Time Sifters Archaeology Society Newsletter March 2018

MARCH-2018 March Program March 21 - at 6:00 PM - Selby Library, 1331 First St., Sarasota 34236 Letchworth and Lake Jackson Mounds: Monumental Architecture of the Woodland and Mississippian Periods in Northwest FloridaWilliam Stanton - Archaeologist, Florida Park ServiceDear Member:Celebrate Florida Archaeology Month (FAM) with Time Sifters! This is a crazy busy month for Florida Archaeology, localheritage, and your board members, so be sure to scroll down and see the various announcements. We arepleased to welcome the Florida State Parks Archaeologist, William Stanton, as our speaker. He will shareinformation about the amazing monumental architecture in northwest Florida.The focus of this year's Florida Archeology Month is Heritage at Risk. So many of the places that make Florida special areunder threat. Florida’s coastal heritage sites are disappearing due to storms, erosion, modern development,looting, sea level rise. We must do what we can to preserve and document these fragile windows to the pastbefore they are completely lost. Pick up your FAM posters and bookmarks at the meeting (see preview below),and check out the Florida Public Archaeology Heritage Scout Monitoring Program to see how you canhelp. https://www.fpan.us/projects/HMSflorida.phpAnd what a perfect time for the announcement of a new underwater discovery right off Sarasota County's own beaches.A rare, 7,000-year-old burial site has been discovered in the Gulf of Mexico off Venice and has made national news.If your membership renewal date is March 2018 or earlier, please renew now. Tired of keeping track of yourmembership? For $250, you can become a lifetime member and never have to renew again. You can renewby credit card online at www.Timesifters.org or with cash or check at the March meeting.Thanks for being part of Time Sifters!Sherry Svekis, President [email protected] 21st, Selby Library - Letchworth and Lake Jackson Mounds: William Stanton - Archaeologist, Florida Park ServiceLake Jackson (1000—1500 CE) and functioned as major regional centers Although only 20 miles apart, the sites are separated by centuries in terms ofLetchworth (300—750 CE) Mounds are of social, political, religious and construction and occupation.two of the most significant archaeological economic activity during theircomplexes in NW Florida and likely respective periods of significance.

News & Events Dr. Bernice Jones, From: 10:00 am - 3:00pm the on-site research which took our Secretary and 8300 De Soto Memorial Hwy place will be on display. one of February's Bradenton, FL 34209 10:30am - 2:30pm - speakers, is in (Cake will be cut at 11:30) Melbourne, Time Sifters 1302 4th Avenue East Australia for the are invited Bradenton, FL 34208 opening of her March 10th exhibition: Haute Join Sherry Svekis to celebrate FAS 2018 – May 11 - 13Couture in Ancient Greece: The the completed restorations of Register nowSpectacular Costumes of Ariadne & the three houses comprising the Lucky us! The 2018 FAS AnnualHelen of Troy at the Hellenic National Register Curry Houses Meeting will be nearby inMuseum. Presented as a part of Historic District. Two houses St. Petersburg, hosted by Alliancethe Virgin Australia Melbourne date from 1860 and one from for Weedon Island ArchaeologicalFashion Festival's Arts Program, 1925. 10 years of work - you Research and Education (AWIARE)the exhibition displays garments would not believe the “before” and USF St. Petersburg! Hope torecreated by Bernice through her pictures! You will be able to visit: see you there! Register now - ratesmeticulous analysis of textiles • The 1860 home of Amanda go up March 17th.represented in sculptures and wall (Andress) and Samuel George www.fasweb.org/annual-paintings of the period. Curry, an enlisted man of the conferencewww.hellenic.org.au/haute-couture-in- Army and Navy during the Civilancient-greece War, now a living history museum. • The 1860 Mary Amelia Curry An unexpected house, a school teacher’s home discovery by a transformed to exhibit hall. fossil hunter • The Theodosia Curry Lloyd diving a quarter- craftsman bungalow, now an mile off Mana- education and meeting center, sota Key near restored to its 1925 beauty. Venice, FL, has • Archaeological artifacts fromled to a groundbreaking archaeologicalproject that could change every-thing scientists thought they knewabout offshore archaeology. TheManasota Key Offshore (MKO) sitewill help archaeologists understandhow Florida’s indigenous peoplelived, and what their environmentwas like over 7,000 years ago.www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/02/28/7-000-year-old-burial-site/383678002/Time Siftersoutreach eventMarch 24thDe Soto National Memorial Get your poster at our March meetingFive Centuries of Florida HistoryTime Sifters will participate withan outreach table at this event,sharing the importance of archae-ological research and preservation,and distributing membershipinformation. Other participantswill include reenactors portrayingmen and women from Florida'sextensive past with camps andinteractive displays, demonstratingtheir unique time periods.

