Abstract
This study examines an Early to Middle Holocene subaqueous cemetery, Manasota Key Offshore site (MKO; 8SO7030), located off the coastal shores of the Gulf of Mexico in Southwest Florida. The purpose of this project was to document, inventory, and describe the Manasota Key Offshore human skeletal assemblage, including its condition, fragmentation patterns, desalination process, and minimum number of individuals, to provide a complete and accurate record of the recovered materials. This sample presents a NISP of 1,153 human osseous materials, totaling 2,043 human osseous fragments. Based on the sample, I estimated an MNI of 11-12 individuals, comprising seven at the most conservative to eight adults, and four juveniles. These findings provide a greater understanding of the ancestors who occupied the MKO site, Florida’s Early and Middle Holocene populations, and provide greater insight into the possible preservation of offshore archaeological sites that are yet to be discovered. All efforts made to accomplish these objectives were conducted at the request of the Florida Department of State.