U of M’s Chucalissa Will Host Spring Archaeology Day April 18

For release: April 6, 2009
For press information, contact Gabrielle Maxey, 901/678-2843

The day will feature atlatl and axe-throwing, a hands-on archaeology lab, demonstrations of flintknapping (making tools from stone), tours of the excavation trench, and information on how to clean and sort artifacts. Professional archaeologists will be on hand to help identify artifacts from surface collections.

At 3 p.m., Dr. David Dye, associate professor of earth sciences at the University of Memphis, will discuss his new book War Paths, Peace Paths: An Archaeology of Cooperation and Conflict in Native Eastern North America. He will be available to sign copies of his book after the presentation.

Operated by the University of Memphis, the C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa serves as a gateway to understanding the science of archaeology and the interpretation of Native American history. The museum exhibits interpret the prehistory of the Mid-South and contemporary Southeastern Indian cultures.

Chucalissa is located at 1785 Indian Village Drive in southwest Memphis.  A map and driving directions are available online at www.memphis.edu/chucalissa/contact.htm

For more information, call Museum Director Robert Connolly at 901-785-3160.