Archaeology

Designated Dates • Fall and spring • 2:30 p.m.-3:45 p.m. • Auditorium/Stream

September 21 • October 5, 19

Explore the latest discoveries and stories of the human past. Human origins will be the focus for fall. Previous semesters included Origins of Dogs, The Ancient Etruscans, Pakal, and The Archaeology of Britain. The specific lecture topics will be found on the OLLI website and in the weekly OLLI newsletters.

September 21

Lecture 1: 300,000 years ago to 150,000 years ago:  Homo sapiens slowly begins to develop distinctive tools, life styles and features, and still shares the planet with other human types.

October 5

Lecture 2: What does it mean to be fully anatomically human?  This hominid begins to emerge around 160,000 years ago, and continues to share the planet with their cousins, Neanderthal.  Did tools and life style change?  Migration out of Africa begins to occur at 130,000 to 100,000 years.  What drove them?   What did they look like?

October 19

Lecture 3: The second migration from Africa from 70,000 to 50,000 years.  Humans begin to change again, demonstrating their capacity to inhabit the most variable of environments.   Where do we find the most genetically diverse humans and the least genetically diverse humans today?

Instructor: Bonnie Shirley J.D., M.A.     Coordinator: Renee Cabrera   

Tech Coordinator: TBD