Spruce Creek Mound Complex
Encyclopedia
The Spruce Creek Mound Complex is a prehistoric and early historic archeological site in Port Orange
, Florida
. The mound complex, major earthworks built out of earth and shell middens, was constructed by ancient indigenous peoples
. It is located near Port Orange, on the southwest bank of Spruce Creek. On December 3, 1990, it was added to the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places
.
The Spruce Creek Mound, located on a bluff above the river, was still tall enough during early colonial years to be used by travelers as a point of navigation. It was used as a ceremonial center and burial mound, and was believed to have been built from 500-1000 AD. The mound was added to over centuries, with layers of burials built upon each other.
At the time of European encounter, the site was used by Timucuan natives. They had harvested and eaten so much local shellfish, which comprised the bulk of their diet, that they left large shell middens. The site also has historic European artifacts
from the early colonial period (1550-17000 AD). This suggests it was one of the villages visited by Spanish explorers, traders and/or colonists.
Port Orange, Florida
Port Orange is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. In 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population as 52,793. The city is part of the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area; the metropolitan area's 2006 population was estimated at...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. The mound complex, major earthworks built out of earth and shell middens, was constructed by ancient indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
. It is located near Port Orange, on the southwest bank of Spruce Creek. On December 3, 1990, it was added to the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The Spruce Creek Mound, located on a bluff above the river, was still tall enough during early colonial years to be used by travelers as a point of navigation. It was used as a ceremonial center and burial mound, and was believed to have been built from 500-1000 AD. The mound was added to over centuries, with layers of burials built upon each other.
At the time of European encounter, the site was used by Timucuan natives. They had harvested and eaten so much local shellfish, which comprised the bulk of their diet, that they left large shell middens. The site also has historic European artifacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
from the early colonial period (1550-17000 AD). This suggests it was one of the villages visited by Spanish explorers, traders and/or colonists.