‘Archaeology and History in Eastern Idaho’ symposium set May 16 at ISU

The free public symposium “Archaeology and History in Eastern Idaho” on May 16 will feature lectures, demonstrations and discussions about the regional heritage of southeast Idaho and research being conducted at Idaho State University.

The symposium is sponsored by the ISU Student Anthropology Club and the Idaho Museum of Natural History. The month of May is designated by state proclamation as “Idaho Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month.”

The symposium will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will be followed by an after-hours social and buffalo roast at the Idaho Museum of Natural History beginning at 5 p.m. Tickets to the evening social and barbeque are $8. The day-long symposium is free although donations to the Student Anthropology Club are encouraged. For more information visit www.isu.edu/~holmrich/A&HEI/ or call Becky at 282-2629.

Highlights of the symposium include a 10 a.m. keynote address by ISU history Professor Ron Hatzenbuehler about Thomas Jefferson and his role as the "father" of American scientific archaeology followed by a presentation by anthropology Professor Herb Maschner about the current state of archaeology at ISU.

At 1 p.m. a live demonstration about ancient stone, wood and bone technology will be presented by Professor Jim Woods from the Herrett Center, College of Southern Idaho. Both Hatzenbuehler and Woods are recipients of the prestigious Idaho Humanities Council's Award for “Outstanding Achievement in the Humanities;” and Maschner is a recipient of ISU's Distinguished Researcher Award.

Other presentations will be about current archaeological and historical research projects presented by students or professionals from several universities and agencies. These include well-illustrated presentations on petroglyphs in Ross Park, on surveys and excavations exploring Idaho's Paleoindian inhabitants, on spear and arrow points from the Idaho National Laboratory and on historic buildings and districts of Pocatello.

A few presentations will look beyond the modern political boundaries of eastern Idaho and describe research being conducted by ISU students and faculty in places as far away as Alaska. There also will be poster presentations about other archaeological research at ISU including the early Bronze Age in Western Russia and ancient human teeth from Eastern Island.