Art with an Archaeologist
Free admission for kids on select Saturdays! Join us for family-friendly activities in our classroom, where you can create your own art with an archaeologist, become a junior archaeologist with our miniature excavation units, and curl up with a book on our cozy reading rug. Families can also explore the museum on an Archaeology Quest and check out our Excavation Station and Field Lab. Kids 12 & under: Free; Adults: $5 (includes museum admission)
Kids Free San Diego
San Diego Archaeological Center 16666 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA, United StatesCalling all Junior Archaeologists! This October, present your Kids Free San Diego coupon to receive free admission to the Center and a take-home pottery kit for kids 12 and under. Journey through the museum on a family-friendly Archaeology Quest. Use your excavation skills to uncover the past. Examine and record your findings in our field lab - just like a real archaeologist! Then continue the fun at home with a pinch pot kit. Pottery kits and museum admission are free for children 12 and under with Kids Free San Diego Coupon plus paid adult admission. To participate, visit the San Diego Museum Council website to download your coupon. Then present it when you visit the Center to receive free admission and pottery kits for up to two children (12 and under) with one full-price paid adult ($5+). Limit 1 pottery kit per child. Organized by the San Diego Tourism Authority with support from the San Diego Museum Council (SDMC), Kids Free San Diego is an opportunity for thousands of families to enjoy museum experiences each year. Visit SanDiego.org to view participating museums and terms. A full directory of participating venues can also be found on the SDMC website.
Kids Pottery Workshop
San Diego Archaeological Center 16666 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA, United StatesGet creative this October! Join us for a pottery workshop and museum open house. Create your own piece of pottery to take home with you. Journey through the museum on a family-friendly Archaeology Quest. Use your excavation skills to uncover the past, then examine and record your findings in our Field Lab – just like a real archaeologist! Museum admission and pottery workshop are free for kids 12 and under. Adult museum admission: Pay what you wish (suggested $5/person). No registration required.
Living Room Lecture – Recycling for Death: Coffin Reuse in Ancient Egypt and the Theban Royal Caches
VirtualIn this lecture, Kara Cooney will discuss her latest book, Recycling for Death, a meticulous study of the social, economic, and religious significance of coffin reuse during the Ramesside and early Third Intermediate periods. Funerary datasets are the chief source of social history in Egyptology, and the numerous tombs, coffins, Books of the Dead, and mummies of the Twentieth and Twenty-first Dynasties have not been fully utilized as social documents, mostly because the data of this time period is scattered and difficult to synthesize. This book is the culmination of fifteen years of coffin study, analyzing coffins and other funerary equipment of elites from the Nineteenth to the Twenty-second Dynasties to provide essential windows into social strategies and adaptations employed during the Bronze Age collapse and subsequent Iron Age reconsolidation. Cost: Pay what you wish Registration is closed. About the Author Kara Cooney is a professor of Egyptology at UCLA and Chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. Specializing in social history, gender studies, and economies in the ancient world, she received her Ph.D. in Egyptology from Johns Hopkins University. Her popular books include The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt, When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt, and The Good Kings: Absolute Power in Ancient Egypt and the Modern World. Her latest books include Ancient Egyptian Society: Challenging Assumptions, Exploring Approaches (Routledge, 2023) and Recycling for Death: Coffin Reuse in Ancient Egypt and the Theban Royal Caches (The American University in Cairo Press, August 2024).
Girl Scout Field Trip Day
San Diego Archaeological Center 16666 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA, United StatesJoin us for a field trip at the San Diego Archaeological Center, where you'll learn what archaeology actually is, where we work, the variety of tools we use, and how we study the past here and all over the world. Complete an Archaeology Quest guiding you through 12,000 years of local history and multiple interactive exhibits then make your own piece of pottery to take home. Register now to save your spot. Program is $10 per scout, pay at door.
Arch in the Park
Los Penasquitos Ranch House 12122 Canyonside Park Drive, San Diego, CA, United StatesJoin the San Diego County Archaeological Society (SDCAS) for their annual Arch in the Park event. Their goal is to educate the public about archaeology, and to provide information on various career and volunteer opportunities with local archaeological companies, museums, universities, and organizations. Typically, more than 30 vendors take part in Arch in the Park. Arch in the Park is ideal for students and budding archaeologists to network, as well as family fun. This event is hosted by the San Diego County Archaeological Society. For more information, questions, and registration, please contact the event organizer.
Julian Natural Wonderfest
Menghini Winery 1150 Julian Orchards Dr., Julian, CA, United StatesJoin the Volcan Mountain Foundation for the Julian Natural Wonderfest, a day of fun, education, wildlife, science, wonder, preservation and dark sky appreciation for the whole family! Free event — community sponsored! This afternoon and evening gathering at Menghini Winery will include a late night astronomy star party, wildlife ambassador encounters, games and activities for families, presentations of music and art, and outreach booths from land preservation and other local nature-focused organizations, food vendors and access to the winery tasting room adjacent to the event venue. Free parking convenient to the event grounds.
