Tickets go on sale Monday for an archaeology lecture in September at Fort Lewis College about “Ötzi” – a 5,300-year-old ice mummy – and the world’s oldest known tattoos.
The second annual John W. Sanders Lecture will be presented by Aaron Deter-Wolf, a prehistoric archaeologist from the Tennessee Division of Archaeology, at 7 p.m. Sept. 15 in the Student Union Ballroom at FLC, 1000 Rim Drive. A cookie reception will be offered before the lecture at 6:30 p.m.
The Tyrolean iceman, Ötzi, has been the focus of extensive scientific analysis since he was recovered from an alpine glacier in 1991. Studies have examined how Ötzi lived, including tools he used, clothes he wore, his health, his last meal, his complete genome and bacteria found in the gastrointestinal tract. More than 60 tattoos were found on the mummy’s body, which is the oldest example of a human engaging in the cultural practice.
During the lecture, Deter-Wolf will discuss the life, death and discovery of Ötzi and what the tattoos on his body mean about human behavior and the ancient world. For the last 10 years, Deter-Wolf has studied archaeological evidence for tattooing. He co-edited the most recent volume of Ancient Ink: The Archaeology of Tattooing and appeared in a 2016 Public Broadcasting Service Nova documentary that included information about the tattoos found on Ötzi.
Additionally, Deter-Wolf will participate, with assistant professor of anthropology Jesse Tune and other FLC faculty members, in a panel discussion Sept. 17 titled “Frauds, Myths and Mysteries in Archaeology.” The event is free, open to all and will relate to current conversations about fake news.
Tickets for the Sept. 15 lecture will be on sale starting Monday for $10 plus a service fee. To purchase in advance, visit Durango Welcome Center, 802 Main Ave., call 247-7657 or go to www.durangoconcerts.com. Tickets, if still available, will also be for sale at the door for $13 starting at 6 p.m. the day of the event.
The lecture is sponsored by San Juan Basin Archaeological Society and the FLC anthropology department and provided through support from The Rochester Hotel and Ballantine Family Fund. Half of ticket sale proceeds go to the SJBAS Internship and Education Fund, which provides two student internships annually at the Center of Southwest Studies and scholarships for the summer archaeology field school at FLC.
For more information, visit www.sjbas.org.
fstone@durangoherald.com
