In June 2016, an amateur diver searching for prehistoric fossils off Manasota Key, which is located in Florida, reported possible human remains to the state’s Bureau of Archaeological Research. The investigation that followed the report revealed a prehistoric Native American burial site beneath the Gulf of Mexico. Known as the Manasota Key Offshore (MKO) archaeological site, it contains human remains. Additionally, the site contains worked wooden stakes that were linked to ancient burial practices. According to the Florida Department of State , radiocarbon dating of two wooden stakes placed them at more than 7,200 years old, thus transforming the site into an important source of evidence about Florida’s Indigenous past and the region’s changing landscape.
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