What if you encounter an artifact at the GTM Research Reserve?
It's a tale as old as time...you're taking a lovely stroll out on the trails at the GTM Research Reserve. You may spot a nice song bird, perhaps see a pigmy rattler coiled in the sun. And the next thing you know, you spot a piece of pottery or broken glass. An artifact! What do you do?!
There's three simple steps to take if you encounter artifacts on the trails.
1. Leave the artifact in place!
2. Take a picture and note the location.
3. Send the pictures and any information about the artifacts to artifacts@gtmnerr.org.
What is archaeology?
Archaeology is the study of people in the past through the things they left behind.
What is an archaeological site?
An archaeological site is made up of artifacts and other features such as building remains, that serve as evidence of people living, working or doing other activities in a certain place in the past.
What is an artifact?
An artifact is anything 50 years or older that was made, used, touched, or eaten by people.
Why is it important to leave things in place?
It is unlawful to dig or take artifacts from state-owned or controlled lands, including submerged lands. Digging and removing artifacts from their place can destroy important information that helps us to learn about the past.
What types of artifacts am I seeing?
Human occupation of the Guana Peninsula spans at least 6,000! So artifacts range from indigenous trash piles full of pottery and animal remains, to more recent whiteware ceramics like you'd find at your Grandmother's house. Each of these object can tell us a lot about the time it was made, but finding them in context with one another can also help us understand the various occupations and how they fit together.
If you've found something and want some help figuring out what it is, who made it, and when it was in use, check out these resources and guides:
- Society for Historical Archaeology's guide to glass bottles
- Florida Museum's Digital Ceramic Type Collection (for European- and American-made ceramics)
- Florida Museum's Pottery Type Gallery (for indigenous made pottery)
- FPAN's guide to common Florida Shells
- National Park Service Nail Chronology
These efforts to track artifacts and learn more about who lived at the GTM are part of a larger project, the People of Guana. You can learn more about it be clicking here!
Words by Emily Jane Murray, images developed as part of the People of Guana program.