Artifacts from all 99 Iowa counties are represented in this video with a new or archived photo; primarily from OSA's collection of over 4 million objects. Some counties depict an object from a private collection. Although OSA curates objects from over 14,000 archaeological sites in Iowa, some counties are better represented than others! This is due to many factors, including limited professional compliance work done in that county, artifacts being reposed at other institutions, or sometimes our lack of knowledge of provenienced private collections. None of these artifacts are from a mortuary or sacred context, OSA does not publicly share images of such objects.
It is important to note that the study of artifacts is just one way that archaeologists learn about people in the past. An artifact without context becomes an object with limited research potential that tells us very little about the people who made and used that object. These artifacts help to tell stories about the lifeways, culture, technology, and innovation of people in Iowa's archaeological past, including ancestors of Native Americans, Euroamerican settlers, and all those who call Iowa home. If you collect artifacts, please collect them responsibly. See archaeology.uiowa.edu/artifac... for more information.
This video was developed for "Connected for Life: Connected for Life: Object-based Digital Programming to Foster Active Minds for Senior Living Communities." This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services [CAGML-247374-OMLS-20]. Produced by Elizabeth Reetz with archival assistance from Seraphina Carey and Cherie Haury-Artz.
3 май 2022
