We're Back!: Archaeology at the Fountain of Youth
For many people,
the most wonderful time of the year relates to a favorite holiday—presents beneath
the Christmas tree, an annual birthday bash, Mom’s Thanksgiving turkey. For me,
the excitement of a field season at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological
Park brings pep to my step and a twinkle of excitement to my eyes. Some people
dream of the aroma of Christmas ham. I dream of the smell, and the occasional accidental
taste, of dirt. Some people anticipate colorful Fourth of July fireworks and
their powerful, resounding booms. I anticipate dirt stains on my hands and
chatty peacocks. Some people countdown to dying and searching for Easter eggs.
I count down to the art of archaeological investigation.
Under the
direction of Dr. Kathleen Deagan from The
Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida, archaeologists
began working at the Fountain of Youth (FOY) during the mid-1970s. For many
years, students learned about archaeology and excavating from Dr. Deagan at FOY.
In recent years, professional archaeologists began to dig at the site with Dr.
Deagan. For the past two years, I have been privileged to be one of those
archaeologists.
Block
1—searching for evidence of Goggin’s units or post holes related to Menendez’ fortifications
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Block
2—in search of Goggin’s 1950s units and Spanish features
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The 2015 field
season spans six weeks and we’re working toward the end of the third week. You
can look forward to more posts about the field season and our finds. In between
blog posts, keep up with the dig on the Fountain of Youth’s Facebook page or
with the hashtag #FOYarchaeology on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Text and photo credit: Sarah Bennett; thanks to David Underwood for the last picture.
Text and photo credit: Sarah Bennett; thanks to David Underwood for the last picture.