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Archaeology Expo 2000 coming to the UA

The Arizona State Museum promises a totally new experience for the whole family in the March 18 and 19 Archaeology Expo 2000.

The Expo, which travels throughout the state, will feature lectures, demonstrations and competitions by the World Atlatl Association, guided tours of the chronometric (dating) labs, entertainment, performers and open house activities.

"Archaeology Expo is the focal point of the month-long celebration of Arizona's rich past held each year in March - Arizona Archaeology Awareness Month," said Richard Lange, the Expo chairman and associate director of the Homol'ovi Research Program.

"Our collections are second to none and our staff and researchers have been key to discovering many important things about Arizona's past," Lange said. "It is beyond appropriate that the Arizona State Museum is hosting this year's Archaeology Expo."

The purpose of Archaeology Awareness Month is to educate the general public about the state's cultural resources and promote ethical stewardship.

For this reason, the sponsors this year will be adding an ethics booth.

This booth, sponsored by Statistical Research Inc. and the State Historic Preservation Office, will offer ethics activities and display photos of vandalized archaeological sites.

Another new feature is the exhibit, "Walking Through Time." Visitors can walk through representations of the major epics of Arizona's past, ranging from mammoth hunting to piki bread making.

This year's focus will be to offer visitors a hands-on educational experience as well as featuring archaeological groups and their current projects.

The Expo will include storytelling, singing, refreshments and access to the museum's research lab and collections as well as guided tours of the chronometric lab.

The Archaeological Awareness Month and the Archaeological Expo began in 1973 because the state's archaeological community saw a need to educate the general public about the importance of respecting and preserving Arizona's history.

"We put in a bid to host this year's Expo because of the significance of Y2K in people's minds and our wish to position the museum at the forefront of anthropology in the next millennium," Lange said.

The sponsors believe that these efforts will provide a greater understanding of Arizona's diverse culture and rich heritage.