Archaeology month activities include public talks on archaeology and archaeological methods, visits to ongoing archaeological fieldwork projects,
site tours, and even fieldwork opportunities. These programs are financially assisted by the National Endowment for the Humanities
through the Mississippi Humanities Council. This program is also supported by funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Other sponsors include:
Mississippi Archaeological Association
MS Dept. of Archives and History
MS Dept. of Transportation
Millsaps College
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District
U.S. Forest Service
Mississippi Association of Professional Archaeologists
Cobb Institute of Archaeology, MSU
Archaeological Conservancy
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Pritchett Engineering
University of Southern Mississippi
Archaeology Mississippi, Inc.
MRS Consultants
Archaeological Institute of America
Nancy Ross-Stallings
Coastal Environments, Inc.
Tennessee Valley Archaeological Research
All events are free and open to the public. Listed below are some of the activities scheduled. Additional programs and updates will be
posted here as they become finalized.
Date: Throughout October Place: Bryan Public Library, West Point, MS Event: Archaeology display by the MSU Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures. Learn about subsistence in prehistoric northeastern Mississippi. Contact: (662) 494-4872
Date: Throughout October Place: Event: Archaeology Display by MSU Dept. of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures Contact: (662) 323-2766
Date: Museum hours for fall 2011: Mon., Wed., Fri. 10 am - 12 noon and 1 - 4 pm. Groups are welcome by appointment with a two week notice. Place: Event: Artifact displays related to the Native American cultures of the southeastern U.S. and the civilizations of the ancient Middle East and Mediterranean regions. Recent exhibits featured materials from the Institute's major on-going field projects, including artifacts from excavations at Lyon's Bluff, a 14th-15th century A.D. Mississippian period settlement site in Oktibbeha County; and from work at Tell Halif in southern Israel where late 8th century B.C. Israelite period household remains were found. Contact: Kathy Elliott (662) 325-3826; kme@ra.msstate.edu (to schedule an appointment)
Date: Saturday, October 1, 10 am - 2 pm Place: Event: Artifact display by Keith Baca of the Cobb Institute of Archaeology, MSU Contact: (662) 323-5548
Date: Sunday, October 2, 2:00 pm Place: Event: "Excavations on the Topper Clovis Site in South Carolina," a presentation by Derek Anderson of the Cobb Institute of Archaeology, MSU Contact: (662) 241-6214
Date: Saturday, October 8, 10 am - 2 p.m. Place: (owned by the Archaeological Conservancy) Event: Come visit the Ingomar Mounds site where MSU archaeologists, Dr. Janet Rafferty and Dr. Evan Peacock, will do tours of the site, demonstrate flint-knapping, and identify artifacts. Contact: Jill Smith, (662) 538-0014, jill@ucheritagemuseum.com
Date: Wednesday, October 26, 7 - 8 pm Place: Event: "Living with the Dead: Unusual Mortuary Treatments from the Prehispanic Southwest," a presentation by Dr. Gordon F.M. Rakita, Anthropology Coordinator and Associate Professor of Anthropology, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of North Florida Contact: Janice Greenslade, maatombigbee@gmail.com
Date: Saturday, October 29, 10 - 11 am Place: Event: Artifact Identification hosted by Dr. Evan Peacock and Dr. Janet Rafferty of the Dept. of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, MSU. The public is invited to bring stone tools and other artifacts to have their age and use identified. Contact: (662) 323-0211
Delta Region
Date: Throughout October Place: Carnegie Public Library, Clarksdale Event: Archaeology Exhibit: Prehistoric pottery using the Lancaster collection donated by Sherry Stinson. Contact: John Connaway (662) 624-2550, connaway@gmi.net
Date: Throughout October Place: Tunica Museum, Tunica, MS Event: Archaeology Exhibit: Prehistoric pottery using the Lancaster collection donated by Sherry Stinson. Contact: John Connaway (662) 624-2550, connaway@gmi.net
Date: Saturday, October 1, 11 am - 4 pm Place: Winterville Mounds Park, Greenville, MS Event: Mock Excavation. Explore the science of archaeology. Learn how archaeology works by participating. Contact: Jan Taylor, jtaylor@mdah.state.ms.us or Mark Dingeldein, mdingeldein@mdah.state.ms.us, (662) 332-2580