Archaeology Day
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center 200 Palm Canyon Dr, Borrego Springs, CA, United StatesJoin the Colorado Desert Archaeological Society for Archaeology Day at the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center. Events include local indigenous artists, exhibits, paddle-anvil pottery making and rock painting activities for kids, video "field trips" to La Rumarosa in Baja and Morteros Trail in Blair Valley, guided tours of the Begole Archaeology Research Lab and Library, and in-person field trips to Mine Wash Village and Blair Valley cultural sites. View Archaeology Day Flyer This event is hosted by the Colorado Desert Archaeological Society. For more information, questions, and registration, please contact the event organizer.
2nd Saturday Lecture Screenings
San Diego Archaeological Center 16666 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA, United StatesJoin us every 2nd Saturday of the month for two screenings of our Living Room Lectures by archaeologists, experts, and authors. Lecture screenings start at 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM and are included with museum admission. No reservations needed. Seating is first come, first served. 10:30 AM - Hominins, Hyenas, and Lions: Zooarchaeological Evidence for Meat Eating by Oldowan Hominins by Jennifer Parkinson The shift to increased meat consumption is one of the major adaptive changes in hominin dietary evolution and likely had important repercussions for the behavior of our early hominin ancestors. Meat-eating by hominins is well documented at Early Pleistocene (Oldowan) archaeological sites in East Africa by butchery marks on bones. While it is established that Oldowan hominins butchered mammal carcasses, there has been disagreement about whether these carcasses were hunted or scavenged, as well as disagreement about the nature of competition between hominins and large carnivores. The 2-million-year-old zooarchaeological assemblage from Kanjera South (Kenya) offers some of the earliest evidence of routine butchery of mammal carcasses by early members of the genus Homo. Bone surface modifications indicate that hominins were likely not passively scavenging from carnivore kills, but instead gaining early access to prey either through hunting or confrontational scavenging. Modern studies of lion feeding ecology are also shedding additional light on the potential for hominin-carnivore competitive interactions in the past. 12:30 PM - 21st-Century Historical Archaeology and the Next Generation of Community Engagement at the Nathan Harrison Site by Dr. Seth Mallios This talk examines how the archaeology at the Nathan Harrison Site has inspired a new generation of muralists, historians, playwrights, and others to create innovative works and continued relevance for Harrison’s evolving narratives. It offers an overview of the project, a brief biography of San Diego's first African American homesteader, an explanation of his dual identity, code-switching, and historical minstrelsy, and a discussion of the project’s case for significance beyond the dig including public exhibits, educational curricula, and creative arts.
Ancient Echoes: 10,000 Years of Beer
BattleMage Brewing Company 2870 Scott St #102, Vista, CA, United StatesCome join the San Diego Archaeological Center and celebrate San Diego Beer Week at BattleMage Brewing with a free presentation delving into the murky, storied archaeological past of our favorite malted beverage. From ancient Sumerian hymns to Egyptian tombs, to the secretive monasteries of old Bavaria, we’ll uncover how archaeological findings, such as brewing tools and ancient recipes, reveal beer's influence on culture, economy, and social life throughout history. About Ancient Echoes In our adult friendly Ancient Echoes series, we look back into the archaeological record at the origins of many of our favorite things and breaking the conceptions of their modernity. Have you ever wondered about the roots of mead, chocolate, or beer? What about the importance of art, dance, and music to Ice Age hunter-gatherers? Ancient Echoes explores these topics and more, offering an interactive experience aimed at connecting us back with our deep past.
Beadmaking, Cordage, and Basketry Workshop for Girl Scouts
San Diego Archaeological Center 16666 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA, United StatesJoin us at the San Diego Archaeological Center for a beadmaking, cordage, and basketry workshop. Register now to save your spot. Program is $15 per scout, pay at door.
Ancient Echoes: Ice Age Pigments – Handprint Edition
San Diego Archaeological Center 16666 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA, United StatesHave you already taken Pints & Pigments? Ready to step up your Pleistocene rock art skills to the next level? If so, put on your dirty painting clothes and come to the SDAC for this all-ages outdoor art event where we’ll be spraying, blowing, and flinging our favorite ancient pigments like an Ice Age Jackson Pollock! All art materials will be provided. Tickets include coffee, tea, and light refreshments. About Ancient Echoes In our Ancient Echoes series, we look back into the archaeological record at the origins of many of our favorite things and breaking the conceptions of their modernity. Have you ever wondered about the roots of mead, chocolate, or beer? What about the importance of art, dance, and music to Ice Age hunter-gatherers? Ancient Echoes explores these topics and more, offering an interactive experience aimed at connecting us back with our deep past. Cost: $35; SDAC Members $25 Register for Workshop Please note: Tickets are non-refundable. If you are unable to attend, your ticket(s) will be converted into a tax-deductible donation.