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Essay I
Windover Bog
It is safe to say that Windover Bog is the most exceptional archaeological site ever excavated. It provided enormous amounts of information about the early people in ancient Florida. The knowledge gained from Windover Bog exceeded the expectations of scientists and anthropologist. Over ten thousand bones and hundreds of artifacts were found at the site. From the artifacts left behind at Windover, scientist and anthropologist were able to delve into how these early people thought and behaved.
Anthropologists were impressed to find that the people of Windover were able to weave fabrics. The site was over seven thousand years old and these people were alive six thousand years before the birth of Christ. It is remarkable to believe that such ancient people were capable of executing weaves who lived so long ago. There were over eighty six pieces of fabric were found and had many uses. Much of the weave was used as clothing, some was used for blankets and bags, and some was even used as a rain jackets.
Since the fabric was used as rain jackets for the people of Windover, this indicates that the weather of ancient Florida must have been similar to the weather of Florida today. Climate of a region can have its benefits and its disadvantages. Large amounts of rain within a region caused the people of Windover to adapt to the given settings. They created a weave for a rain jacket that would protect them from the large amount of rainfall.
When there is a lot of rain in a region it is accompanied by a large bug population. Florida has a large population of flies, cockroaches, and mosquitos. This is due to the high humidity, geographical location, the high temperatures, and the large amounts of rainfall. The rain jackets did not only protect the people of Windover from the weather but also the enormous bug population in the region.
From observing the body remains of the people there were noticeable clues of diseases and healed wounds. Majority of the wounds were prevalent amongst the children and were probably due to severe illnesses. The children in this culture had fragile immune systems because most of the disease and wounds were present in the archaeological remains of their bodies. The type of environment the Windover people lived in allows for diseases to spread very rapidly. There are numerous amounts of fungus and bacteria in areas such as Florida. Wet climates, hot temperatures, and high humidity create the perfect environment for illness to exist. Children have the weakest immune systems so living in an environment such as this is not an advantage for young aged individuals.
Anthropologist and scientists noticed that children contained a larger number of graved valuables than the adults. This situation occurs due to the fact that children did not live very long in the Windover culture because of the environment. Children were considered valuable due to their low life spans. It was uncommon for children to make it past a certain age so they were considered valuable within the Windover culture. Today, in the American culture children are given high value. This could be due to the same fact that children are weak and innocent beings. They must be attended to constantly because of their endless needs and minimal knowledge. How are humans able to attend to children if they require so much time and energy to care for? Why do mothers go through the pain of carrying around a baby in their stomachs for nine months? The answer is love. Humans have a predisposition to express love for their offspring. If humans did not have this inclination than the human species would not be able to persist. The adults of Windover Bog took children of high importance due to this reason.
Windover Bog is a remarkable excavation site that allowed anthropologists and scientists to delve into the culture of an ancient people. The people of Windover Bog contained artifacts that astounded anthropologists and scientists because these people were over seven thousand years old. The type of society the people of Windover lived is considered advanced in all standards. Anthropologists were able to understand how the people of Windover thought and behaved from the artifacts that were left behind.

Sources:
The First Americans Windover Bog People Video Series Part 5 & 6
The Windover Archaeological Research Project http://www.nbbd.com/godo/history/windover/ pbs.org