Editing Marion County, Florida (section)

===Native Americans===
Evidence of ancient indigenous cultures has been found in Marion County, as well as of the earliest encounter between European explorers and historic indigenous peoples. In 1976, an archaeological investigation found ancient artifacts in Marion County that appear to be the oldest in mainland United States. Excavations at an ancient stone [[quarry]] (on the [[Container Corporation of America]] site (8Mf154) in Marion County) yielded "crude stone implements". Thousands of pieces of [[chert]] were found at the site. These showed signs of extensive wear and were found in deposits below those holding [[Paleo-Indian]] artifacts. [[Thermoluminescence dating]] and [[weathering]] analysis independently gave dates of 26,000 to 28,000 Years Before Present (YBP) for the production of these artifacts, prior to [[Clovis points]]. The findings suggested human habitation in this area much earlier than documented by other evidence.<ref name="purdy">[http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00027829/00016/57j Barbara A. Purdy, "Investigations into the Use of Chert Outcrops by Prehistoric Floridians: The Container Corporation of America Site"], ''Florida Anthropologist'', Vol. 34, No. 2, June 1981, pp. 90-</ref> Barbara Purdy had bipoint evidence from the CCA site, which also predated Clovis points, which she reported in a 2008 paper.<ref name="hranicky">Wm Jack Hranicky, [https://books.google.com/books?id=rvWG3MhhhkUC&dq=Finds+at+Container+Corp+of+America+site+in+Marion+County%2C+FLorida&pg=PA225 ''Bipoints Before Clovis: Trans-Oceanic Migrations and Settlement of Prehistoric Americas''], Universal-Publishers, 2012, p. 225</ref>

The county seat of [[Ocala, Florida]], is named for a [[Timucua]]n village visited and recorded by the Spanish [[Hernando de Soto]] expedition in the sixteenth century. During the colonial period, Spain and Great Britain traded control of this area.