It’s hard to imagine the Ice Age in Florida, but even though the glaciers did not reach that far south, their impact was terrific. Since so much water was tied up in ice, the worldwide sea levels dropped some 300 feet, greatly expanding dry land along the Florida peninsula. The vegetation was dessert or dry savannah, and megafauna, including mammoths, roamed the land.
Barbara Purdy, a distinguished archaeologist at the University of Florida, has produced the first synthesis of Paleo-Indian archaeology in the state. It makes a strong argument for pre-Clovis habitation some 14,000 years ago. Individual sites are analyzed, and a hundred years of archaeological investigations are critically reported. The ongoing and sometimes ferocious debate about the first Americans is aired with tact and balance. Early artifacts are well portrayed and sites are described in detail. Richly illustrated and written for the public, this study is an essential reference for people who are interested in the first Americans.
