BEST OF THE TREASURE COAST
60 www.indianrivermag.com
BEST OF THE TREASURE COAST
OLD VERO
ICE AGE DIG
Main Relief Canal
U.S. 1 at Airport Blvd.
Vero Beach
http://www.oviasc.org
For 100 years,
the age of
the human
bones known
as Old Vero Man,
discovered in 1915
in the banks of the
main relief canal in
Vero Beach, have
been in question.
But determined
excavators and
scientists have
continued to try to find out. A new dig started in early
January 2014 and scientists are continuing to try to
learn more about bones discovered in previous digs.
The bones are now thought to belong to a female, not
a male, who died about 14,000 years ago. Despite the
change in gender, the bones continue to be known
as Old Vero Man. The site, south of the Vero Beach
Airport, is considered one of the most important in the
history of North American archeology, according to the
committee formed to make sure work continues. The
nonprofit Old Ice Age Sites Committee formed in 2009
to raise money for excavation and educate the public
about the site and possible other Ice Age sites in Vero
Beach. In September, an agreement was reached with
the committee, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
and Mercyhurst University’s Archeological Institute that
would allow Mercyhurst to send bones found at the Old
Vero Man site to HBOI’s DNA lab for faculty and staff to
process. James Adovasio, director of the Mercyhurst
institute, says that the site may be the best example of
Ice Age deposits that existence today. It has made Vero
Beach internationally famous among scientists. The Ice
Age Committee hopes to make it equally famous
to nonscientists.
M A G A Z I N E
WHAT R E A D E R S
S AY ‘‘ ‘‘ Volunteers are invited to participate by sifting through dirt
that’s been removed from the site. Also, it is possible to
learn about the cutting edge DNA work connected to the site
which is done at Harbor Branch.
‘‘ ‘‘ This is one of the most important archaeological
sites in North America. Why wouldn’t it be the
best on the Treasure Coast?
M A G A Z I N E
B E S T H I S T O R I C A L S I T E 2 0 1 5
BEST OF THE
TREASURE COAST
2015
/www.indianrivermag.com
/www.oviasc.org