Kenneth E. Sassaman

Kenneth E. Sassaman is the Hyatt and Cici Brown Professor of Florida Archaeology in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Florida's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on the archaeology of the American Southeast, with particular expertise in the Archaic and Woodland periods.

His research interests include:

• Archaeology of the American Southeast
• Archaic and Woodland periods
• Technological change
• Community patterning
• Coastal archaeology
• Effects of sea-level rise on archaeological sites

Sassaman's work connects ancient indigenous coastal communities' experiences over the past 4000 years to contemporary challenges of sea-level rise. His field research has focused on the middle Savannah River valley of Georgia and South Carolina (1990s), the middle St. Johns River valley of northeast Florida (since 1998), and the northern Gulf coast of Florida (since 2009 with the Lower Suwannee Archaeological Survey).

He views archaeology as a unique blend of science and humanities, describing it as 'long-term ethnography' that requires both systematic empirical approaches and deep cultural understanding to render ancient information relevant to contemporary contexts. His publications demonstrate a consistent focus on temporal analysis, historical processes in prehistoric societies, and the intersection of environmental change and cultural development.

Sassaman directs the Laboratory of Southeastern Archaeology at the University of Florida, where he continues to explore the relationship between structural components of culture and the human experiences that reproduce and transform those structures. His work bridges scientific methodology with humanistic interpretation, emphasizing the importance of integrating archaeological evidence with anthropological theory.