Grave Creek Mound Archaeology Complex in Moundsville will present its annual Archaeology Weekend program entitled Clues to Tools on Saturday, Oct. 13, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 14, from 1 - 4 p.m. The program is scheduled to coincide with West Virginia Archaeology Month. The event is free and open to the public.
The family oriented activities will focus on how West Virginia’s prehistoric inhabitants made and used the artifacts which have been discovered on archaeological sites in West Virginia. Program participants are invited to try their hand at spear throwing with an atlatl, use replicas of prehistoric tools to grind corn and sharpen animal bones, and use stone-tipped drills to make a necklace.
Robert Walden of Poca, W.Va., an accomplished flintknapper, will be at the event to demonstrate how stone was chipped into tools and how the atlatl was used by prehistoric hunters.
Visitors also are encouraged to view the exhibits at Grave Creek Mound Archaeology Complex in the Delf Norona Museum. They can see objects such as beads, pendants and pipes that have been drilled, stones that have been used to grind food and bone tools that have been sharpened for leather working. As participants explore the items on display, they can look for clues to solve the Mound Mystery Crossword Puzzle. Those who complete the puzzle will receive a prize.
For more information about the Clues to Tools Archaeology Weekend program, contact Andrea Keller, public program coordinator for Grave Creek Mound, at (304) 843-4128 or e-mail her at andrea.keller@wvculture.org.
Operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Grave Creek Mound Archaeology Complex features one of the largest and most famous burial mounds built by the prehistoric Adena people. A massive undertaking, construction of the mound took place in successive stages from about 250-150 B.C., and required the movement of more than 60,000 tons of earth. Exhibits and displays in the complex’s museum interpret what is known about the lives of these prehistoric people and the construction of the mound. The Archaeology Complex is located at 801 Jefferson Ave., in Moundsville. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Cultural Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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