Tag: archaeology
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ESCONI Field Trip to the Winfield Mounds “Walking with the Ancestors” – Saturday, May 9th, 2026
There will be a field trip to the Winfield Mounds on Saturday, May 9th, 2026. Meet at Hedge’s Station in Winfield, IL. at 1:00 PM. We will be departing from the meeting spot at 1:15 PM. The field trip ends around 3:00 PM. This guided nature-and-culture hike offers participants an immersive journey through the Winfield…
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Video for ESCONI March 2026 General Meeting – “Archaeological, Geological, and Other Historic Sites in Portugal”
Jeffrey Amelse presented “Archeological, Geological, and Other Historic Sites in Portugal”. The meeting was held on March 13th, 2026 at 8:00 PM via Zoom.
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Video for ESCONI February 2026 General Meeting – “Diggin’ Illinois: A hands-on introduction to the fascinating archaeological record of Illinois.”
Illinois has a rich and varied archaeological record that spans some 13,000 years. In this hybrid presentation, we will first explore this record in lecture format, then interact with hands-on stations that include different archaeological materials from the Land of Lincoln. After experiencing “Diggin’ Illinois”, participants will foster a better appreciation for our state’s culture…
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ESCONI March 2026 General Meeting – March 13th, 2026 at 8:00 PM – “Archaeological, Geological, and Other Historic Sites in Portugal”
Jeffrey Amelse will be presenting “Archeological, Geological, and Other Historic Sites in Portugal”. The meeting will be held on March 13th, 2026 at 8:00 PM via Zoom.
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ESCONI Field Trip to “Escape the Excavation” – College of DuPage – March 14th, 2026
ESCONI will participate in a hands-on archaeological adventure on March 14th, 2026. The event will be in-person at the College of DuPage from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. This interactive workshop offers a hands-on archaeological “escape room” that invites participants to engage with curated archaeological remains. Blending problem-solving with experiential learning, Escape the Excavation will…
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ESCONI February 2026 General Meeting – February 13th, 2026 at 8:00 PM – “Diggin’ Illinois: A hands-on introduction to the fascinating archaeological record of Illinois.”
Dale Simpson of the University of Illinois’ Prairie Research Institute will present “Diggin’ Illinois: A hands-on introduction to the fascinating archaeological record of Illinois.” The meeting will be held on February 13th, 2026 at 8:00 PM via Zoom. Illinois has a rich and varied archaeological record that spans some 13,000 years. In this hybrid presentation,…
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The Year in Neanderthals
The New York Times has a nice article that highlights new understanding into who the Neanderthals were. Neanderthals lived across Eurasia for hundreds of thousands of years before going extinct some 40,000 years ago. A bunch of new high profile studies were published in 2025. Barely three decades ago, these ancient hominids were still being…
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Throwback Thursday #298: Looking Back At ESCONI For January 2026
A look back at January 1956, 1976, and 2001
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Archaeologists Find Oldest Evidence of Fire-Making
In his New York Times column, Carl Zimmer discusses evidence for the oldest usage of fire-making. A paper published in the journal Nature, reports that a group of Neanderthals used flint and pyrite to make fires about 400,000 years ago in what is now eastern England. This was something they did repeatedly over the course…
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Possible ancient artifacts are found in a B.C. thrift shop — and archeology scholars are on the case
The Conversation has a story about a chance discovery in a thrift shop. The owner of Thrifty Boutique in Chilliwack, B.C. reached out to the archaeologists at Simon Fraser University in the spring of 2024. The owner wanted to know if some ancient artifacts had historical significance. Turns out the objects in question date to…
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Indigenous Americans dragged, carried or floated 5-ton tree more than 100 miles to North America’s largest city north of Mexico 900 years ago
Live Science has a fascinating story about an ancient tree, which was part of Cahokia. Cahokia was the large city north of Mexico 900 years ago, with a population of around 20,000 people. It was built on earthen mounds in the southwestern Illinois, next to the Mississippi River, between East St. Louis and Collinsville. Scientists…
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Video for ESCONI October 2025 General Meeting – “Great Zimbabwe among its peers: Exploring the height of ancient civilizations in southern Africa”
The October 2025 General Meeting was held on Friday, October 10th, 2025 at 8:00 via Zoom. Foreman Bandama with the Field Museum presented on African archaeology and anthropology. His presentation is titled “Great Zimbabwe among its peers: Exploring the height of ancient civilizations in southern Africa” There are over twenty-five great African civilizations, besides Egypt.…
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Video for ESCONI September 2025 General Meeting – “Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site”
ESCONI General Meeting – Dr. Angela Cooper presented “Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.” Dr. Angela Cooper is originally from Mascoutah, IL and grew up learning about the great site of Cahokia Mounds. Her educational and professional career has centered around Illinois archaeology. Dr. Cooper received her MA from University of Tulsa studying the relationships of…
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ESCONI October 2025 General Meeting – October 10th, 2025 at 8:00 PM via Zoom – “Great Zimbabwe among its peers: Exploring the height of ancient civilizations in southern Africa”
The October 2025 General Meeting will be held on Friday, October 10th, 2025 at 8:00 via Zoom. Foreman Bandama with the Field Museum will be presenting on African archaeology and anthropology. His presentation is titled “Great Zimbabwe among its peers: Exploring the height of ancient civilizations in southern Africa” There are over twenty-five great African…
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PBS NOVA: Human Origins
