by Dr. Rachel K. Wentz, from the  Florida Historical Society, paying half its value in postage. But I've been intrigued by this site, which I've driven around looking for when staying nearby in Jenson Beach, FL several years ago. There was a museum that supposedly had some of the artifacts, but it was closed on the weekend day that I had time to look for it. And I knew the site had been reburied to keep whatever remained there in original condition for future funding to come for further digs.