Florida soil is, under ordinary conditions, an aggressive decomposer.

The state’s combination of heat, humidity, and acidic soil chemistry creates ideal conditions for the microorganisms that break down organic material — bacteria, fungi, insects and their larvae, the full range of decomposers that make organic matter disappear in relatively short order.

That is why most Florida archaeological sites yield stone and sometimes ceramic but essentially nothing made from wood, bone, antler, plant fiber, or animal hide.

The Windover pond was different because of peat.