Underwater archaeology isn't just about shipwrecks; some of the most spectacular finds have been ancient villages, cemeteries, and even entire cities

Aucilla River

In 1995, a team led by archaeologists from the Florida Museum of Natural History University of Florida began excavating several submerged Paleoindian sites along the Aucilla River in northwest Florida. Since then, the team has discovered more than 75 sites. Water was scarce in the arid savannah-like climate of the Pleistocene and the river was the epicenter of life for animals and humans. Archaeologists uncovered flint and chert tools, hearths, animal bones, and several human graves, providing the clearest picture so far of the lives of early Americans. Three wooden stakes preserved upright in the ground suggest they lived in temporary lean-tos or tents. Just as significant as the evidence of human life are the layers of animal remains preserved in the river by flooding, allowing biologists to understand the evolution of species during the dramatic climate shift at the end of the Pleistocene era.

Windover Pond

Farther south, near Titusville, Florida, an Early Archaic site was discovered when a backhoe operator noticed skeletal remains while starting excavation for a road across Windover Pond. The worker had inadvertently discovered a graveyard of more than 167 people, with burials from 6,900 to 8,100 years old preserved in peat. Archaeologists from Florida State University found that many of the bodies were wrapped in fabric made from plant fibers, the oldest flexible fabric ever found in the New World. The intricate weaves indicate they were woven on a loom, suggesting people at this period were more sedentary than previously believed. Carved artifacts of wood, bone, and antler were also preserved in the graves, along with brain tissue from 91 skulls.

Atlit-Yam

Dating to as early as 6900 B.C., Atlit-Yam is a pre-pottery Neolithic settlement covering more than 15 acres of the seafloor just off Israeli coast, some six miles south of Haifa. Working at a depth of 26 to 40 feet, archaeologists led by the Israeli Antiquities Authority discovered the remains of rectangular houses and several pits, most likely used as wells. A six-foot thick wall running parallel to the channel of an ancient river was probably a levee, indicating increased control over and exploitation of water systems in the Neolithic. A set of seven upright stones discovered around what used to be a freshwater spring may also indicate worship of water sources. Perhaps most importantly, Atlit-Yam has in situ burials, with 15 full skeletons, some showing evidence of tuberculosis (see "Dark History of the White Death," September/October 2009). Most remains were found either in or near to a dwelling, which may indicate the people practiced some form of ancestor worship. Early evidence of religion, domestication, and fishing make Atlit-Yam a key site in understanding the transition in the Neolithic period toward more complex systems of subsistence.

Port Royal

Perhaps best known for legends of its plundering pirates and privateers, Port Royal, Jamaica, is the most important site for our understanding of city planning, architecture, and daily life of a 17th- century Caribbean colony. Captured from the Spanish in 1655, Port Royal became the largest and most prosperous English center in the Caribbean, its central location making it integral in the trade of slaves, sugar, and raw materials. But on the morning of June 7, 1692, the port's prosperity came to an end when an earthquake shook the island, causing more than 66 percent of the town to subside into the ocean. Buildings near the harbor collapsed and became jumbled as they sank, but structures farther away sank vertically, staying largely intact and preserving artifacts and remains inside. This area became the focus of excavations lead by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, Texas A&M University, and the Jamaica National Heritage Trust from 1981 to 1990. Concentrating dives on the commercial center of town, archaeologists fully excavated eight buildings, uncovering many household items, including large amounts of Chinese and local porcelain and pottery. The excavations of Port Royal provide an unparalleled view of the architectural styles, crafts, and activities of daily life in a burgeoning 17th-century colony.

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