Archaeology Outreach Program

The Archaeological Research Facility at U.C. Berkeley is committed to working directly with local schools to bring archaeology to the classroom. Archaeology is an interdisciplinary subject that uses history, math, science, art, literature, and cultural studies to investigate the past. From kindergarteners to high school students and beyond, we hope to help people develop skills to think critically about the past.

The Public Outreach program arranges for graduate students from U.C. Berkeley to visit classrooms and community organizations in Berkeley and Oakland where they do a short (45 minute) introduction to archaeology. These interactive presentations are fun and involve hands-on activities such as a mock-dig for younger students, or showing real artifacts, tools, and slides to older students.

Programs Currently Offered:

Visits to schools and community organizations in Oakland and Berkeley by an archaeologist.

Lab tours of the ARF facilities for school groups.

Annual CAL Day Activities. ARF is open to the public with a full day of lectures, activities, and lab tours.

Cal Day 2008
Saturday, April 12
9am -3pm

All events will be held at the Archaeological Research Facility (2251 College Building)

9–11 am
Play With Clay
Learn how to make and decorate your own ceramics the way people did in the past. Clay available -- bring your own kids!

10–10:45 am
A Llama Caravan in Southern Peru (Dr. Nicholas Tripcevich)
Traveling with a traditional llama caravan bearing salt and tubers, archaeologists recently journeyed to the highlands of Peru to carry out an ethnoarchaeological research project. See a documentary of the experience and hear from the research director. For more information visit the project site online at http://www.mapaspects.org/caravans/2007_project.

11–11:45 am
Marking the Landscape in Stone and Paint
(Professor Meg Conkey)
What is rock art and what can we learn about the images produced during the Paleolithic era? Find out!

11 am–noon
Flintknapping
Have you ever tried flintknapping? Stop by to see Berkeley archaeologists in action and feed your curiosity about how stones are made into tools.

11 am–1 pm
Rock-Art Painting
Try your brush and hand -- literally -- at making paints and helping paint a rock-art mural.

Noon–12:45 pm
Bridging the Gap Between Real, Imagined, and Virtual at a 9,000-Year-Old Archaeological Site
(Professor Ruth Tringham)
Hear about the innovative archaeological research at Çatalhöyük, Turkey, and discuss the findings of that project.

Noon–2 pm
Rock-Art Recording
No, not with mixers and synthesizers, but with actual rocks! Learn how archaeologists record rock art in this hands-on activity at Berkeley's very own rock-art site.

1–1:45 pm
Historical Archaeology and Hansen's Disease: A New Perspective from Hawai'i
(James Flexner)
Hear about the ongoing historical archaeological research being done at the former Hansen's disease (leprosy) colony on Molokai, Hawai'i.

1–3 pm
Attention: Excavation in Progress
Don't miss this chance to see Berkeley students working on their continuing investigation of the historic Cheney House archaeological site on campus.

1–3 pm
OKAPI Island in Second Life
Visit OKAPI Island in the 3-D, virtual environment of Second Life, and explore the past and present of Çatalhöyük, a 9,000-year-old village located in present-day Turkey. The island, constructed by undergraduate research apprentices, features virtual reconstructions of the excavation site and multimedia exhibits of research data.

2–3 pm
Andean Ceramics of South America: A Journey Through Space and Time
(Andy Roddick)
Hear about the social and technological construction of Andean ceramics and how these artifacts can be used to answer important archaeological questions.