Cades Pond culture

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The Cades Pond culture is defined as a Middle Woodland Southeast period archaeological culture in north-central Florida, dating from around 200 to 700. It is found in an area roughly corresponding to present-day Alachua County, the northern half of Marion County and the western part of Putnam County. It was preceded by the more widely-spread Deptford culture, and succeeded by the Alachua culture, which covered approximately the same area. The Cades Pond culture was related to the Weedon Island culture.

The Cades Pond culture is distinguished by its pottery and stone tools, and by the siting of its villages. Pottery found at Cades Pond sites consists primarily of large, undecorated bowls. Stone tools include hafted knives and scraping tools, perforators, triangular knives, manos and metates and sandstone abraders. Bone tools include double-pointed leisters, splinter awls, perforators, flakers, deer ulna awls, scrapers or fleshers, punches, and fids. Shell columella (the central column of a conch or whelk shell, often used as a hammer) and tools with shark's teeth have also been found.

Cades Pond sites are located adjacent to lakes and wetlands. Cades Pond villages are often associated with mounds. Some of the villages include earthworks associated with mounds and burial areas. Other villages were near mounds, while some villages had no associated mound. Villages appear to have been occupied for long periods, and included large storage pits.

The Cades Pond people heavily exploited the aquatic resources of their environment. Eighty-five percent of the 1500 individual animals used for food at one site came from aquatic habitats. Included were snails, clams, 12 species of fish, frogs, 7 species of turtles, 5 species of water snakes, alligator, 7 species of water birds, otter, and muskrat. Land animals consumed included deer, black bear, panther, opossum, rabbits, squirrel, skunk, rats, and foxes. Identified plant remains include hickory (especially mockernut hickory), pine nuts, acorns, Chickasaw plum, persimmon, and wild cherry (Carolina Cherry Laurel). There is no evidence that the Cades Pond people cultivated any crops.