Division of Archaeology’s 2012 Current Research Meeting Slated for January 27-28 in Nashville
Friday, January 20, 2012 | 08:32am
NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Division of Archaeology and Middle Tennessee State University will host the 24th Current Research in Tennessee Archaeology meeting Jan. 27-28 in the Ed Jones Auditorium at the Ellington Agricultural Center in Nashville. The meeting is free and open to the public.
The annual meeting is designed to showcase recent research pertaining to archaeology in the state of Tennessee, while bringing together a variety of archaeology experts to share project work and best practices with peers and conference attendees.
“We encourage everyone to take advantage of the opportunity to learn more about the latest research, further partnerships and share ideas that will continue our efforts to preserve and protect Tennessee’s rich and important history,” said Mike Moore, state archaeologist for the Tennessee Division of Archaeology.
Sessions at the 2012 conference offer a venue for the exploration and discussion of ideas with experts and peers. Presentations and posters from university professors and students, archaeologists with state and federal agencies, and members of the cultural resource management industry will cover a multitude of interesting topics from the prehistoric mounds in Castalian Springs to Spanish-contact sites in East Tennessee to recent investigations of archaeologically significant sites throughout the state.
In addition to MTSU, universities represented at the meeting include the University of Tennessee, East Tennessee State University, University of Memphis, Sewanee, University of Georgia, and Illinois State University. Experts from the Tennessee Historical Commission, National Park Service, Weaver and Associates LLC, and the Art Institute of Chicago also will be on hand to share experiences regarding historic Tennessee pottery, explorations along the Obed River bluffs, a large scale excavation on the Buffalo River, and new research on flint-clay effigy pipes.
As part of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the Division of Archaeology is responsible for surveying the state to identify and record archaeological sites; excavating prehistoric and historic sites and protecting and preserving such sites; conducting research and encouraging public cooperation for site preservation; publishing archaeological findings; and working with other state agencies for the protection and management of archaeological sites on state lands.
To learn more about the 2012 Current Research in Tennessee Archaeology meeting, please contact Mike Moore at Mike.C.Moore@tn.gov or (615) 741-1588 (ext. 109); or Kevin Smith at Kevin.Smith@mtsu.edu or (615) 898-5958/2508; or visit the Tennessee Archaeology Network at http://frank.mtsu.edu/~kesmith/TNARCH/index.html (a preliminary program for the conference is available on this site).
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