Dr. Melissa Price of the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research (FBAR) is coming to the Faculty of Archaeology on the 16th of April to talk about her work with FBAR's underwater archaeology team.

Florida has the second longest continuous coastline of any state in the USA. Coupled with this, its many rivers, lakes, and sinks mean much of the state’s fascinating archaeological record exists underwater. This creates management challenges for the Florida Department of State, the entity responsible for the research, interpretation, and protection of archaeological resources located on public lands and in state waters.

This presentation introduces attendees to underwater archaeology in Florida, discusses problems the state faces in protecting submerged sites, and touches on future issues involving the effects of climate change on the archaeological record. It focuses on a fascinating case study in the form of a 7,200-year-old submerged prehistoric burial site, known as Manasota Key Offshore, located in the Gulf of Mexico.

About Melissa Price

Melissa R. Price is a Senior Archaeologist with the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research (FBAR). She received her master’s degree in Maritime Studies from East Carolina University in 2015 and joined FBAR’s underwater archaeology team in September 2016. Her master’s research involved examining the effects of treasure hunter activity on historic shipwrecks located on Florida’s east coast and comparing archaeological investigations of shipwrecks to those conducted by treasure hunters. Her current research involves the study of Middle Archaic Period mortuary ponds in Florida and the potential for submerged prehistoric sites to exist in an offshore context.