“Archaeology is about facts….Forget any ideas you’ve got about lost cities, exotic travel and digging up the world. We do not follow maps to buried treasure, and X never, ever marks the spot.”  -- Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones, Jr., Fictional Archaeologist & Heartthrob

Despite being a fictional archaeologist, Indiana Jones can still inspire students to become real archaeologists! In March, ASCO volunteers went to Metolius Elementary School to lead the fourth grade students into understanding the part archaeology plays in preserving the past. After explaining that archaeology is not the study of dinosaurs (a common mistake), ASCO members introduced the topics of culture and artifacts, survey and stratigraphy. And, importantly, students could see the difference between legitimate excavation versus illegal looting. Students enjoyed putting their new-found knowledge of archaeology to use by trying to identify real artifacts. At the end of the day, students realized an archaeologist’s tools include a trowel, not a whip!