This thesis reports on the results of research conducted to determine whether technological adaptations to local environmental conditions can be observed through geospatial and artifact analysis of Safety Harbor collections from the Tampa Bay region of Florida. Past artifact and spatial analysis did not take advantage of modern technological advancements when studying how human-environmental interactions can influence certain adaptations to local conditions. In this project, GIS was used to reconstruct local aquatic environmental conditions of waterways adjacent to Safety Harbor sites. New statistical software programs have also proven themselves useful to archaeologists seeking to conduct hypothesis testing of artifact data.
The Safety Harbor artifacts used in this analysis were accessed through the Alliance for Weedon Island Archaeological Research and Education (AWIARE) lab on Weedon Island. Fishing artifacts from these sites underwent hypothesis testing to identify any statistically significant morphological differences. Geospatial analysis was also conducted to determine if these differences correlate with differing aquatic environmental conditions. Technological adaptations to local conditions at these three sites were then compared to those previously identified in research on the Calusa. Ultimately, it was found through this research that Safety Harbor peoples did adapt their fishing technology differently depending on the aquatic environment adjacent to their occupation site. Additionally, the adaptations observed in Safety Harbor fishing technology were similar to those identified in research on the Calusa.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:etd2023-1246 |
| Date | 01 January 2024 |
| Creators | Davis, Richard J, III |
| Publisher | STARS |
| Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024 |
| Rights | In copyright |
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