J&J Hunt Submerged Archaeological Site facts for kids

The J&J Hunt Site (also called 8JE740) is a really old archaeological site found underwater. It's about 6 kilometers (almost 4 miles) off the coast of northwest Florida. People discovered it in 1989. It lies under 3.7 to 4.6 meters (12 to 15 feet) of salty water in the Gulf of Mexico. This area was once a river called the PaleoAucilla River.

The J&J Hunt Site was used by people at two different times in history. First, it was used by Late Paleo-Indians and Early Archaic people. Later, it was used again by Middle Archaic people. Dr. Michael K. Faught led a big project called the PaleoAucilla Prehistory Project to study this important site.

Exploring Ancient Underwater Sites

Archaeologists study submerged sites like J&J Hunt to learn about how ancient people lived. These sites are found along the old path of the Aucilla River, now underwater. By exploring these places, archaeologists can understand where people settled long ago. They also learn about what the land looked like thousands of years ago.

Tools made from stone, like bifacial and unifacial tools, show that people lived and worked here. These tools tell us about the Late Paleoindian, Early Archaic, and Middle Archaic periods. When archaeologists find stone tools, animal bones, and plant remains, they can figure out a lot. For example, finding tree stumps suggests the site was not always underwater.

Thousands of years ago, during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene periods, much of the land around Florida was dry. This land, called the continental shelf, was a very different place. It had forests and many large animals, like megafauna. Over time, as sea levels rose, this land slowly became marshy and then completely covered by water.

The PaleoAucilla Prehistory Project

The PaleoAucilla Prehistory Project (PAPP) was a big research effort. It was part of Florida State University's program for underwater archaeology. Dr. Michael K. Faught was in charge of this project.

The main goal of PAPP was to "search for and examine prehistoric archaeological sites" underwater. These sites are located on the continental shelf of northwestern Florida. Since the J&J Hunt site was found in 1989, archaeologists have worked there many times. They had six field seasons, which means they went out to the site in 1992, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002.

How Sea Levels Changed the Land

About 18,000 years ago, during the Last Glacial Maximum, the land around Florida was much larger. The Gulf Coast extended at least 185 kilometers (115 miles) further out. The sea level was about 90 meters (295 feet) lower than it is today.

Then, around 14,000 to 11,000 years ago, huge ice sheets started to melt. This caused the sea level to rise a lot. The coastline moved closer to where it is today. Another big melting period happened from 10,000 to 7,000 years ago. After that, sea levels became more stable.

As the sea rose, people living near the coast had to move further inland. The J&J Hunt site was once a forested area, far from the coast. Later, as the water rose, it became a wide, grassy marsh with salty water and oysters. Today, these ancient sites are underwater. Studying them helps us understand how people lived in these changing landscapes.

Ancient Cultures in Florida

Archaeologists debate exactly when the first people came to the Americas. However, most agree that people arrived at least 13,500 to 14,000 years ago. The oldest known culture in North America is the Clovis culture. It's believed that Clovis people lived in many parts of North America, including Florida, by 13,500 years ago.

After the Clovis culture, the Archaic culture appeared around 11,500 years ago. The dates of these cultures and the sea levels at the time are very important. Many ancient sites are now underwater, but they were once dry land. There are no "truly" coastal Paleoindian sites known today. This means early people did not live right on the coast as we know it now.

Tools Found at J&J Hunt Site

During the digs at the J&J Hunt site, archaeologists found 1,632 stone tools. These tools included:

• Unifacial scrapers (22%)
• Whole and broken bifacial items (42%)
• Used flakes (21%)
• Cores (18%)
• Hammer stones (4%)

The large number of bifacial tools suggests that people made these tools at the site. Other finds show that tools might have been reused. However, there is little evidence of tools being reshaped or "retouched" here. Most of the cores and flakes found did not have much outer rock surface. This suggests the raw materials for these tools came from somewhere else. No stone quarry areas have been found at the site.

Among the tools, some are "temporally diagnostic." This means they can tell us about the time period they were used. Seventeen projectile points (like spear tips) and fragments were found. These include:

• One Late Paleoindian Suwannee base
• Possibly one Suwannee preform
• Five side-notched Bolen projectile points

Other tools from the early Holocene age include a broken adze bit and two formal unifacial side scrapers.

The site also has tools from the Middle Archaic period. These include three Florida Archaic straight-stemmed points and one contracting-stemmed point. These points date to about 7,500 to 5,000 years ago. This is around the time the site is thought to have become completely submerged.

Clues from Organic Remains

Organic remains are pieces of plants or animals that were once alive. Finding these remains is very important for underwater archaeology. They can tell us if a site was once above water and when it became submerged. If archaeologists find animal bones or plant parts that lived on land, it strongly suggests the site was not always underwater.

At the J&J Hunt site, in one of the dug-out areas, a special discovery was made. They found a piece of a skull and teeth from a young mastodon. This was found on top of a layer of silty clay. This is strong proof that the site was not always underwater. Also, in the area where marine and clay sediments met, archaeologists found lots of charcoal, bone, and early Archaic artifacts. These human occupation levels further confirm that the site was not fully underwater throughout history.

By studying these organic remains and old climate data, scientists can figure out when a site was dry land. They can also determine when it became fully submerged. For the J&J Hunt site, scientists believe it slowly became fully underwater around 7,000 years ago. The latest it could have been submerged is around 5,000 years ago.

Find Out More

• Florida Historical Contexts: The Paleoindian Period
• Aucilla River Prehistory Project
• The Paleoindian Period
• Southeast Archaeological Center: Underwater Archaeology
• The State of Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs: Underwater Archaeology
• Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology
• Coastal Zones and Sea Level Rise