2 minute read
Lay of the Land
Advertisement
The Fight For Florida
One of the most interesting and intriguing spheres of North American archaeology concerns the machinations of the great powers of Europe—Britain, France, and Spain—for dominance of the newly discovered continent. All three were establishing fortifications and settlements on coastal America, and their success or failure determined the course of American history. In this issue of American Archaeology (see “When France Tried To Colonize Florida,” page 32) we take a look at the 16th-century struggle between France and Spain for control of Florida.
In 1562, the French built Charlesfort on Parris Island, South Carolina, the first European settlement north of Mexico. Two years later, the French moved to Fort Caroline near the mouth of the St. John’s River, by Jacksonville, Florida. The Spanish countered by establishing St. Augustine in 1565, and attacking and defeating the French.
Today, archaeologists are hard at work trying to locate, preserve, and understand the remains of this conflict. Charlesfort and the successor Spanish colony of St. Elena are preserved on the Parris Island Marine Base, and archaeologists are gleaning much new information about these early European settlements. St. Augustine is a thriving resort city with one of the nation’s most active urban archaeology programs, where its earliest history is being coaxed from 450 years of development.
Fort Caroline is still lost, but archaeologists are searching for its remains and its story. The ships that went down in the first European naval engagement in the United States are also lost. Archaeologists on the land and in the water are now using the latest technology to find the missing Fort Caroline and the missing sunken ships. It can be a long and tedious process, but archaeologists are a determined lot, and dramatic results may be just around the corner.
Mark Michel, President
Johan Berge–Visitnorway.com
2016 CULTURAL EXPLORATIONS CROW CANYON ARCHAEOLOGICAL CENTER
DOMESTIC
May 1–7 Hidden Chaco
with Craig Childs
SCHOLARS: Susan Ryan, Ph.D. Craig Childs Will Tsosie (Navajo) May 9–16 Backcountry Archaeology:
Basketmaker to Pueblo
SCHOLARS: Mark Varien, Ph.D. Phil Geib, M.A. May 24–29 The Pueblo Revolt
SCHOLARS: Charles King Marit Munson, Ph.D. June 19–25 R. Carlos Nakai:
Music, Culture, and Craft
SCHOLAR: R. Carlos Nakai July 23–29 Taos History SCHOLARS: Porter Swentzell, M.A. (Santa Clara) Severin Fowles, Ph.D. September 19–24 Archaeology of Chaco & Mesa Verde Country SCHOLARS: Crow Canyon archaeologists October 3–9 Zuni Origins SCHOLARS: Dan Simplicio (Zuni) Kim Spurr October 16–22 The Navajo World SCHOLAR: Harry Walters (Navajo) November 1–7 Hohokam & O’Odham
SCHOLARS: Douglas Craig, Ph.D. Angela Garcia-Lewis (Akimel O’Odham, Gila River Indian Community) INTERNATIONAL
August 3–9 The Vikings in Iceland
SCHOLARS: Tim Kohler, Ph.D. Gísli Pálsson, Ph.D. candidate August 9–14 Icelandic Origins in Norway SCHOLARS: Tim Kohler, Ph.D. Gísli Pálsson, Ph.D. candidate December 3–11 The Yucatán Peninsula
SCHOLAR: Ed Barnhart, Ph.D.
SPECIAL OFFER!
