Meet the ancestors
Queensland Museum South Bank is digging deep to celebrate National Archaeology Week from 17 - 23 May 2009.
Director of Queensland Museum South Bank Sally Lewis said National Archaeology Week will encourage visitors to explore some unique Queensland treasures and that a rich program of talks, workshops, tours and displays have been developed to mark the event.
“The program provides a rare opportunity for visitors to learn more about Brisbane, explore human evolution, meet Queensland Museum archaeologists, and discover a cave that enlightened the way the broader public think about Australia’s Aboriginal past,” Ms Lewis said.
“Enthusiasts can also follow a trail through the Museum called People from the Past to discover archaeological artefacts on display, and attend a workshop to decipher a series of baffling clues on how we all evolved.”
Queensland Museum Curator of Archaeology Michael Westaway will share his extensive knowledge through a hands-on workshop, Evolving Humans.
“The fossils of very ancient people tell the story of how we became human, and in the workshop we will piece together the different parts of the puzzle commencing 8 million years ago,” Mr Westaway said.
“In the workshop we will examine fossil casts of our very early origins, from Asia’s Homo erectus through to the Eurasian Neanderthals and Flores’ hobbit leading up to the emergence of modern humans, Homo sapiens, who were in Africa almost 200,000 years ago.”
Visitors can also join a Queensland Museum archaeologist for a tour of the archaeology on display within the Museum, and learn how the museum’s artefacts reveal stories about the human past from the age of the Neanderthals and Ancient Greece to 40,000 years of Queensland’s Aboriginal past.
Online visitors can view a webcast to hear the story of forgotten Queensland-based geologist Professor Sydney Skertchly, whose pioneering field work shows that Aboriginal people had been in Australia for much longer than previously thought.
National Archaeology Week 17 - 23 May, Queensland Museum South Bank.
Queensland Museum South Bank, corner Grey and Melbourne Streets, South Bank.
Open daily 9:30am to 5pm. For bookings or more information on National Archaeology Week visit www.southbank.qm.qld.gov.au or telephone 3840 7555.
