Eclectic Archeological Exchange

Saturday, August 25, 2018

12:00 – 5:00 p.m.

“Ancient Pueblos and Rock Art of New Mexico in Perspective” by Lydia Peake and “South Africa – Origins, Animals and Rock Art” by Tom Johansen, Paul K. Davis, and Jan Johansen

The Eclectic Archeological Exchange has been instituted to tap into the archaeological/anthropological adventures and insight of the Society’s members. This event will feature four Society members offering perspective on Native Americans in New Mexico region and South Africa.

In May twenty-nine Society members enjoyed a tour of northern New Mexico with a focus on anthropology and archaeology past and present.  See article below.  Lydia Peake will put the tour in perspective by weaving a story around the ruins and reconstructions of pit houses, kivas, multi-story, multi-room pueblos and post contact churches. She will offer a timeline of events associated with the places visited. Also key to the story of this land of enchantment will be rock art. Don’t miss this step into life in the not-so recent past in the Southwest.

Last November six Society members and four individuals from the Renaissance Society journeyed to South Africa.  The focus of the trip was archaeology—origins of man and rock art. Three of the travelers will review aspects of the trip.  Paul K. Davis will share information on animals in the region. His scholarly presentation will focus on present day animals that everyone wants to see in the wild.  Many of these animals played a significant role in the culture of the area. Dr. Davis will identify common and not so familiar animals of South Africa.

Jan Johansen will present “Rock Painting and Engravings of South Africa.  She structured the trip to South Africa to visit the richest areas of rock paintings: Cederberg and Drakensberg and also engravings from the karoo. Archaeologists suspect that during the late Middle Stone Age, about 60,000 years ago artists were painting images on the walls of their domestic campsites. As difficult as rock art painting is to date, in the Drakensberg paintings have been dated from as recent as 200 to 300 years ago to as old as 4000 years ago. Through photos and stories Jan will address how rock art may shed light on how the hunter- gatherers who created the images saw the world and perceived their place in it.

Tom Johansen will reflect on “Human Origins”.  South Africa escaped the glaciers from the last ice age and so was a biologically rich coastal zone.  Was this unique place the home of modern humans?  After returning from archeological sites such as Pinnacle Point, Sterkfontein and Wonderwerk Cave and museums including Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town, Blombos Museum of Archaeology in Stilbaai, Centre for Coastal Paleoscience at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (to name a few), he found that he had many more questions than before the visits. Dr. Johansen will share his perspectives about what he has discovered concerning the origins of modern humans.

Program

12:00 – 1:00 Meet, greet and eat

1:00 – 1:45 “Ancient Pueblos and Rock Art of New Mexico in Perspective” Lydia Peake

1:45 – 2:30 “South African Animals”, Paul K. Davis

2:30 – 2:45 Break

2:45 – 3:30 “South African Rock Art”, Jan Johansen

3:30 – 4:15 “South African Origins”, Tom Johansen

Sacramento Archeological Society, Inc. is pleased to present an American origins sympoium on Saturday, March 24, 2018 from 1:00 to 5:00 by three renowned archaeologists. They will share latest discoveries which push back the probable dates for the peopling of America to at least 15,800 years ago and discuss various migration scenarios, including a Pacific Coast route, the Kelp Highway Hypothesis.
• 1:00 – Jon Erlandson, PhD, archaeologist, professor and director of the Museum of Natural & Cultural History (MNCH), University of Oregon who has worked on California’s Channel Islands for 40 years will discuss human evolution, the role of fishing and seafaring in human prehistory, and the peopling of the Americas.
• 2:15 – Pat O’Grady, PhD, archaeologist at University of Oregon led a tour for SAS members at the Rimrock Draw Rockshelter site in Oregon where evidence of human presence possibly older than 15,000 years has been found. At this symposium he will discuss the results of the 2016 and 2017 excavation seasons.
• 3:30 – Mike Collins, PhD, archaeologist, Texas State University and director of Gault School of Archeological Research (GSAR) will discuss the very earliest evidence for people in the Western Hemisphere–who they may have been, when they arrived, whence they came, what their cultural materials were like, how they might have gotten here, and what we know about their dispersions across the Americas
UCD Extension, 2901 K Street
Sacramento, CA 95816, Room 200
Park on 2nd level, $3 parking fee if validated
Doors open at 12:30
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Suggested Donation – $5
Questions? Please contact Jan Johansen at janjohansen@sbcglobal.net

