Something in the Water

Count underwater archaeologist Jessi Halligan among the cowboys of science.

By Steven Potter
Nov 4, 2016 12:00 AMNov 11, 2019 11:05 PM
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Florida State archaeologist Jessi Halligan is one of the few in her field who explore submerged terrain that used to be above the water line. (Credit: Mark Wallheiser)

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As an archaeologist at Florida State University, Jessi Halligan blends her love of teaching with her passion for underwater excavation of cultural artifacts. She got to indulge that passion when she and her team made a discovery, reported this past spring, in the Florida section of the Aucilla River.

Deep in a sinkhole, buried in a pile of sand and mastodon dung, was a small, ancient knife used for hunting and cutting carcass meat from the bone. The dung dates back roughly 14,500 years — some 1,500 years before the Clovis people, who were long thought to have been America’s first human inhabitants. Discover caught up with Halligan to learn more about the find and the murky world of underwater archaeology.

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