Welcome

The 2011 and 2012 CREVAP field seasons were a resounding success.  Planning for the 2013 season is well underway! A USF field school will take place from early May to late June; see details under the "2013 field school tab." As described in the NSF Public Abstract (see page link above), our goal is to determine the extent and timing of public architecture (mainly mounds), feasting debris, and prestige goods at Crystal River and related sites. In 2011, we did remote sensing and minimally invasive coring at Crystal River, but concentrated our excavation at the nearby Roberts Island Complex. Our trench on one of the mounds there revealed that it was constructed in the 900s A.D. We also found evidence that the mound was stepped construction, a finding unprecedented in the Southeast.

In 2012, we followed up by testing the other mound at Roberts Island. It has a house on it (constructed ca. 1950s A.D.) but otherwise looks reasonably intact. We excavated a trench on this mound, to see if it was constructed in one stage or several, and during which period. The results suggest it was a single stage construction, probably dating to the Late Woodland period (around the same time as the other mound).

Also in 2012, we excavated several test trenches in off-mound areas at the Crystal River. The trenches revealed deep, stratified midden layers, some of which had a number of features such as posts and pits.

For more dynamic updates on our progress, follow us on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/crystalriverarchaeology

Follow the page links above for information about the project, publications, graduate students, etc.