The Department of Anthropology, Geospatial and Earth Sciences at Indiana University of Pennsylvania will hold its annual Community Archaeology Day on October 12 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in celebration of International Archaeology Day.
Activities will take place on the ground floor of McElhaney Hall, home to the department, and on the east lawn adjacent to the building, weather permitting.
All Archaeology Day events are free and open to the community.
Events planned for the day are family-friendly and are designed to be enjoyed by people with all levels of archaeological knowledge, including those new to the topic, including information on the archaeology of Indiana County.
Events planned for the open house are spear throwing, flint knapping, and crafting pottery. Interactive games and mock excavations also will be offered. Visitors can touch artifacts from area archaeological sites, watch artifacts print in 3D, tour IUP archaeological laboratories, and watch metal detection and ground penetrating radar in action.
A children's activity room (open to all ages) will include crafting pottery using indigenous methods, stenciling “cave art,” wampum beading, and other activities for children of all ages.
IUP’s Community Archaeology Day is a tradition of the Department of Anthropology, Geospatial and Earth Sciences (formerly of the Anthropology Department) that allows IUP students and faculty to share their knowledge and love of the past with others.
The annual event is held during Archaeology Month and is celebrated in conjunction with International Archaeology Day, a celebration of archaeology and the thrill of discovery held every year by the Archaeological Institute of America. Every October, the AIA and archaeological organizations across the United States, Canada, and abroad present archaeological programs and activities for people of all ages and interests.
For more information about the IUP event, contact Lara Homsey-Messer (lmesser@iup.edu).
IUP’s Anthropology program places special focus on applied anthropology, which uses anthropological knowledge to address practical, real-world applications, including forensic anthropology, the handling of archaeological remains to meet state and federal regulations (CRM), or work on environmental and social issues.
The undergraduate program in the department offers hands-on learning opportunities and a wide scope of career-building experiences, including field schools in the region and in Germany at the site of a World War II plane crash.
In addition to bachelor’s degree programs in Applied Anthropology and Archaeology, the department also offers a minor and a cultural competencies certificate.
The department also offers a master’s degree in applied anthropology.