NEXT MEETING: Saturday, October 21, 2023, at 6:00PM: The GCAS’s general meeting IS RESCHEDULED from the usual third Wednesday of the month to the following Saturday, October 21, 2023, beginning at 6:00PM, for a special meeting and potluck dinner at 2045 Memory Lane in Silver City to welcome visiting members of the GCAS's friends and generous supporters of our MAREC project, the Albuquerque Archaeological Society. GCAS members, please bring your finest potluck dishes to share with about 15 members of AAS who would love to meet you. As we get to know one another, there will be a slideshow presentation of either the Rock House Petroglyph Site, the Dragonfly Petroglyph Site, or both. Join us on Saturday! (In order to offer our members a safe and comfortable experience the GCAS follows CDC and New Mexico Department of Health guidelines for indoor gatherings including masking, distancing, and vaccinations. We recommend all attendees follow the same.

NEXT FIELD TRIP: Sunday, October 22, 2023, at 10:00 AM: Due to lack of a selected destination for the usual field trip on the first Sunday of the month, October's field trip is rescheduled to October 22 when members of the Albuquerque Archaeological Society visit our area. Destination will be either Rock House Petroglyph Site in lower Mimbres Valley (pending permit approval) or Dragonfly Petroglyph Site in Arenas Valley. Watch this space as details develop.

Lithics

GCAS General Meeting at MCHS!

Allen denoyerWednesday, September 15, 2021, 6:30 PM: GCAS general meeting at the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site located at 12 Sage Drive in Mimbres, one block east of Highway 35 between Mile Markers 3 and 4 and just a bit north of the old Mimbres Valley Cafe.

We are thrilled to host Allen Denoyer of Archaeology Southwest who will offer us a 2 for 1 presentation. In the early part of the evening he will demonstrate flintknapping on the porch of the Gooch House. If you have never witnessed his skills, you will be amazed! Then, as it gets dark, he will present a slideshow on the Early Agricultural Time Period. Meet at 6:30 for snacks and chats, and we will briefly make any announcements that might arise before Allen's presentation starts at 7:00 PM sharp. Due to uncertain pandemic concerns, please have your masks handy, and we will see you there!

/s/ webmaster


New Studies in Archaeoacoustics

StonehengeRegular readers of this here site know that we generally prefer focusing our news on what's happening archaeologically in our own Southwest US/Northern Mexico region. However, we remain open-minded enough to occasionally publish news from further afield, especially when it contains implications for our own area. In this case, the article's headline is fully descriptive:

"A Remarkable New Study Suggests That Stonehenge Was Built to Amplify Sound During Ancient Ruling-Class Rituals - The stones also worked as a sound chamber, keeping outside noise out."

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Ever Heard of Lithophones?

image from encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.comSome time ago, and during a period of many years, a few archaeologists and various amateur collectors retrieved a number of oblong stone artifacts from the area around and including the Great Sand Dunes National Park in south-central Colorado. Eventually, many of the stones were given to the museum at Great Sand Dunes National Park where they remain stored today. [Photo of Great Sand Dunes artifacts via Archaeology Podcast Network.]

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