Illinois Valley Archaeological Society Lecture

Illinois Valley Archaeological Society Lecture

• Location: ISM Dickson Mounds Museum, Lewistown
• Date: Wednesday, December 04, 2013, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Dr. Duane Esarey, Illinois State Archaeological Survey, will present a lecture titled: Untangling the Piasa's tale: A revised interpretationat the Wednesday, December 4, 2013 meeting of the Illinois Valley Archaeological Society.  The presentation will begin at 7:00 p.m.  This lecture is free and the public is invited to attend.

Lost accounts and contradictory details have made painted images on the rock bluff at Alton, Illinois an enduring source of mystery.  Jolliet’s original 1673 drawing was supposedly lost, the paintings disappeared before authoritative renderings were captured, and local accounts of the images’ meaning were badly confused.  This presentation verifies a contemporary drawing fitting the description of Marquette’s account as coming from Louis Jolliet and uses a Peoria Indian culture-hero account to decode the long-lost meaning of the Piasa.  In the process a new supernatural character shows how related imagery in Mississippian and earlier iconography must be reinterpreted.

The Illinois State Museum—Dickson Mounds is located between Lewistown and Havana off Illinois Routes 78 and 97. The museum is open free to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day. Tours and special programs are available for groups with reservations. For more information call 309.547.3721 or TTY 217.782.9175 or visit the museum's web site at www.ExperienceDicksonMounds.com.  Also check out weekly updates on Facebook at “Illinois State Museum – Dickson Mounds”.