A major archaeological discovery was made in Florida. Was it kept 'under wraps'?

[Judi Lynn]

BY ANDRES VIGLUCCI
UPDATED FEBRUARY 09, 2023 10:05 AM

- video at link -

For the past year and a half, with scant public attention, squads of archaeologists digging at the Miami River site of a planned Related Group residential tower complex have unearthed remarkable finds, consisting of thousands of fragmentary prehistoric tools and artifacts, rare and well-preserved animal and plant remnants, vestiges of ancient structures and human remains — including some relics dating back to the earliest days of civilization on the planet.

Independent scientists say the findings, which include 7,000-year-old spearheads, are clear and abundant evidence of a continuous indigenous settlement in the area stretching much farther back in time than previously thought. The discovery, they say, may be the most significant in a series of archaeological finds made at the mouth of the Miami River in the past 25 years that include the Miami Circle National Historic Landmark, thought to be around 2,000 years old.

“There are artifacts going back sequentially over those thousands of years,” said William Pestle, an archaeologist and chairman of the anthropology department at the University of Miami, who is not involved in the excavation at the Related site but is familiar with the discoveries there. “This is like a continuous record, which is powerful and cool.

“You’re going back to the time of the emergence of the first cities in Mesopotamia. It’s thousands of years before the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. By any measure, this is an early manifestation of human activity. This is legitimately old.”

Read more at: https://www.macon.com/news/nation-world/article272283848.html

[Hugh_Lebowski]

1. If there are 7,000 y.o. human relics in Florida showing a persistent civilization there

It seems to me that'd be hugely significant.

What's the evidence it's being kept 'under wraps', and who are the interests involved in doing so?

[rpannier]

3. According to the article it's the developers

The article cites 1999 when an archeological find stopped condos

[Judi Lynn]

20. I remember reading about it then. You're so right.

The developers were damned determined to get their building going, pushing hard, raising hell.

[hadEnuf]

4. DeSantis (R-Fascist) thinks the publicizing of the discovery would be too woke.

He'll probably try and send his political storm troopers to the area with flamethrower to burn any possible books or writings.

[Vdizzle]

11. Well you know, the Christians think the Earth is only like 6000 years old....

So finding 7000 year old remains and artifacts would be inconvenient to the big grift.

[Judi Lynn]

21. They might feel led to send out religious assassins to murder people who say otherwise!

They would probably claim people were trying to destroy their faith by misleading everyone, and spitting in God's face! Gotta perteck God's word!

[AmBlue]

6. It's all about the money

The developer is jumping through legal hurdles and doing the minimum required archeological excavations, but is also keeping it quiet in an effort to "make it go away," so they can build and sell their condos. They are not sharing publicly what they are finding and sounds like the local historical experts are upset with how the site is being handled.

[wnylib]

7. Probably not a civilization since they were

hunter gatherers. More like what anthropologists would call a culture or society. They reserve the term civilization for extensive building, divisions of labor by class, a system of writing, etc.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

10. Agreed, which is why I stipulated civilization

Not saying it's not important at all if not a civilization ... but an actual civilization there at that time would be a hugely important find.

Was just kinda trying to weigh out just much of a travesty against history and science ... this might be.

Thanks for the info

[Ms. Toad]

12. In another article,

a bioarchaeologist and University of Miami referred to it as a city.

https://www.miamicondoinvestments.com/miami-news/significant-archaeological-find-in-miami-from-a-7000-year-old-settlement-at-new-construction-site

Here's a more detailed article.

The newly uncovered evidence, Pestle and other independent archaeologists say, suggests that the Related site was occupied by a succession of indigenous people starting in what’s known as the Archaic period. For 2,000 years or so until the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, it was home to the Tequesta tribe that is likely responsible for the Miami Circle, today a state park at the mouth of the river.

The finds also demonstrate that the Tequesta village on the river, the tribe’s principal settlement, was far more extensive than previously believed, they say. Spanish accounts put the settlement only on the river’s north bank. But the finds at the Related site, just steps from the Miami Circle, indicate that at its peak hundreds of years ago the Tequesta town spread along both banks of the river.

