Microlithic Drills from the Anderson Mound at Jungle Prado: Possible Evidence for Late Prehistoric Craft Production on the Gulf Coast of Florida

Abstract

Recent test excavations at Jungle Prado, a late prehistoric and protohistoric (ca. A.D. 1200-1700) Safety Harbor culture, shell mound and midden complex on the Gulf coast of Florida, resulted in the recovery of numerous stone artifacts and waste debris from their manufacture and maintenance. Use-wear analysis of a large assemblage of microliths recovered from archaeological contexts dated at cal. A.D. 1300-1450, indicates that these specialized tools were used predominantly to drill shell and bone, and perhaps to manufacture beads and drilled shark teeth. The stratigraphic and spatial isolation of this assemblage within the site suggests that it may represent the presence of craft specialists. The possible presence of craft production at Jungle Prado has important implications for the study of emergent Safety Harbor political economy.