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Swift Creek Traits in Northeastern Florida Ceramics, Mounds, and Middens Keith H. Ashley This chapter reviews the occurrence of Swift Creek manifestations as revealed in northeastern Florida. After a brief discussion on local Woodland chronologies, past research and new ideas concerning nontechnological aspects of Middle Woodland ceramics are considered to suggest Early and Late Swift Creek pottery types and possible cultural manifestations. This is followed by a presentation of data gathered from known burial mounds and midden deposits that have yielded Swift Creek wares. The study encompasses sites along the northern or lower St. Johns River in present-day Duval County, Florida (Figure 12-1). This region, extending from Julington Creek to the river’s mouth at Mayport, corresponds roughly to the known distribution of Swift Creek ceramics in northeastern Florida. Much of our current data on local Middle Woodland occupations, however, is derived from sites con¤ned to the tidewater zone between downtown Jacksonville and the Atlantic Ocean. Figure 12-2 shows the lower St. Johns River area within the context of the southeastern United States, along with other regions referenced in this chapter. Before continuing, two points need to be made explicit regarding local Middle Woodland manifestations as perceived in the region. First, in the context of the study area, the term Swift Creek is used loosely to indicate Swift Creek pottery-making peoples but does not carry with it speci¤c ethnic or geographic connotations. Second, those St. Johns River mounds yielding Swift Creek pottery will be identi¤ed as Swift Creek related, acknowledging 12 ceramic relationships between local Middle Woodland mound builders and Swift Creek peoples to the west and north. Complementary overviews of past research concerning local Swift Creek manifestations and problems in their interpretation are discussed by Ashley (1992) and Russo (1992). Local Woodland Ceramic Chronology Archaeologists have routinely af¤liated post-Archaic groups in northeastern Florida with the St. Johns tradition, a widespread archaeological manifestation dating from about 500 b.c. until shortly after Spanish settlement of Florida in a.d. 1565 (Goggin 1952; Milanich 1994). The Woodland era within this chronology, circa 500 b.c. to a.d. 750, is referred to as St. Johns I and is characterized by sand burial tumuli, extensive freshwater- and marineFigure 12-1. Swift Creek mound and midden sites, Duval County, Florida. 198 Keith H. Ashley shell middens and mounds, and a prevailing distinctive plain chalky pottery. Recently, Russo (1992; Russo et al. 1993) has reconsidered the archaeological history of the lower St. Johns River valley and southeastern coastal Georgia , suggesting that the regions should be combined and called the St. Marys. The primary premise behind this regional construct is that most sites within the St. Marys area, although containing St. Johns cultural traits, differ from regions to the south, north, and west in terms of pottery assemblages and settlement types (Russo 1992:107). The ¤rst Woodland period occupations of the St. Marys mouth region occurred around 500 b.c. and are represented by Deptford pottery assemblages containing plain, check-stamped, and simple stamped types (Russo Figure 12-2. Selected culture regions, northern Florida and southern Georgia. Swift Creek Traits in Northeastern Florida 199 1992:115; Sears 1957:28; Vernon 1984:108). Some time after a.d. 1, there appears to have been a ®orescence of several decorated minority types (e.g., check stamped, complicated stamped), although undecorated sand-tempered wares, which often tend to be overlooked, dominated local pottery assemblages (Russo 1992:115; Sears 1957:29). Diagnostic decorative pottery types recovered from local Woodland midden contexts include Deptford, St. Johns, Swift Creek, and Weeden Island. In the past, most post-Archaic wares except the chalky St. Johns series were presumed to be of foreign origin (Goggin 1952:47; Milanich and Fairbanks 1980:161). However, site components containing almost exclusively Deptford (e.g., Green¤eld site 5, 8DU5541) and Swift Creek (e.g., Green¤eld site 7, 8DU5543) series ceramics have been recently identi¤ed, suggesting local production (Florida Archaeological Services 1995). Ironically, no pure St. Johns I sites, as de¤ned by the predominance of St. Johns plain wares, have yet been reported locally (Goggin 1952:47; Russo 1992:115). The lack of unequivocal stratigraphic ceramic information combined with the ubiquitous occurrence of plain wares and the paucity of absolute dates from secure contexts precludes the development of concisely de¤ned and well-dated local Woodland phase designations at this time. In fact, radiocarbon dates have been reported for only two Swift Creek–related sites...

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