Notes from a Time SifterArt & Human Progress. By: Evelyn MangieArt is defined by the dictionary as Homo Sapiens as previously or created anything on its own.the conscious use of skill and creative thought. The most fascinating of Our closest cousins, chimpanzees,imagination. It is a way to interpret the all paleolithic art is the “I am” have also learned to draw. Inworld. It shows deep thinking, statement (handprints) that is 1956, Zoologist Desmond Morrisdevelops insight, provides problem found not only in Homo Sapiens taught a chimp at the Londonsolving skills, promotes the ability art in Australia, Africa, Europe Zoo, named Congo, to hold ato understand language and gives and Southeast Asia, but also in paintbrush. Morris gave Congous the ability to think symbolically the Neanderthal cave in Spain. paint and sheets of paper, some(looking at a picture of the American We know that art developed blank, others with geometricflag makes you think of the country). independently in all parts of the designs. On the paper withAnthropologists list art as one of world at different times. Humans geometric designs, Congo paintedthe essential characterizations of have been driven to express their a line within each design, and oncivilization. The German philosopher, feelings through art in drawings, the blank sheets, he seemed toErnst Cassirer said that art has architecture, religion, decorations, develop his own style, beginningbeen part of “the cement that jewelry, textiles, and more. They in the middle of the page, eachbinds …societies…together,” and all show abstract thinking, time painting a different pic-NY Times 2/22/18 H. Collado, Science Friday Congo — Gordon’s Corner, 12/14/13 ture. Morris reported that CongoClaude Lévi-Strauss, commenting Congo — Wikipedia sometimes became irritated whenon the paleolithic cave drawings, something we feel only humans the paint was taken away. Morrisbelieved that people drew animals can do. However, some people concluded that Congo’s irritation“not because they were good to wonder if other animal species showed that the picture was noteat” but because “they were good can do the same. For example, finished because at other times,to think.” So, it was long believed several elephants have been Congo refused to continue, indicatingthat the first attempts at art came taught to draw. However, they do to Morris that the picture waswith Homo Sapiens, “knowledgeable it as a trainer tugs the elephant’s then complete. Morris believesman”, the first true man. However, a ear giving it directions. There is this proves that Congo did notnew study reported in the Sarasota no evidence that any elephant paint by chance but was truly creatingHerald Tribune (2/21/18) has thought about what it was drawing (BBC, J. Goldman, 7/24/14).found that the paleolithic artifacts Salvador Dali praised Congo’s workand cave paintings found in some and Picasso hung Congo’s pictures incaves in Spain were painted by his home in Paris (which probably saysNeanderthals who are a separate more about Dali’s and Picasso’s think-species from Homo Sapiens. ing than about Congo’s), but there isThese Neanderthal paintings date still no good evidence that our closestto 65,000 B.P., 25,000 years before cousins can think symbolically. So far,the Homo Sapiens arrived in that is still reserved to us and to theEurope, proving that the Neanderthal now better understood Neanderthals.were not cognitively inferior toOfficers: Board of Directors Copyright © 2018Sherry Svekis, President Time SiftersArchaeologySociety,Inc.,Darwin \"Smitty\" Smith, Vice Pres. Directors: Evelyn Mangie All rights reserved.Bernice Jones, Secretary Valerie Jackson Bell Sharon McConnell We send newsletters to peopleLaura Harrison - Treasurer Robert Bopp Saretta Sparer who have attended or expressedKaren Jensen, Membership Glenn Cooper interestin our lecturesand given us their email address.

Membership Speakers & Events CalendarLifetime: $250 All to be held at 6:00 PMIndividual: $25 Selby Library, 1331 First St., Sarasota 34236Family: $35Sustaining: $50 March 21Student: $10 Monumental Mound Complexes of Northwest Florida William M. Stanton, Archaeologist, Bureau of Natural andPay online at: Cultural Resources, Florida Park ServiceWWW.TimeSifters.orgOr mail checks to: April 18Time Sifters, Inc. 2018 Cornelia Futor Memorial Student Paper WinnersPO Box 5283 1st and 2nd Place Student Paper PresentersSarasota, FL. 34277 May 16 Archaeology and Rising Sea Levels — Dr. Uzi Baram, Professor of Anthropology, New College, Sarasota, FL Time Sifters Archaeology Society A Chapter of the Florida Anthropological Society http://timesifters.org/Time Sifters Archaeology SocietyP. O. Box 5283, Sarasota, FL 34277