204

THE FLORIDA ANTHROPOLOGIST

2006 VoL. 59(3-4)

 

 

Chokoloskee Key:
BCR1

‘SCALE IN MILES
o.s to 20 3» 40
et eto ee

Cape Sable 2
8M038

Stock island
8MO02

SI,
is a
She

Figure 11. Distribution of pumice artifacts in Florida.

study the role of this unusual, non-local material in native
Florida. Ocean currents are likely responsible for carrying
pumice to Florida from volcanoes in the Lesser Antilles or
Mexico (see Kish 2006, this issue).

Macroscopic examination of the pumice clasts revealed
some variation in color, texture, and inclusions, though the
majority of the specimens were within the range of variability
for materials produced by a single eruption.

Forty of the pumice clasts from the Miami Circle had
evidence of one or more form of modification. Evidence for
artifactual use includes shallow grooves, deep scoring, cup-
shaped depressions, flat surfaces, faceting, ring or crescent-

De Soto Grove B
8BR82
Higgs
8IR24
y \ IVER
—_\
80B29

ae
- “a
a

 

Pavilion
8SL1173
lerman's Bay
8SL1146
Shark Butchery
8SL37

Singer Island
8PB214

Boynton Mounds
8PB100

Markham Park 2
8BD183

Broward No. 6
8BD59
Broward No. 2
8BD20
Sutton
8DA1034
Surfside
8DA21

Arch Creek
8DA23

Honey Hill
8DA411

Granada,
8DA1064 Brickell Point,

& Miami Circle

‘Snapper Creek
8DA9

Mth

Bear Lake

8M033 3 7 Key Largo 1
J 8MO25

/
/

Upper Matecumbe
8MO17

Indian Key
8MO15

shaped forms, and cube-shaped forms. Similar modifications
were noted on examples from museum collections, indicating
a broader tradition of making and using pumice artifacts in
southern Florida. Forms and wear patterns indicate use in wood
polishing and bone tool manufacturing.

The vertical and horizontal distribution of pumice within the
Brickell Point site, including the Miami Circle component, may
be evidence that the midden was deposited very rapidly over a
large area. Some areas with greater densities of pumice may
indicate specialized activity areas or differential deposition of
refuse and discarded tools. Alternatively, inhabitants of the
Brickell Point site may have been involved in the long-term