Seventy-Five Years of Archaeology at FSU: Looking Back to Move Forward

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In 1949, the Department of Anthropology was formed by Hale G. Smith who hired Charles Fairbanks in 1954. The original faculty members (Smith, Fairbanks, and John Griffin) were products of the University of Chicago Department of Anthropology Field School and closely associated with the development of academic and scientific archaeology in the United States. These historical associations established a pedigree for a strong national reputation in archaeology at FSU. Smith and Fairbanks are considered pioneers in the field of historical archaeology, Florida archaeology, and Southeastern US archaeology. A major research focus in the early years of the FSU Anthropology program was on the Florida mission system, a tradition still carried on today. The archaeological collections include one of the largest inventories of Spanish Mission Period materials in the world as well as extensive collections of a number of key Florida sites. In this paper we reflect on how we as academic anthropologists in a storied department adapt to this new era of collections care and management.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 54028