Harney Flats

Discovered during construction of the I-75 corridor northeast of Tampa, the site of Harney Flats was a turning point in the archaeology of the southeastern United States. Harney Flats describes the excavation, which was praised for its state-of-the-art strategy and interpretive methods, and details the objects uncovered and what they reveal about the lives of the people who used them.

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Discovered during construction of the I-75 corridor northeast of Tampa, the site of Harney Flats was a turning point in the archaeology of the southeastern United States. Beneath evidence of human settlement from the Middle Archaic period, researchers unearthed Paleoindian stone tools – representing a rare example of a stratified site in the Southeast with a Paleoindian occupation. The expansive excavations at Harney Flats demonstrated that significant land-based sites of early human settlement exist in Florida and are worth exploring.

Harney Flats describes the excavation, which was praised for its state-of-the-art strategy and interpretive methods despite its sandy environment, and details the objects uncovered – projectile points, scrapers, adzes – and what they reveal about the lives of the people who used them. Including an update on relevant research since its first publication, this volume is the definitive account of a critical finding in the study of early human history.