Date: Thursday and Friday, October 6 and 7 Place: Carson Mounds, Coahoma County, MS Event: Open house for school groups (by appointment only). Tour the Carson Mounds site with MDAH archaeologist John Connaway and Archaeological Conservancy Southeast Regional Director Jessica Crawford Contact: John Connaway (662) 624-2550, connaway@gmi.net or Jessica Crawford (662) 326-6465, tacsoutheast@cableone.net
Date: Saturday, October 8, 2 - 4:30 pm Place: Winterville Mounds Museum, Greenville, MS Event: Native American Movie Day - "Last of the Mohicans." Movie to be presented on the big screen. Free to public. Popcorn provided. Contact: Mark Dingeldein, mdingeldein@mdah.state.ms.us, (662) 332-2580
Date: Saturday, October 16, 2 - 3 pm Place: Winterville Mounds Museum, Greenville, MS Event: "Recent Excavations at Winterville Mounds" a presentation by Dr. Edwin Jackson, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Southern Mississippi Contact: Mark Dingeldein, mdingeldein@mdah.state.ms.us, (662) 332-2580
Date: Saturday, October 29, 1 - 3 pm Place: Winterville Mounds Museum, Greenville, MS Event: Artifact Identification. Bring your artifacts to be identified by MDAH archaeologist John Connaway Contact: Jan Taylor, jtaylor@mdah.state.ms.us or Mark Dingeldein, mdingeldein@mdah.state.ms.us, (662) 332-2580
Date: Saturday, October 31, after dark Place: Winterville Mounds Museum, Greenville, MS Event: "Legends in the Sky," MDAH archaeologist Mark Dingeldein will present an explanation of Native American Cosmology and Native American legends of the stars from the top of the Temple Mound (weather permitting) Contact: Mark Dingeldein, mdingeldein@mdah.state.ms.us, (662) 332-2580
Central Region
Date: Friday, September 30, 4 pm Place: Event: "The Quick and the Dead in Ancient Greece: The History and Archaeology of a Roman Port." A presentation by archaeologist Dr. Joe Rife, Associate Professor of Classics and Anthropology, Vanderbilt University. Contact: Ashley Fedoroff, maacoordinator@gmail.com
Date: Wednesday, October 5, 12 noon Place: Winter Building, MS Dept. of Archives and History Event: History is Lunch. "Artifacts from the MDAH Archaeological Collections." MDAH archaeologists will present several pieces from the archaeological collections and discuss their significance and history. Contact: Chrissy Wilson, cwilson@mdah.state.ms.us
Date: Wednesday, October 11, 7 pm Place: Clinton Library, Clinton, MS Event: Lecture on the Archaeology of Mississippi by Sam Brookes, Forest Service Archaeologist. Lecture is in conjunction with the Clinton Genealogical Society. Contact: Sam Brookes (601) 965-1607, sbrookes@fs.fed.us
Date: October 14 - 16 Place: Bienville National Forest Event:Public Archaeological Excavations. The public is invited to attend an archaeological excavation on Bienville National Forest grounds. This event is sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service and Pritchett Engineering and Planning, LLC Contact: Michael Fedoroff (601) 573-6666, mike@pritchettplans.com or Sam Brookes (601) 965-1607, sbrookes@fs.fed.us
Date: Friday, October 21 Place: Rolling Fork, MS Event: Lecture on the Archaeology of Mississippi by Sam Brookes, Forest Service archaeologist. Sam will speak to several classes on the archaeology of Mississippi for Education Day at the Great Delta Bear Affair Contact: Sam Brookes (601) 965-1607, sbrookes@fs.fed.us
Date: Saturday, October 22, 10 am and 1 pm Place: Rolling Fork, MS Event: Delta Mound Tour. Sam Brookes, Forest Service archaeologist, will lead tours of several mound centers in the Mississippi Delta region. The tours are in conjunction with the Great Delta Bear Affair Contact: Sam Brookes (601) 965-1607, sbrookes@fs.fed.us
Date: Saturday, October 22, 10 am - 4 pm Place: Event: The 4th Annual Mississippi Archaeology Expo is a hands-on family fair which showcases numerous educational activities for all ages featuring the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians as special guests. Bring your family and meet your local archaeologists! Contact: Pam Lieb (601) 576-6940, archaeology@mdah.state.ms.us
Southwest Region
Date: Thursday, October 13, 6:30 pm Place: Event: Fran Hamilton, Poverty Point Assistant Station Archaeologist, will present a lecture on the famous Poverty Point site in Louisiana entitled "So Just What is the Big Deal about Poverty Point?" Contact: Jim Barnett, (601) 446-6502 or jbarnett@mdah.state.ms.us
