October 15, 2009
Big chill: Experts discuss the last Ice Age in Oct. 18 event at the Burke
12,000 years ago residents of the Puget Sound lived in the coldest temperatures the region has ever known. What was their life like? How did they survive in this Ice Age?
On Sunday, Oct. 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Burke Museum archaeologists and other specialists will share their knowledge and showcase artifacts that reveal clues about life during the last Ice Age. Would you survive in the Ice Age? Test your skills! Try the ancient practice of attaching a spear point to a shaft, known as hafting. Learn about hunting tools, such as the “atlatl,” and see them in action. Touch fossils of giant animals who shared the earth with people during a time when the environment was radically different.
Guest speakers throughout the day will shed light on how archaeologists and others understand the last Ice Age:
- 11 a.m.: Reel versus Real: Prehistoric Archaeology and Ice Age Movies. Ben Marwick, assistant professor of archaeology at the UW, gives an overview of what Hollywood gets wrong (and right) about life in prehistoric times. Marwick will discuss the recent Ice Age animated film series and show film clips from a range of Hollywood blockbusters.
- 12:30 p.m.: Stories from Then and Now. Storyteller and member of the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe Roger Fernandes will share stories from the first peoples of Puget Sound and compare phenomena mentioned in the stories with current scientific observations.
- 2 p.m.: Large Mammal Extinctions in the Ice Age. Around 20,000 years ago North America was home to herds of mammoth, mastodon, and other large mammals. By 10,000 years ago, these animals were gone. UW Anthropology Professor Donald Grayson will introduce some of the amazing animals that roamed North America during the last Ice Age and discuss current theories on what or who caused this mass extinction.
Ice Age Archaeology is included with museum admission. For more information about this or other programs and exhibits at the Burke Museum, visit online at www.burkemuseum.org.
