Starting at noon today, the lab, located at 423 N. Fess Ave., will host one speaker every week inside of the lab’s auditorium, said Sarah Hatcher, head of programs and education at the ?laboratory.
Hatcher said interest in archaeology has been revived recently, and the lab is happy to help educate people about archaeology.
“Our attendance for the talks has really been picking up,” she said.
The first speaker will be Eli Konwest of the Department of Anthropology, presenting “The Most Precious Rock: Archaeological Investigations of Salt in Mesoamerica,” ?Hatcher said.
She said Konwest’s presentation is interesting both because it focuses on a special part of the world and because it fits into this fall’s Themester: Eat, Drink, Think.
The following week, Mike Linderman, property manager of Angel Mounds State Park, will present ?“Angel Mounds – The Development of the Site from Eli Lilly through Today,” talking about how people were housed in the 1930s while digging on the site, laboratory director April Sievert said.
The final speaker will be advanced graduate student Ryan Kennedy, presenting “Fan and Tsai: Archaeology, Food and Connections in Market Street Chinatown,” Sievert said.
She said the auditorium seats more than 50 people, and she would like to see about 20 or 25 people at each lecture.
Discovering Archaeology, an interactive open house consisting of demonstrations and experts in the archaeological field, will take place at the lab Sept. 27, the weekend following Kennedy’s lecture, Hatcher said.
Numerous archaeologists, including those who work for the lab, will be present, Sievert said.
“I’m hoping it’s mostly families with kids,” she said.
All of the events are free and open to the public, Hatcher said.
Sievert said an event like this has not been done in ?several years.
“I think that outreaching is very important,” she said.
She said archaeology offers insight into art, science, history, social studies ?and more.
“It’s sort of like the complete package,” she said.
Hatcher also said community outreach and education are vital.
“A good portion of what archaeologists do is document and explore our past,” she said.
Sievert said developing an appreciation for history and celebrating the people who came before us is very important to being an educated community because it can teach people a lot about how their ancestors lived and helped to build the society they live in today.
“They were real,” she said. “They had stories to tell.”
