Arkansas Archeology Month 2007

Archeology Month 2007 Poster Arkansas Archeology Month—with a theme of “Arkansas Rock Art”— was held this past March. There were 36 programs at 26 venues across the state, announced through a printed Events Brochure and on the web site. Highlights of this year’s event included the annual meeting of the Eastern States Rock Art Research Association, which was held at Petit Jean State Park, and included a guided rock art tour, presentations of research papers, and keynote speaker Dr. George Sabo of the Arkansas Archeological Survey.

Other highlights included the premier of the exhibit “Above & Beneath This World: Native American Rock Art & Cosmology” at the ATU Museum of Prehistory & History; the premier of the exhibit “Discovering the Bluff Dwellers” at the Rogers Museum; and the continuing exhibit “Sam Dellinger: Raiders of the Lost Arkansas” at the Old State House Museum. Other activities included tours, artifact identifications, slide-talks, and hands-on fun.

Participating venues for Archeology Month 2007 included:

State & National Parks:

Buffalo National River, Hampson Archeological Museum State Park, Historic Washington State Park, Lower White River Museum State Park, Parkin Archeological State Park, Petit Jean State Park, Pinnacle Mountain State Park, and Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park.

Museums:

Arkansas State University Museum, ATU Museums of Prehistory & History, Bella Vista Historical Museum, Museum of Discovery, Old State House Museum, Pine Bluff-Jefferson County Historical Museum, Rogers Historical Museum, Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, and the Texarkana Museums System.

Libraries, Colleges, & Others:

Arkansas Archeological Survey, Arkansas School of Math & Sciences, Fayetteville Public Library, Garland County Library, Southern Arkansas University, Springdale Public Library, University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, and the Washington County Extension Office.

Supporters:

Special thanks go to the Marshalltown Company, Eastern States Rock Art Research Association (ESRARA), ATU Museum of Prehistory & History, and the AAS Kokoci Chapter for their donations in support of Archeology Month 2007.

Poster:

A very handsome two-sided poster was cosponsored by the Arkansas Archeological Society, ESRARA, and the ATU Museum. It featured the rock art image of a fern from Petit Jean State Park on the front and information about Arkansas rock art on the back. The poster was designed by Leslie Walker, and the poster chair was Theresa Russell, both of the UA-Fayetteville. The poster was included in the national display of Archeology Month posters at the 2007 Society for American Archaeology meeting in Austin, Texas.

Many thanks are given to all those who provided programs, donations, volunteer hours or participated in some way to make Archeology Month 2007 a success. The theme for Arkansas Month 2008 will be “Patterns of the Past.”