The printed 2022 Indiana Archaeology Month commemorative posters are now available, while supplies last. Free posters (folded and unfolded) may be obtained in person at the DNR Customer Service Center in the Indiana Government Center South, Indianapolis. Hours are 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., M-F.
When attending Archaeology Month events, Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology staff will also bring posters to distribute. Requests for folded posters (limit of 5 per person) to be mailed may be sent to ajohnson@dnr.IN.gov.
The 2022 Indiana Archaeology Month poster focuses on the diversity of Indiana’s Late Precontact ceramics. The ceramics of the Late Precontact period (1000 to 1500 CE) of Indiana indicate that Native American groups were not static but were diverse, dynamic, and complex.
(The dates for CE [Current Era] are comparable to, and a secular equivalent of, AD dates.) Pottery is only one facet of the Late Precontact world, but it can reflect social organization and interactions, including expansions and contractions, conflicts and alliances, and assimilation and independence of social groups. Archaeologists examine the different decorative styles to interpret shifting movements and cultural interactions of people through time in areas that would become Indiana and the Midwest.
This year’s design highlights examples of sherds from the Late Precontact period, and the maps indicate where within the state these ceramics generally manifest. Pottery vessels were used for cooking, serving, and storing food. The widespread adoption of pottery in the precontact record occurs approximately 2,800 years ago when people became more stationary for longer periods of time. By the Late Precontact period, ceramic manufacture had evolved, and some of the highest quality pottery with the most complex decorations occur during this time.
However, precontact pottery can be fragile and is often identified from archaeological contexts as broken sherds. You can read more about the poster design. Also on that page, the upcoming Archaeology Month events are listed. Check back often for additional events which will be added.
The Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology wishes to thank the poster designer, Adam Cox with the DNR’s Division of Communications, as well as those who provided permission to use their images in the design.
Amy L. Johnson
State Archaeologist, Archaeology Outreach Coordinator,
And Team Leader for Archaeology
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology
317-232-6982
www.dnr.IN.gov