Amateur Diver Looking for Shark Teeth Stumbles on Well-Preserved 7000-Yr-Old Native American Burial, Officials Call it 'Unprecedented Discovery'

An amateur diver, searching for shark teeth off the Gulf Coast of Florida, stumbled upon a remarkably well-preserved 7,000-year-old Native American burial ground—an "unprecedented discovery," said the Florida Department of State, according to the BBC. The find of a lifetime came about in 2016 when he saw a barnacle-covered jawbone with one molar still in it that had worn down—off the shoreline of Manasota Key, which is about 900 feet. That odd pattern of wear is just what stood out for Ryan Duggins, an underwater archaeology supervisor at Florida's Bureau of Archaeological Research—a clear hint for "a prehistoric individual," as per Science Alert. 

"Seeing a 7,000-year-old site that is so well preserved in the Gulf of Mexico is awe-inspiring," Duggins remarked, stated BBC. "We are truly humbled by this experience." The excavation uncovered a treasure trove of artifacts, including human bones packed tightly together, sharpened wooden stakes, and fragments of textiles, all preserved in what was once a freshwater pond.

The burial site, spanning roughly 32,000 square feet underwater, has yielded remains of at least six individuals. "Our hope is that this discovery leads to more knowledge and a greater understanding of Florida's early peoples," said Florida Secretary of State, Ken Detzner, according to BBC.

The exceptional preservation of the site is the result of its rare geological history. Seven thousand years ago, when sea levels were 30 feet lower, the burial ground was a freshwater pond with a peat bottom. This peat acted like a natural preservative, greatly retarding the decomposition of organic material even as rising waters gradually inundated the site.

The Seminole Tribe of Florida has been very active in the preservation effort. "We are happy to be working, shoulder to shoulder, with the Bureau of Archaeological Research and the residents of Manasota Key," said Paul Backhouse, the tribe's historic preservation officer, speaking to the Bradenton Herald. He emphasized their goal: "the ancestors to continue to rest peacefully and without human disturbance for the next 7,000 years."

The discovery has challenged traditional assumptions about underwater archaeology. "The vast majority of underwater archaeological projects have historically been focused on shipwrecks," Duggins told National Geographic. This find demonstrates that prehistoric sites can survive millennia of hurricanes and erosion, opening new possibilities for understanding early American civilizations. In it, the state has taken some very serious conservatory measures that the site keeps under constant, watchful guards within law laid down by the State of Florida—any intrusion over or into the same area is in effect a penal offense. Trying to preserve also the cultural role of this antiquarian burial site, whereby it receives deference and concern towards it as coming under the circle of Native Americans and that being an innate tradition about the place ending, as per the Division of Historical Resources.