IOWA

Iowa Archaeology Month
Each fall, the Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA) organizes and sponsors Iowa Archaeology Month, which offers presentations, exhibits, in-class programming, and hands-on demonstrations. For more information, visit the OSA Web site at: www.uiowa.edu/~osa/archaeologyev.htm.

The University of Iowa, Museum of Natural History
The Museum of Natural History offers its Iowa Hall. Visitors can take a 500-million-year journey through Iowa's past, exploring the state's geology, ecology, and native cultures. Featured displays include a coral reef from 380 million years ago, a prehistoric coal swamp, a giant Ice Age sloth, Meskwaki traditional artwork, the 500-foot bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, and the arrival of Marquette and Jolliet in 1673. For more information, call 319-335-0480 or visit: http://www.uiowa.edu/~nathist/.

The Putnam Museum
in Davenport offers a host of programs and educational activities for children. They even have an Asian/Egyptian gallery, where visitors can encounter mysteries from ancient civilizations and the wonders of many cultures. Other Gallery exhibits include artifacts of Japanese warrior societies, a Fu Dog that once stood guard at a Chinese temple, and a 3,000-year-old mummy of the temple chantress, Isis Neferit. There are also museum programs for children such as The Case of the Talking Skulls for children in grades 4 to 8 who will learn about animal lifestyles through examining their bones, and Scribe School for children in grades 2 to 4 who will learn how to use ancient writing tools to participate in a hieroglyph writing exercise. For more information, call 563-324-1933, or visit: http://www.putnam.org/.

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