A New Religious Cult in 7th Century Florida?


Sometime in the seventh century AD Florida’s native people’s transitioned from producing Swift Creek pottery to Weeden Island pottery. How and why this happened is the topic of this article and video from Florida State University…one of the better articles and videos I’ve ever seen from an academic institution. It’s a fascinating discussion.

Byrd Hammock | Archeological Mysteries on the St. Marks Refuge

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…Sometime around 650 AD, people across northwest Florida abandoned their Swift Creek era villages and moved a short distance to create the Weeden Island Villages.

These are likely ancestors of the Apalachee, and what we know of the Apalachee might offer us clues. Archeologists have found a good deal more clues here in piles of shell and cratered mounds outside the village. So while there are no written words, there is a story to be told about these people….

So who are these people we call Swift Creek and Weeden Island?

“We call them different cultures, and give them different names- really that’s sort of an artificial, archeological convenience,” says Jeffrey Shanks.  “What that means in archeological terms is that their pottery changes.  It doesn’t necessarily mean these are different people.  They’re actually doing many of the same things.”

Swift Creek existed from around 0 to 600 AD.  Weeden Island was around from about 600 to 1,000 AD.  Around that 600 AD mark is when, as Jeffrey says, their pottery changes.  It also happens to mark approximately when they moved their villages; that the two things happened at about the same time might be significant…

Read the full article here: https://blog.wfsu.org/blog-coastal-health/?p=11138

Gary C. Daniels

Gary C. Daniels is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated television, video and multimedia writer and producer. He has a M.A. degree in Communications from Georgia State University in Atlanta, a B.F.A. degree in TV Production from the Savannah College of Art and Design and an A.A. degree in Art from the College of Coastal Georgia. He has appeared on the Travel Channel, Discovery Channel, Science Channel and History Channel. His History Channel appearance became the highest-rated episode in the network's history. He has a passion for Native American history and art. He is the founder and publisher of LostWorlds.org.