PBS NOVA has a new 5 part series running on their website and Youtube. The first episode is called “Human Origins”. Check it out! Trace the remarkable origin story of Homo sapiens and the crucial moments that shaped our species. Official website: https://to.pbs.org/46djrws | #novapbs Where do we come from? To find out, journey back…
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ESCONI September 2025 General Meeting via Zoom – “Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site”
ESCONI General Meeting – 8:00 PM via Zoom – Dr. Angela Cooper will be presenting “Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.” Zoom link Dr. Angela Cooper is originally from Mascoutah, IL and grew up learning about the great site of Cahokia Mounds. Her educational and professional career has centered around Illinois archaeology. Dr. Cooper received her…
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ESCONI Events for September 2025
You do not need to be a member to attend meetings Sat, Sep 6th and Sun, Sep 7th Field Trip – Braceville, IL for Mazon Creek Fosssils Fri, Sep 12th – 8:00 PM General Meeting – 8 PM – via Zoom Dr. Angela Cooper will be presenting “Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.” Sat, Sep 13th…
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Video for ESCONI June 2025 General Meeting – “New discoveries in Inner Space Cavern reveal the animals of Ice Age Texas”
The June 2025 General Meeting was held on June 13th, 2025 via Zoom. Our speaker was John A. Moretti of the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin. His topic was “New discoveries in Inner Space Cavern reveal the animals of Ice Age Texas“. Summary from John Moretti New discoveries in…
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PBS: The Ancient Tribes That Settled the Americas
PBS and the first Americans… how did they get here and when? As early humans spread out across the world, their toughest challenge was colonizing the Americas because a huge ice sheet blocked the route. It has long been thought that the first Americans were Clovis people, who arrived 13,000 years ago. But an underwater…
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7,000-Year-Old Skeletons From the ‘Green Sahara’ Reveal a Mysterious Human Lineage
Smithsonian Magazine has a story about two mysterious skeletons found in Libya. As recent as 5,000 year ago, the area of the Sahara desert was a lush and green landscape with lakes and rivers. The land sustained a diverse variety of animals. It shouldn’t be surprising that humans were also lived there. Recently, 15 human…
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Throwback Thursday #255: Looking Back At ESCONI For March 2025
This is Throwback Thursday #255. In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general. If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc …), please send them to esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks! email:esconi.info@gmail.com. 25 Years Ago – March 2000 50 Years Ago – March 1975 70 Years Ago – March…
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PBS Terra: What Happened to America’s First Megacity?
PBS Terra is the sister Youtube channel to PBS Eons. In this episode, they discuss Cahokia, the mysterious city in southern Illinois. It rivaled London in size during its height in 1100 CE. Monk's Mound is an earthen pyramid that is larger than the Great Pyramid of Cheops. In its prime, Cahokia was a prosperous…
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‘Once-in-a-century’ discovery reveals spectacular luxury of Pompeii
The BBC has an interesting story about Pompeii. Archaeologists have disvovered a “sumptuous” private bathhouse that provides insight into the luxurious life of some of the residents. The bathhouse had hot, warm and cold rooms, exquisite artwork, and a huge plunge pool. It was left as if people left just a few minutes ago. Pompeii,…
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Mummies’ Ancient Tattoos Come Under Laser Focus
The New York Times has an article about ancient tattoos on mummies from Peru. Using a tool, laser-stimulated fluorescence, or L.S.F., usually used to study soft tissue in dinosaur fossils, scientists in Hong Kong have discovered intricate tattoos on mummified remains from the coast of Peru. The culture, referred to as the Chancay, left behind…
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With DNA, Pompeii Narratives Take a Twist
The New York Times has a story about the residents of Pompeii when Vesuvius erupted in 79 C.E. Naratives were created when body cavities were first discovered at Pompeii in 1863. One group, a child and two adults were thought to be related, with a pair being a mother with a her child. DNA research…
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PhD student finds lost city in Mexico jungle by accident
The BBC has a story about the accidental discovery of a huge Maya city. Luke Auld-Thomas, a PhD student at Tulane university in the US, came across a laser survey by a Mexican organisation for environmental monitoring and noticed something interesting… a lost city deep in the jungle of the Mexican state of Campeche. The…
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Divers in Mexico’s Underwater Caves Get a Glimpse of Rarely Seen Artifacts, Fossils and Human Remains
Smithsonian Magazine has an article about the underwater caves of Mexico. They call them cenotes and these particular caves are located in the Yucatán Peninsula. They date to a few million years ago and preserved remnants of the Mayan culture and sometime fossils of extinct animals. The underwater caves of the Yucatán Peninsula are a…
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Volunteer Discovers 1,000-Year-Old Ring on the Last Day of an Excavation in Scotland
Smithsonian Magazine’s “Smart News” has a piece on the discovery of a 1,000-year-old ring in Scotland. The ring was found by a volunteer on an archaeology dig led by a researcher at the University of Aberdeen. The ring is believed to have belonged to the Picts, a group of people that lived parts of present-day…
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Ancient Shipwreck Preserves a Deep Bronze Age Time Capsule
Jacob Sharvit, left, the director of maritime archaeology for the Israel Antiquities Authority, with two Bronze Age jugs moments after lifting them out of the Mediterranean Sea on the Energean Star on May 30. The New York Times has a story about a very old shipwreck discovered off the coast of northern Israel. The mile…
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She thrifted this vase for $4. It turned out to be an ancient Mayan artifact
Anna Lee Dozier purchased this vase at a thrift store about 10 minutes from her Washington, D.C., home. It turned out to be an authentic Mayan artifact that dates to between 200 AD to 800 AD. Anna Lee Dozier NPR WBEZ in Chicago has the story of a great find. A 1,200 year old Mayan…
