Archaeology Month features speakers the first four weeks of October on Thursdays from 5:00-6:00pm. All programs are free and open to the public! Refreshments are served and we encourage you to attend. No reservations needed- just come on in!
This years featured speakers are:
Oct 8 Josh McConaughy, Associate Director, Midwest Region, The Archaeological Conservancy
The Archaeological Conservancy in the Midwest
The Archaeological Conservancy is the only national non-profit organization that permanently preserves significant archaeological sites that are located on private property. Mr. McConaughy will give a brief history of The Archaeological Conservancy, from its beginning in 1980 as a three-person operation, to its current nation-wide preservation efforts. Mr. McConaughy will talk about several sites that The Conservancy has preserved throughout the Midwest, and discuss what people can do to help in its efforts to preserve important archaeological sites for the future.
Oct 15 Jarrod Burks PhD Ohio Valley Archaeology Inc.
Archaeology’s Geophysical Survey Revolution: Rediscovering Ancient Earthworks in the Ohio Valley
Though not new to archaeology, geophysical survey techniques such as magnetometry and ground-penetrating radar are revolutionizing the study of the past in our very own backyards. This revolution, which began in the 1990s, is being fueled by increases in computing power and data storage capacities, as well as a sharp increase in the number of instruments in use in the region. My own story is a good case in point about the power of geophysics for archaeologists. I am trained in traditional dirt archaeology, like shovel testing and test pitting, but over the last 15 years I have focused heavily on making geophysics work in academic research and cultural resource management. And oh the amazing things that I have detected along the way! In this presentation I explore geophysical data collected at some of Ohio’s most iconic ancient earthwork sites. From erased coils at Serpent Mound to giant woodhenges at Hopewell Mound Group and mysterious pits filled with bright red, burned soil at Fort Ancient, the list of curious and intriguing finds thanks to geophysical surveys has launched a new age of archaeological discovery in Ohio.
Oct 22 Sabrina Curan PhD OU Department of Anthropology
Homo Erectus on the Move
Homo erectus was the first human ancestor to expand into Eurasia (at ~1.85 million years ago). How and why they were the only ones to do so when there were (up to) five other species of human relatives living in Africa at the same time? This talk will explore various hypotheses to explain this game-changing event and its relevance for human ingenuity and adaptability.
Oct 29 Brad Lepper PhD Curator of Archaeology, Ohio History Connection
The Serpent and the Alligator: Ohio’s Ancient Effigy Mounds
Effigy mounds are gigantic earthen sculptures in the shapes of animals or people. The Serpent Mound in Adams County and the so-called “Alligator” Mound in Licking County are fascinating legacies of Ohio’s Fort Ancient culture, circa A.D. 1000. Although much about them is still mystery, they may finally be giving up some of their secrets. This program presents the theory that they were shrines to powerful spirits of the Native American Underworld.