Join Sacramento Archeological Society at Maidu Museum and Historical Site on Saturday, October 21, 2017 from 1:00 to 4:00 for presentations on
• Human Origins in South Africa – “Pinnacle Point” by Allan Keown, Renaissance Society at CSUS, Membership Chair and “Pleistocene Coast South Africa – A Special Environment for the Evolution of our unique species” video presentation by Curtis Marean, PhD, Professor, Anthropology, Arizona State University
• “Varsche River 003 (South Africa): recent investigations into behavioral variation during the Middle Stone Age and implication for modern human origins” by Teresa Steele, PhD, Professor, University of California Davis
• Emigrant Trails – “Archaeology of Emigrant Trail Routes”, by John Winner, current Past National President of Oregon-California Trails Association

Maidu Museum & Historical Site
1970 Johnson Ranch Drive, Roseville, California 95661
Questions? Please contact Jan Johansen at janjohansen@sbcglobal.net
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Annual Scholar Symposium
By
Scholarship Recipients
Sunday, January 15, 2017
12:30 – 5:00 p.m.
at
Yolo County Library, Arthur F. Turner Branch
1212 Merkley Avenue,
West Sacramento, CA 95691

University of California Scholars will be presenting on their involvement in recent archaeological research.
Roshanne Shirley Bakhtiary – University of California, Davis graduate student. “Stable Isotope Evidence of Seasonal Shellfish Harvesting and Consumption in Prehistoric Central CA”. The summer of 2016 she directed a field school where an inland midden deposit in Santa Clara County (CA-SCL-330) was excavated. She used the scholarship award to conduct stable oxygen isotopic analyses of ancient shellfish collected from the site.
Amanda Dobrov – University of California, Berkeley student. “Roman Amphoras of North Africa: Markers of A Pan-Mediterranean Economy”. The summer of 2016 she was part of a team at the American Academy in Rome in connection with the Palatine East Pottery Project, (PEPP).
Sarah A. Hall – California State University, Chico graduate student. “Re-examining Stature Estimation Methods in a US Historic Cemetery: Skeletal Analysis of Remains at Valley Medical Center.” The summer of 2016 she studied adult skeletons from the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Cemetery (SCVMCC) collection, housed at California State University, Chico.
Anna Khrustaleva – University of California Santa Barbara student. “Excavation in Lower Illinois River Valley: Investigations at the Audrey-North Site”. During the summer of 2016 she attended a six week excavation project under the direction of Dr. Grey Wilson, UCSB on Audrey-North Site, a lower Illinois Mississippian River Valley occupation site.
Jason Miszaniec – University of California, Davis, graduate student. “Exploratory Testing and Mapping of a Large Prehistoric Village, Shaktoolik , Alaska”.  During a two week field season in 2016 he collected organic samples for radiocarbon dating from the Difchahak (NOB-005) site at Shaktoolik, Norton Sound, Alaska. The funds that he received from Sacramento Archeological Society, Inc. were applied to the cost of radiocarbon dating of samples.
Jewell Cora Soriano – University of California Berkeley student. “After Reform: A Study of Land-Use Pattern Following Rapid Social Change in the Bolivian Altiplano”. The summer of 2016 she worked on an archaeological project in Bolivia. The Taraco Archaeological Project has been excavating the area since 1992 and during the 2016 summer began a targeted mapping project of key archaeological sites on the Taraco Peninsula.