Keywords
radial burials; Florida; mortuary archaeology; Cape Canaveral; Southeastern Ceremonial Complex; CCAMP; Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Abstract
The Burns Site, located in Cape Canaveral, Florida, is an ancient burial mound that presents a unique archaeological puzzle characterized by its distinctive mortuary practice known as 'radial burials.' This paper explores the origins and significance of radial burials within the broader framework of indigenous mortuary practices in Florida, from the Late Archaic through the Malabar II period (750 – 1565 AD). The research investigates and cross-references previous studies on ancient burial mounds in the Southeastern United States using quantitative and qualitative analysis. The study aims to gain insights into the cultural, social, and historical contexts that shaped the Burns Site by comprehensively examining burial patterns across Florida and the Southeastern United States, including Louisiana, Georgia, and North and South Carolina.
The study highlights a correlation between the burial pattern and the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex, evident through physical evidence such as copious amounts of lightning whelk and other symbolism found at the radial burial sites. The research aims to prove that the radial pattern did not emulate the spoke of a wheel but the culturally significant lightning whelk shell and its fundamental counterclockwise spiral shape. Analysis based on the Attributes Table concluded that the radial burial practice is a uniquely Florida Indigenous burial practice found in mounds made from coastal elements between 500 AD - 1565 AD. The findings revealed frequent similarities between artifact assemblages in radial mound sites and Southeastern Ceremonial Complex Sites.
Thesis Completion Year
2024
Thesis Completion Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair
Wheeler, Sandra
College
College of Sciences
Department
Anthropology
Thesis Discipline
Archaeology
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus Access
None
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Langgle, Melanie M., "Analysis of the Mortuary Patterns at the Burns Site (8BR85) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and the State of Florida" (2024). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 110.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/110
Rights Statement
