Fort Walton Temple Mound |
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Fort Walton Beachs Temple Mound, circa 1300AD, is representative of a culture that has come to be recognized as one of the most successful agrarian groups on the Florida pre-Columbian cultures (Waselkov & Braund). The Fort Walton culture developed extensive agricultural strategies for corn, beans, squash and other assorted crops that supported the larger communities found in the Mississippian Period. The Fort Walton Temple Mound represents a common architectural style of the period in that the mounds were truncated pyramidal type structures that functioned as platforms for temples and residences for high-ranking officials (Mainfort).
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Ceramics have been found at the Fort Walton Temple Mound difficult to classify specifically though they are seen to be variants of the typical styles of the period. As with many of Floridas mound structures, the Fort Walton Temple Mound was first excavated by Moore who, in 1901, was the first to bring its ceramic vessels and burial items to light (Milanich). The Fort Walton Temple Mound also shows evidence of the above ground food storage techniques that arose during the Mississippian as well as a protective measure from foraging animals. Pottery, while suffering from various styles, was standardized along certain techniques and was considerably more durable as seen from samples found at the Fort Walton site.
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Resources & Further Reading:
Milanich, Jerald T. Archaeology of Precolumbian Florida. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida Press, 1994.
Morgan, William N. Pre-Columbian Architecture in Eastern North America. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida Press, 1999.
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