Anthropologist David Meltzer to speak at Kenyon

Eminent archaeologist David Meltzer, an expert on the early peopling of the Americas, comes to Kenyon this week, to present two talks and to participate in an informal ceremony recognizing the College's earliest contribution to the field of archaeology.

Meltzer, the Henderson-Morrison Professor of Prehistory and director of the QUEST archaeological research program at Southern Methodist University, will present a lecture titled "In Search of Ice Age Americans," at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, September 26, in Higley Auditorium.

"Until recently, archaeologists thought they had answers to the questions of who were the first people to settle the Americas, where did they come from, and when did they arrive," says Professor of Anthropology Edward Schortman. "But now, the picture is far from clear. Dr. Meltzer is a renowned specialist in this field, and I'm sure he will offer some real insights into the answers to these questions."

On Tuesday morning at 11:10 a.m. during Common Hour, Meltzer will talk on "Folsom: A New Look at a Classic Site." That talk, which will address recent interpretations of the Folsom evidence, will take place in room 200 of Palme House.

The focus turns to Kenyon on Tuesday afternoon at 4:00 p.m., when Meltzer will participate in an informal ceremony inaugurating Davis House, the anthropology building located next door to Palme House. As an historian of archaeology, Meltzer is well acquainted with the ground-breaking research of Kenyon alumnus Edwin H. Davis, Class of 1835, on the prehistory of North America. Davis was a pioneer in the recording and interpretation of the many prehistoric earthen mounds that once covered Ohio and surrounding states. Meltzer wrote the extensive introduction to the 150th anniversary edition of the Smithsonian Institution's Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, written by Davis and Ephraim G. Squier.

Meltzer developed his interest in archaeology as a fifteen-year-old high school student, when he participated in the excavation of the Thunderbird Paleoindian site near Front Royal, Virginia. He went on to earn his bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of Maryland and his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Washington.