Sabrina Curran and Brad Lepper will speak to close out the Archaeology Month celebration.
Archaeology may not be what Indiana Jones made it out to be — swinging from ropes and discovering lost artifacts.
However, throughout the month of October, the Athens County Historical Society and Museum has been taking the time to teach Athens a bit about the reality behind the rocks. In its celebration of Archaeology Month, speakers from the area discuss different archaeological topics each Thursday.
Two speakers have visited so far with two more to go. The first two were Josh McConaughy and Jarred Burks who practice archaeology in the Midwest. McConaughy spoke on the topic of conservancy in the Midwest and Burks explained the process of geophysical survey.
Lynne Newell, who is in charge of the special projects at the historical society, said the talk by Burks has drawn the most people, though not by much. Four students attended that talk, Newell said.
Newell said the lectures are free and open to the public and attracts mostly people from the community.
“I wish more students would attend,” Newell, who also has a Ph.D. in archaeology, said.
Assistant professor of sociology and anthropology Sabrina Curran will discuss the dispersion of homo erectus, the first ancestor that resembles humans, Thursday at 5 p.m.
“The most interesting thing about ‘homo erectus’ is that it did expand beyond the African continent and throughout Africa,” Curran said.
Brad Lepper will speak on two of the most popular effigy mounds in Ohio, the Serpent and the Alligator, on Oct. 29.
Newell said people who are interested in Ohio Native American mounds should attend the lecture by Lepper.
“These aren’t scientific talks,” Newell said. “These aren’t things that would leave people out because you don’t know the terminology or something.”
Along with the speeches every Thursday, the historical society also has a small exhibit. The collection of artifacts was donated by a local family, Newell said. The collection was gathered and purchased over many years, she added.
“We have over 4,000 items in that collection,” Newell said. “So what we have on display are some of the better ones, some of the nicer ones.”
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