John Worth, PhD

Dr. John Worth, professor of anthropology, teaches historical archaeology, historical research methods, Southeastern Indians, and field and laboratory methods in archaeology.

From his early beginnings as a high school volunteer at an archaeological field school to being named the lead site investigator for one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the United States, Worth is still motivated by the thrill of discovering new insights about the past. 

One of the foremost experts on Spanish colonial history, he is the principal site investigator for the archaeological site of the Tristán de Luna settlement – the oldest established multi-year European settlement in the United States – that was discovered in a developed neighborhood in Pensacola in 2015.

Worth, an ethnohistorian who has spent 25 years working with original Spanish documents, has written three noteworthy books that intertwine research with historical and archaeological investigations. One of those books, "The Timucuan Chiefdoms of Spanish Florida,” studies the assimilation and eventual destruction of the indigenous Timucuan societies of interior Spanish Florida around St. Augustine. In 1999, this book received the Florida Historical Association’s Rembert Patrick Award for being the best scholarly book on Florida history. 

In addition to his book publications, he has written more than 150 professional and lay publications and presented papers. He has also served on the councils of archaeological associations, such as the Georgia National Historic Register Review Board and the Society for Georgia Archaeology.