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  Nature Trek Series: Telling Time in Ancient North America   

Nature Trek Series: Telling Time in Ancient North America

  • Location: ISM Dickson Mounds Museum, Lewistown
  • Date: Sunday, September 07, 2014, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

In honor of Archaeology Awareness month, and as part of the Museum’s Nature Trek series, Dickson Mounds Museum welcomes William Iseminger and his presentation of Telling Time in Ancient North America on Sunday, September 7, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. Iseminger is Cahokia Mounds’ site interpreter, author of a recent popular book on Cahokia, and on-site archaeologist for more than three decades.

Humans have been measuring time for thousands of years. Without a cell phone or clock around to tell if one was running late for the hunt or needed to prepare for harvesting season, the earliest human civilizations had to rely on other methods to schedule their days and nights. Discover the various timekeeping methods employed by these ancient civilizations in North America. Whether natural formations on the horizon or artificial man-made structures - their calendars made use of the sun, moon, and certain bright stars to measure time. Learn about the Woodhenge sun circles of Cahokia Mounds, America's and Illinois' first city, other prehistoric Indian sites in eastern North America, the Pueblo structures in the Southwest, and the rock circle "Medicine Wheels" of the Great Plains-all evidence of the great innovators who looked to the sky to know what time it was.

This program is free and registration is not required. Light refreshments will be served following the presentation.

The event is being produced in part by the Illinois Humanities Council’s Road Scholars Speakers Bureau, a program that provides organizations statewide with affordable, entertaining, and thought-provoking humanities events for their communities. A roster of speakers, hailing from 16 different towns and cities across Illinois, present topics in history, culture, literature, music, politics, law, science, and many more. Mallory Laurel, the IHC’s coordinator for the program, states “The contagious passion our speakers have for their topics is what makes this program so dynamic and appealing. We don’t need to change lives; we just want audiences to feel curious again.”

The Illinois Humanities Council is an independent, nonprofit state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. The IHC creates programs and funds organizations that promote greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by all Illinoisans, regardless of their economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. The IHC is supported by state, federal, and private funds.

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 www.experienceDicksonMounds.com. Also check out weekly updates on Facebook at “Illinois State Museum – Dickson Mounds”.

For more events at ISM Dickson Mounds Museum.