De Soto’s Footsteps: New Archaeological Evidence from Georgia
On view May 22, 2010 – March 1, 2011
Photos © Dan Shultz
A collection of rare artifacts never before displayed to the public.
Five years after Fernbank Museum launched an archaeological expedition to investigate the history of early contact between Native American Indians and Europeans in Georgia, De Soto’s Footstepsshowcases some of the rare artifacts that tell of those encounters and will reveal the significance of the findings.
This special exhibition includes metal and glass artifacts that led Fernbank’s lead archaeologist, Dennis Blanton, to conclude Hernando de Soto’s footsteps could be traced to an unexpected location in Georgia. Until now, many scholars believed De Soto and his small army took a different route through the region as he looked for food, information and riches after departing from today’s Tallahassee, Fla. in 1540.
Fernbank’s archaeological findings have surprised the world and challenged modern history with discoveries that place these early European explorers along the lower Ocmulgee River in Telfair County. While the excavations are still ongoing, they have produced the largest collection of early sixteenth-century Spanish artifacts in the Southeast outside of Florida.
Among the objects on display are Native American artifacts such as pottery, pipes and stone tools, as well as artifacts carried by the Spanish, highlighted by four distinctive types of glass beads, and objects of iron, brass, and silver. None of the objects has ever been on public display. The findings to date have generated intense interest from archaeologists, scholars, historians and the National Geographic Society, which recently announced a grant to help fund further research.
Read the official announcement here.
Admission to De Soto’s Footsteps: New Archaeological Evidence from Georgia is included with the purchase of a Museum ticket and is free for members. The exhibition is located in the Naturalist Center.
Dates subject to change without notice.