Rj. Austin, Microlithic drills from the Anderson mound at Jungle Prado: Possible evidence for Late Prehistoric craft production on the Gulf Coast of Florida, N AM ARCHAE, 21(4), 2000, pp. 291-321
Recent test excavations at Jungle Prado, a late prehistoric and protohistor
ic (ca AD 1200-1700) Safety Harbor culture, shell mound and midden complex
on the Gulf coast of Florida, resulted in the recovery of numerous stone ar
tifacts and waste debris from their manufacture and maintenance. Use-wear a
nalysis of a large assemblage of microliths recovered from archaeological c
ontexts dated at cal. AD 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 po
litical economy.