By the 1500s the Calusa Indians controlled all of southern Florida. Their archaeological sites dot the southwestern Florida Gulf coast, yet little has been known about them until recently. This book focuses on the site complex at Pineland, location of the second largest of the Calusa towns. It encompassed more than 100 acres, and was the beginning point of the remarkable Pine Island Canal. The research at Pineland is the first extensive study of any principal Calusa town and of the bountiful but dynamic environment that sustained these remarkable Native Floridians.

The Archaeology of Pineland reports the results of a multi-year, interdisciplinary project. Focused mainly on 1700 years of Native American occupation, the book also provides new information about post-contact changes in culture and landscape. Abundantly illustrated, the book’s 19 chapters include more than 400 figures. The book contains never-before-published information about the archaeology, history, and environment of Southwest Florida, and will be an essential reference work for future studies. It also stands as a detailed and tangible case study in historical ecology.