Digging Miami is the first book to provide a synthesis of the prehistoric and historic archaeology of Miami-Dade County. The book presents new information gleaned from thirty years of often exciting and unanticipated discoveries during Miami's construction boom. The first chapter summarizes the history of archaeological research beginning with the investigations of Jeffrey Wyman on the Miami River in 1869 and brings the reader to the discoveries of Florida's first county archaeologist. Most of the book is organized chronologically beginning in chapter 2 with the discovery of extinct fossil bon ... More

Digging Miami is the first book to provide a synthesis of the prehistoric and historic archaeology of Miami-Dade County. The book presents new information gleaned from thirty years of often exciting and unanticipated discoveries during Miami's construction boom. The first chapter summarizes the history of archaeological research beginning with the investigations of Jeffrey Wyman on the Miami River in 1869 and brings the reader to the discoveries of Florida's first county archaeologist. Most of the book is organized chronologically beginning in chapter 2 with the discovery of extinct fossil bones mixed with artifacts at the Cutler Site. The book summarizes the area's prehistory from the Paleo-Indian Period through the time of Spanish contact with the demise of the Tequesta in 1763. Prehistoric cultural patterns, particularly in regard to the adaptation to South Florida's Everglades and coastal wetlands, are discussed in detail in chapters 3 through 5. Chapters 6 through 11 summarize the area's historic archaeology beginning with the period of Spanish contact in the sixteenth century. The area's English and Bahamian legacy is reported in chapter 7. The arrival of the Creeks and Seminoles is examined in chapter 8 and the archaeology of the Seminole War in chapter 9. The legacy of pioneer settlers both white and black is highlighted using specific archaeological discoveries in chapters 10 and 11. Chapter 12, “The Miami Circle and Beyond,” summarizes the discovery of Miami's most significant site and its implications for rituals, social complexity, and trade. Influences from Hopewellian and subsequent Mississippian religious ideas are presented.