July 21, 2020
The Akron-Kent Society is embracing digital learning and designing an educational program to introduce older students in grades 3-8 to the excitement of experimental archaeology via a one-hour live streamed class. During the livestream, two experts in experimental archaeology at Kent State University (Dr. Metin Eren and Dr. Michelle Bebber) will give students a virtual tour of their experimental archaeology lab, which includes the equipment needed to make replicas of ancient stone, ceramic, and metal artifacts and then test the replicas using a variety of scientific tools. The live stream demonstration will focus on flintknapping, metal working, and firing arrows tipped with chipped stone points at various targets to learn about the engineering principles of ancient archery. The demonstrations and discussions, along with a live question-and-answer session, will also be recorded, edited and then made widely available at no cost to schools and the public.
Kentucky Society members will create an exhibition featuring the results of the multi-methodological investigations conducted at and around contrada Bregatorto, a rural fortification built in the 6th century BC to protect the Greek city-state of Locri Epizephyrii (Calabria, Southern Italy), between 2015-2019 by teams from the Foundation for Calabrian Archaeology and from the University of Kentucky. The exhibit will consist of twelve bilingual plexiglass panels in English and Italian and will travel from Lexington, Kentucky, to the Center for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage University of Louisville where it will be on display for 3 weeks in April, 2021. This will allow local AIA members, the university community, and the general public, to learn about this project before it is shipped to Italy in June 2021 for permanent display in Antonimina’s (Calabria) City Hall. The exhibition will be preceded by a public lecture presented by Dr. George M. Crothers, Kentucky’s State Archaeologist and Director of the W.S. Webb Museum of Anthropology at the University of Kentucky (director of the geophysical survey at contrada Bregatorto in 2017-2018) and by Dr. Paolo Visonà, Associate Professor Adjunct, University of Kentucky’s School of Art and Visual Studies (field director, 2017-2018).
The Nashville Parthenon and the AIA-Nashville Society will celebrate International Archaeology Day by sharing the legacy of Greek culture and raising awareness of archaeological concepts beyond excavation by promoting public understanding and appreciation of all aspects of archaeology. The theme this year was developed in response to the archaeological reaction to the COVID-19 outbreak, causing changes to excavation projects worldwide. As the field of archaeology is more than just digging, “Beyond the Dig” will show visitors the research, study, and variety of skills and tasks connected to archaeological work. From in-depth discussions to hands-on learning experiences, International Archaeology Day at the Parthenon will be an educational program appropriate for all ages. Activities and programs center around topics that support archaeological work besides excavation: Create a Catalog, Mosaic Sorting Station, Map it Out, Discover the Date, Ask an Archaeologist, Research Station (designated inclusive Quiet Area), Experimental Archaeology, and Tours & Talks. After completing activities that show how archaeologists study and research artifacts, attendees will earn a custom archaeology badge sticker.
The San Francisco Society will partner with a local school group of 5th and 6th grade students for an afternoon event hosted on the UC Berkeley campus, the regular meeting place for the AIA-San Francisco society. The event will introduce students studying ancient history to the practice of archaeology and to new technologies such as 3D printing and photogrammetry. The event will begin with brief talks by society members and local scholars and will include a series of activities designed to get students working together to engage with 3D printed materials and virtual reconstructions led by graduate student members of the society. The society hopes to later repeat the event at an expanded level and invite society members and their families along with local undergraduate students to participate to test the response of different demographics to learning about and working with 3D prints and virtual reconstructions. Ultimately, they hope that these events will serve as a pilot for the use of 3D printed objects in the future visitor center at the site of Aidonia in Greece that is a planned part of the society’s international outreach to preserve the cultural heritage of at risk sites.