Date: Thursday, October 27, 6:30 p.m. Place: Event: Dr. Edwin Jackson, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Southern Mississippi, will present a lecture entitled "New Perspectives on Winterville Mounds" Contact: Jim Barnett, (601) 446-6502 or jbarnett@mdah.state.ms.us
Date: Thursday, October 29, 1 - 3 pm Place: Jefferson College, Natchez, MS Event: Lecture on Mississippi Archaeology and Lithic Workshop. Sam Brookes, Forest Service Archaeologist, will discuss the archaeology of Mississippi. Jim Barnett, Archaeologist at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians will speak about the Natchez Indians. Wilkie Collins, local flint-knapper, will have a flint flint-knapping presentation. Contact: Sam Brookes (601) 965-1607, sbrookes@fs.fed.us
Southeast Region
Date: Month of October Place: Event: Display of artifacts recovered from 22FO1506, WWI Base Hospital. The artifacts were recovered in 2010 during an excavation of 22FO1506, the site of the Camp Shelby World War I Base Hospital in 1917-1921. Contact: Rita McCarty, rita.mccarty@us.army.mil or (601) 517-1490
Date: October 11-14; 17-21; 24-28 Place: DeSoto National Forest, Chickasawhay Ranger District Event: Digging Cheryl's Terrace in the Pine Hills Backwoods. Join the ranger districts of the DeSoto NF in a joint excavation and an opportunity to work at "Cheryl's Terrace," a large prehistoric village. Previous testing has yielded dates of occupations ranging between 6000 B.C. and A.D. 200. Work is scheduled for three weeks. Facilities: Tent and RV camping at no charge at Turkey Fork campground; water, pit toilets, limited hookups, dump station; Richton, Waynesboro, and Laurel are full-service communities with motels, restaurants, and other available ammenities; volunteers responsible for personal camping equipment, lodging, food and transportation Contact: Robert Reams, robreams@fs.fed.us or David James, drjames@fs.fed.us; De Soto Ranger District, De Soto NF, (601) 584-8488
Date: October 15, 10 am Place: Seminary Depot, Seminary, MS Event: Lecture on the History and Archaeology of Camp Shelby. Rita McCarty, Mississippi National Guard Archaeologist, will discuss the early history of Camp Shelby from its origins in 1917 to its deconstruction in 1921 and its revitalization and use during World War II. The focus will be first on historic documents and photographs and then a presentation of some of the archaeological evidence that has been excavated at Camp Shelby. Presentation will be in conjunction with the Covington County Genealogical and Historical Society monthly meeting. Contact: Rita McCarty (601) 558-2596 or (601) 517-1490, rita.mccarty@us.army.mil
Date: Friday and Saturday, November 4 and 5 Place: Pearl River County, MS Event: Excavations at the Body Shop Site (22PR729). The Body Shop Site is the home of Carlos Ladner, Sr., who is a veteran of the War of 1812. Contact: Roy and Rhonda Fore, rgfore@aol.com or Jean Hartfield, jeanush@netzero.net
Gulf Coast Region
Date: Saturday, October 8, 1 pm Place: Maritime and Seafood Museum, Edgewater Mall, Beach Blvd, Biloxi, MS Event: Presentation on Curated Artifacts. Edmond Boudreaux will exhibit prehistoric and historic artifacts currently curated at the Maritime and Seafood Museum and discuss what information the artifacts tell us about prehistoric and historic fishing and water transportation. Contact: Barbara Hester, jfhandbth@bellsouth.net
Date: Saturday, October 15, 10 am - 2 pm Place: Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Center, Ocean Springs, MS Event: Traveling Exhibit and Artifact and Document Scanning Event. Traveling exhibit "Picking Up the Pieces: Preserving Coast Heritage" conveys how valuable information is lost when artifacts are removed from their archaeological context, as well as how broken pots, cracked or chipped rock, plant remains, and animal bones found at archaeological sites also impart valuable information. The public is invited to bring in artifacts and historical documents for 2D and 3D scanning. The images will be archived with MDAH, and some will be included on the Mississippi Archaeological virtual heritage trail website. Contact: Barbara Hester, jfhandbth@bellsouth.net
Date: Saturday, October 29, 8 am - 4 pm Place: Pass Christian (DeLisle) Event: MS Archaeological Association (MAA) Gulf Coast Chapter Dig. Family and members can participate in an archaeological dig and learn about archaeology! Contact: Barbara Hester (jfhandbth@bellsouth.net)
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