October has been declared Archaeology month in Texas and to celebrate, the Frontier Times Museum is inviting everyone to Dig Into Archaeology with a fun family activity day.
On October 5th from 10:30 to 3:30, the museum will be giving everyone a chance to be an archaeologist with demonstrations and arts and crafts.
Geologist, Steve Shirley, will present an amazing collection of fossils that he has collected over many decades.
Have you found a fossil and don’t know what it is? Bring your fossil and Steve will help you identify it.
Billy Walker will be on hand to demonstrate the atlatl. The atlatl, or spear thrower, is a hunting technology which was invented at least 17,000 years ago by Upper Paleolithic humans.
Used by ancient Texans, atlatls give additional velocity and thrust compared to spear-throwing, and they allow the hunter to stand farther away from the prey.
These atlatls have been found by archaeologists in the Lower Pecos rock shelters of far west Texas. These ancient Texans also left behind a rich tapestry of rock art or petroglyphs. Learn how to make your own petroglyphs, or rock art, to take home with you.
Archaeologists often have to piece together broken pieces of pottery, stone tools, and bones. Find out about how the rubbish of ancient Texans is the treasure that archaeologists want to find. Do the pottery puzzles and see how archaeologists piece together their findings or create your own ancient pinch pot.
All these activities will happen on the museum grounds and is free with museum admission.
The Frontier Times Museum is located at 510 13th Street in Bandera, Texas.
Visit www.frontiertimesmuseum. org or call 830-796-3864 for more information.
Rebecca Norton is the Director of the Frontier Times Museum.
