Using Species Richness To Examine Paleoenvironmental Conditions Of The Northern Everglades: A Preliminary Faunal Analysis Of Wedgworth Midden (8PB16175) And The Bryant Site (8PB46)

Summary

The Wedgworth Midden Site (8PB16175) is a newly identified pop-up tree island site southeast of Lake Okeechobee, in Belle Glade, Florida. It is the last stratified muck site to be excavated in Palm Beach County since Belle Glade Mound in 1977. The site presents with cultural occupations from the Late Archaic into the Woodland Period and is considered a part of the Belle Glade Culture.

We compared Wedgworth to the nearby Bryant Site (8PB46) specifically because the ceramic types present at the sites indicate that they were occupied or used contemporaneously. The ceramics also indicate that these people had closer ties to cultural groups from the northeast than other groups throughout the state.

Analysis of the invertebrate remains show both apple snails and the Florida Spike were present at Bryant but not nearly in the numbers found at Wedgworth. Wedgworth even contained apple snail pits, which have only been encountered at five sites throughout south Florida. The vertebrate species assemblage was similar at both sites. However, at Bryant there was a larger presence of brackish and saltwater species. Additionally, the level of fragmentation of the vertebrate remains was extensive compared to those at Wedgworth.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage