Turtle Mound

{{Short description|Prehistoric archaeological site in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, US}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox ancient site

| name = Turtle Mound

| alternate_name =

| image = TurtleMound1915_ge0496.jpg

| image_size = 250px

| alt =

| caption = A photo of Turtle Mound in 1915

| map =

| map_type = Volusia County

| map_alt =

| map_caption = Location within Florida today

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| coordinates = {{coord|28|55|51|N|80|49|37|W|display=inline}}

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| location = New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida, {{flag|USA}}

| region = Volusia County, Florida

| built = 1000 BCE

| abandoned = 1400 CE

| epochs =

| cultures = St. Johns culture

| event =

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| architectural_styles = shell mound

| architectural_details = Number of monuments: 1

{{Infobox NRHP

| name = Turtle Mound

| embed = yes

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| locmapin = Florida#USA

| architect OR builder =

| added = September 29, 1970

| refnum = 70000193{{NRISref|version=2010a}}

}}

| notes =

Responsible body: State of Florida{{cite web|url=http://volusiahistory.com/turtle.htm|title=Turtle Mound Located in the Canaveral National Seashore|access-date=2012-04-08|publisher=Volusia County Historic Preservation Board and the Volusia County Government|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503204514/http://volusiahistory.com/turtle.htm|archive-date=2012-05-03|url-status=dead|df=}}

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| precolumbian = yes

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Turtle Mound is a prehistoric archaeological site located {{convert|9|mi|km}} south of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, on State Road A1A. On September 29, 1970, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It is the largest shell midden on the mainland United States, with an approximate height of {{convert|50|ft|m}}.{{cite web|author=Volusia County Heritage|title=Turtle Mound|url=http://volusiahistory.com/turtle.htm|publisher=Volusia County Government|access-date=2007-09-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503204514/http://volusiahistory.com/turtle.htm|archive-date=2012-05-03|url-status=dead|df=}} The mound extends for over {{convert|600|ft|m}} along the Indian River shoreline and contains over {{convert|35,000|cuyd|m3}} of shells. Turtle Mound was estimated to be {{convert|75|ft|m}} high before it was reduced by shellrock mining in the 19th and 20th centuries.{{cite book|last=Milanich|first=Jerald T.|title=Florida's Indians from Ancient Times to the Present|year=1998|publisher=University Press of Florida|location=Gainesville, Florida|isbn=0-8130-1599-5|pages=38–39}} Because it is visible seven miles out at sea, early Spanish explorers and subsequent mariners used the large mound as a landmark for coastal navigation. Today, the site is owned and managed by the National Park Service as part of Canaveral National Seashore.{{cite web|title=New Smyrna Beach|url=http://www.newsmyrnabeach.com/resources/turtle-mound.html|accessdate=2007-09-05}}

The turtle-shaped mound contains oysters and refuse from the prehistoric Timucuan people, who caught a variety of small mammals and reptiles here. Archaeologists believe that these people may have used this site as a high-ground refuge during hurricanes. It has been estimated to have been constructed between 800 and 1400 CE;{{cite web|author=National Park Service|title=Canaveral National Seashore: Scenic Vistas|url=http://www.nps.gov/cana/naturescience/upload/Scenic%20Vistas.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061013210425/http://www.nps.gov/cana/naturescience/upload/Scenic%20Vistas.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 13, 2006|accessdate=2007-09-05}} recent radio-carbon dating has dated it to around 1000 BCE.name="lostworlds"

The Timucuan experienced greater competitive forces for finite resources such as arable land resulting in increased open conflict. This is apparent in some of the material found in the Turtle Mound location where it occupied an important location along the coast.{{citation needed|date=October 2011}} Archaeologists have recently found 1,200-year-old pottery on the site.