Pollen and Phytolith Analysis for the Letchworth Mounds Site (8je337), Florida

The Letchworth Mounds site (8JE337) is located near Highway US-90 between Tallahassee and Monticello, Florida. This Woodland period (~400 B.C. to A.D. 850) ceremonial center contains seven extant mounds. The tallest mound is approximately 15 meters tall. Prior to the adoption of maize in the region, there is spotty evidence of cultivation of native plants in Florida. Therefore, this project assesses the scope and intensity of occupation at this site. Evidence for occupation at the Letchworth Mounds site is diffuse and no evidence of a village was uncovered. This scenario suggests the mounds represent a large hunter-gatherer aggregation. Two ceramic sherds that appear to contain carbonized residue and a sample of the rocks excavated from a hearth feature were submitted for residue analysis of the sherds that included starch and phytolith analysis, as well as recording any pollen visible. The rock was examined for starch and phytolith evidence of use.