Archaeology conference to return to IU after 30 years

When people think of archeology, they usually think of the adventures of Indiana Jones and his search to find lost artifacts.

However, archeology is based more in fact and research than legend. And although Egypt and Greece are very alluring, the Midwest has a very extensive archeological history as well.

Instead of rolling stones and booby traps, this year’s Midwest Archeology Conference will include lectures and presentations about Indiana and other Midwest states’ history.

“If you go back 12,000 years ago, we are at a region that was at a crossroads of a lot change,” said Edward Herrmann, a Ph.D. student in anthropology.

The Midwest Archeology Conference will be at the Indiana Memorial Union from Oct. 21 to 24.

Registration is required to get into the conference. The price for a student four-day pass is  $65 and $85 for non-student passes.

The Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archeology is putting on the conference. The laboratory is an independent research center that was created and funded by the legacy of Eli Lilly.

Lilly had an immense passion for Indiana history and wanted to create a center that would care for and preserve the state’s artifacts.

Today, the Lab curates 12,000 individual collections. It also funds research for graduate and undergraduate student studies.

MAC is the only conference dedicated solely to Midwest archeology.

The conference was last at the IU campus in 1978.

“By hosting the conference, we are getting other Big Ten faculty to recognize we have a lot of good resources,” said William Monaghan, interim director of the Glenn Black Archeology Lab. “It raises the profile for us and students.”

— Isabel Dieppa