It may have been home to perhaps 6,000 people, though no one has yet attempted a formal estimate, said Traci Ardren, an anthropologist and archaeologist at UM who is an expert on New World prehistoric cultures.

https://www.nny360.com/news/prehistoric-tools-ancient-relics-unearthed-on-the-miami-river/article_0a80cff3-d0dc-5835-8b57-78fde9b88a2e.html#:~:text=People%20are%20seen%20working%20an,the%20Tequesta%20Native%20American%20tribe.

[Judi Lynn]

19. Thanks for the information.

[stopdiggin]

15. going to offer another 'suggestion'

archeologists themselves are often fairly circumspect about finds, ongoing digs, etc. In an effort ward off problems presented by the public, the media, religious and social advocates ... And sometimes just plain old vandals

In the same way that LE and forensics don't want the unaware tramping through a crime scene - the archeologists would clearly prefer that Mr. and Mrs WallyWorld, or 'amateur anthropologist' are not coming around to 'take a look' - and taking home a few 'trinkets.'

[AmBlue]

2. This is such an important archaeological site

I am a third generation Floridian, grew up in a suburb of Miami, and this is the first I am learning of this! Thank you for posting this article, Judi Lynn. I actually used to work just a couple blocks away from where this is happening. I dont live there now, but it's hard to understand how the locals and city officials there have not managed to raise the hue and cry sufficiently to inform the public and the world of the historical significance of this find.

It sounds like the urgency is mounting and the City of Miami needs to act NOW, or this important record of human history will be paved over by the developer to put up a condo and parking lot.

[Judi Lynn]

22. Wow. It seemed to begin around the time the world had been watching the Elian Gonzalez wildness!

People living far from Miami were focused on Miami almost daily while the right-wing reactionary Cuban "exiles" fought against the Clinton administration, with protests daily, even threats against anyone who would dare try to go pick up the kid to return him to his dad, after Janet Reno got the orders for them to let him go home!

Suddenly this story came up while some of us living far from Florida were watching Miami in the news every day, and we found out because Miami was in the news continually at that time! The developers were threatening to get underway regardless of the circle, etc., no matter how critically important it is for the world to know.

Isn't it sad how fast European-descended materialists have moved to destroy EVERYTHING of value which wouldn't make money for them once they had power over the hemisphere? Nothing seems to survive it it stands between them and their most profitable satisfaction. No respect for life at all.

Hateful, stupid brutes. So sad to learn they are still determined to control this situation, even now.

If I'm not mistaken, they only wanted to put up more huge buildings, anyway. They'd probably build them as cheaply and dangerously as the crap residential buildings which collapsed a few years ago due to shoddy materials and planning.

[wnylib]

5. There is always a conflict between developers

and archaeological finds. Developers do not want to hold up projects for archaeological research. If they have the right political contacts, they don't have to.

[BaronChocula]

8. De Satan finally did it!

He turned the clock back thousands of years in Florida.

[onetexan]

13. 🤣good one

[Baitball Blogger]

9. For this to get traction it needs to get on 20/20

[republianmushroom]

14. like it

[Farmer-Rick]

16. Wow, 7,000 year old relics of a large settlement or village?

Though with 6,000 people that's a city sized population for 7,000 years ago.

That's amazing. But there is a threat that it will all be buried in concrete. Capitalism and it's relentless destruction of everything but profit for a handful of people.

[jgo]

17. A recent show on PBS showed spiral pyraminds ...

in the Amazon valley, near Monte Grande, that have recently been dated older than 5,000 years and before Egyptian pyramids (if, big if, I am recalling correctly). Some objects were previously dated at 3,000 years old, and the recent finds at over 5,000, again if I am recalling correctly. It seems like there are a lot of important future archaeological finds waiting to be discovered in the Americas.

[Judi Lynn]

18. Every day seems to bring promise something astounding will be announced now!

Technology has been advancing at an unparalleled pace, gaining by leaps and bounds now. Breakthroughs seem imminent in so many areas.

It almost can make you look forward to each day now, rather than dreading it! There's a shocking amount of discovery ahead, I'm absolutely certain.

Thanks for the reference to spiral pyramids. I'm surely looking forward to learning about that!

Did we think, as kids, that there would actually be pyramids across the globe, that they all didn't belong in Egypt?

It could all be a horrible prank, however, since the Good Book tells us the earth is only 6,000 years old, the fundies tell us, and they know plenty!