Harney Flats

This book presents the results of archaeological excavations conducted at Harney Flats, one of the archaeological sites found as part of the I-75 Highway Salvage Program, administered by the Florida Division of Historical Resources and funded by the Florida Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. The interstate right-of-way traversed a portion of Harney Flats, a large inland basin near Tampa Bay. Excavations there spanned several months during1981 and 1982 uncovering a Paleoindian/Early Archaic component characterized by Suwannee and Bolen points. Fieldwork focused on opening large contiguous areas while mapping diagnostic artifacts in situ. Two significant outcomes resulted suggesting Paleoindian adaptations in Florida were different than elsewhere in the East. First, excavations recovered the largest Paleoindian/Early Archaic stone tool assemblage in Florida, and one of the largest in the Southeast. A technological organization approach was utilized in the lithic analysis allowing archaeologists to understand the role of the lithic assemblage from a settlement system perspective. Second, the large block excavations provided a unique opportunity to study internal site structure. Intrasite patterning in the form of several relatively discrete artifact clusters, as identified in northern Paleoindian sites and interpreted as the remains of one or more family living areas, were absent at Harney Flats. Instead, broad-scale patterning was identified, including a large living area separated from special activity areas. Another contrast with northern Paleoindian sites is the absent of “exotic” cherts suggesting group mobility was less extensive than northern groups. Harney Flats will remain a benchmark in Southeastern Paleoindian studies.