MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville will continue its 2013 Lecture/Film series at 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 28, with a lecture titled “A Snowball’s Chance: Climatic Effects on Native Americans during the Protohistoric Era, 1530-1760.” Isaac J. Emrick, lecturer and Ph.D. candidate at West Virginia University (WVU), will present the free program and the public is invited to attend.
In North America, a period known as the Little Ice Age reached its first peak in the 1500s. Archaeologists have determined that this climate change coincided with the boom and bust cycles that affected the prehistoric cultures who lived in the Middle Ohio River Valley. Emrick’s presentation combines the most up-to-date climate information with archaeological and historical records to examine the role of climate in these cultural boom and bust cycles.
Emrick teaches U.S. and American Indian history at WVU, where he is completing his doctoral dissertation titled “To Abandon so Beautiful a Dwelling: Indian Connections to the Middle Ohio River Valley, 1640-1754.” His major field of study is Early Native American History and he started his academic career as a cultural anthropologist. One of his many projects was developing a GIS database of colonial period information for the Ohio River Valley.
“Modern technology is allowing research to go into areas never before explored. The application of technology and climate data has provided fascinating insight into past cultures,” said David Rotenizer, site manager at Grave Creek Mound.
The series will continue at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 28, with a talk titled “Paleoethnobotany: The Secret of Seeds” with Amanda L. Valko, archaeology lab manager at Michael Baker Corporation in Beaver, Pa.
For more information about the lecture or other programs at Grave Creek Mound, contact Andrea Keller, cultural program coordinator, at (304) 843-4128 or email her at Andrea.K.Keller@wv.gov. Indicate in the message if you are interested in receiving information about upcoming events at the mound.
Operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Grave Creek features one of the largest conical burial mounds built by the Adena people between 250-150 B.C. Exhibits and displays in the Delf Norona Museum interpret what is known about the lives of these prehistoric people and the construction of the mound. The complex also houses the West Virginia Archaeological Research and Collections Management Facility. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. It is closed on Mondays.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The Division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the Division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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