Archaeology Café: Romans in Tucson?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2009
Contact: Kate Sarther Gann
kate@cdarc.org
(520) 882-6946
Archaeology Café’s Second Season
Latin-inscribed artifacts unearthed near Silverbell Road between 1924 and 1930 stirred lingering controversy.
EVENT: Romans in Tucson? The Story of an Archaeological Hoax.
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 6:00 pm.
LOCATION: Casa Vicente, 375 S. Stone Avenue, Tucson, AZ.
ADMISSION: Free and open to the community—all are welcome. Guests are encouraged to support our host, Casa Vicente, by buying their own food and drinks.
The Center for Desert Archaeology and Casa Vicente invite all to the next meeting of Archaeology Café, a casual, happy hour-style discussion forum dedicated to promoting community engagement with cultural and scientific research. Visit www.sciencecafes.org for more information on this exciting grassroots movement.
The next Archaeology Café will convene on Tuesday, December 1, 2009. This month, we will be joined by Don Burgess, former General Manager of KUAT TV. Thirty-one Latin-inscribed lead crosses and a caliche plaque collectively known as the Silverbell Artifacts confounded scholars at the time of their appearance over the years between 1924 and 1930. The items appeared to attest to Roman presence in southern Arizona between A.D. 775 and 940. Don will tell the story behind the story, and dispel the myths surrounding this deliberate hoax. The legacy of this incident continues to this day, as Arizona State Museum and Arizona History Museum curators can attest from the yearly inquiries they receive.
Come settle in with a drink and a plate of delicious tapas at downtown Tucson’s own Casa Vicente. We meet the first Tuesday of each month from September through May at 6:00 p.m.; presentations begin at 6:15 p.m. Seating is open—be ready to make new acquaintances! Our forum opens with a brief, informal presentation on a timely or even controversial topic, followed by a question and answer period and a short break. Moderator Doug Gann then commences spirited but focused discussion.
The Center for Desert Archaeology videotapes these events and plans to stream them on our website, www.archaeologysouthwest.org, for the benefit of the community and our more distant supporters and friends.
ABOUT DON BURGESS
Don Burgess is a former General Manager of KUAT TV and the public radio stations licensed to the University of Arizona. He has a long-standing interest in the history and archaeology of the Southwest, and was an integral member of In Search of the Coronado Trail, an outreach project of the Center for Desert Archaeology. Don currently serves as President of the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society, and he is training as a docent at the Arizona State Museum. More information on the Coronado project may be found at www.archaeologysouthwest.org/what-we-do/past-projects/in-search-of-the-coronado-trail/.
ABOUT MODERATOR DOUG GANN
With more than 25 years of experience in archaeological fieldwork, research, and public interpretation, Doug Gann is best known for his pioneering use of digital media to develop interactive exhibits and interpret archaeological information. He has created numerous museum exhibitions and three-dimensional computer models, including Rio Nuevo Rio Viejo: 10,000 Years of Tucson History. Dr. Gann’s three-dimensional reconstructions of the San Agustín mission and the Tucson Presidio form the basis for interpretation of many elements of the Tucson Origins Heritage Park. Doug is a Preservation Archaeologist and Digital Media Specialist at the Center for Desert Archaeology in Tucson, Arizona.
ABOUT THE CENTER FOR DESERT ARCHAEOLOGY
The Center for Desert Archaeology envisions a society in which the places of the past are valued as the foundations for a vibrant future. As such, the Center preserves the places of our shared past. The Center achieves this mission by researching questions of broad interest, promoting an ethic of preservation to the public and professionals, acting to ensure long-term preservation of cultural heritage, and enabling people to learn about the past through creative and varied means. The Center is a private 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
300 E. University Boulevard, Suite 230, Tucson, AZ 85705, (520) 882-6946
ABOUT CASA VICENTE
Family-owned Casa Vicente serves authentic Spanish cuisine in a lively atmosphere. Parking is available on the premises.
375 S. Stone Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85701, (520) 884-5253
