San Diego Archaeological Center
Ancient Echoes: Pints & Pigments
San Diego Archaeological Center 16666 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA, United StatesIn this installment of our Ancient Echoes, you’ll make art the ancient way! Using natural pigments and a little human creativity, you’ll produce a one-of-a-kind paleolithic art piece (no cave required). All art materials will be provided. Tickets include two drinks per person (alcoholic and non-alcoholic options available). This event is 21+. 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. Cost: $40; SDAC Members $35 Online Registration is closed. Please pay at door. Please note: Tickets are non-refundable. If you are unable to attend, your ticket(s) will be converted into a tax-deductible donation.
Save Our Heritage Organization: Warner-Carrillo Ranch House Tour
Warner Carillo Ranch House 29181 San Felipe Road, Warner Springs, CA 9208, CA, United StatesBuilt in 1857 by Vincenta Carrillo, a prominent early Californio woman rancher, the adobe served as the Butterfield Stage Stop from 1858 until the beginning of the Civil War in 1861. As California's first regular overland transcontinental stage connection with St. Louis, this pioneering stage route ran along the Missouri Trail. The trail was the most southerly and only all-weather route to California. Built directly beside the emigrant trail, it figured prominently in the settler's diaries as their first glimpse of the promised land, the first well-watered valley to be encountered after crossing the Great Southwestern Deserts. The historic setting has changed very little from the time of the great western migration and presents a rare opportunity to experience the past. The adobe maintains a high degree of integrity including a great deal of its historic fabric including the original fireplace mantle, much woodwork, vigas (ceiling beams) and remains of its muslin ceiling cloths. Trained and knowledgeable docent educators lead the guided tour. Learn more about its history and restoration before your visit. Open Year Round Saturday • Sunday • 12-4pm Closed Christmas eve and Christmas day, New Year's eve and New Year's day House Tours are 45-60 minutes in length Please note: The last tour of the day begins at 3:45pm PURCHASE TICKETS In Person Warner-Carrillo Ranch House 29181 San Felipe Road, Warner Springs CA 92086 Admission $5 Adults $4 Seniors (65 & older) & Children (ages 6-12) Free for children & under This event is hosted by the Save Our Heritage Organization. For more information, questions, and registration, please contact the event organizer.
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 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.
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. Presentations start at 3:30 PM and 5:30 PM. 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.
Fall Into Archaeology Day Camp
San Diego Archaeological Center 16666 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA, United StatesWe are excited to announce our brand-new autumn day camp for elementary school students! This a la carte style day camp will take place the week of Thanksgiving. Choose individual days or choose them all! Whether your child or grandchild is a budding archaeologist or just eager to experience the past in a whole new way, our camp offers something for everyone. Get ready for a week filled with adventure, discovery, and endless fun! Space is limited to 30 campers per session. Sign up now and let the adventure begin! Grades: K-5 Schedule: Monday, November 25: Archaeology and the Ancient World – Come discover what archaeology is, is not, and what is bad archaeology. Explore the museum, get a behind-the-scenes tour of our collections laboratory, make coil pots, and practice your beadmaking skills. Tuesday, November 26: Ancient Games Day – Discover a world before video games, as we explore the 5,000-year-old Game of Twenty Squares, and learn to make your own ancient Egyptian Senet board. Learn to play mancala, backgammon, and chess, or try your hand at Apal Uumarr, or the game of stones. Wednesday, November 27: Ice Age Extravaganza! – Enjoy our final camp day making your very own ice age rock art. Learn cordage weaving, and basket making, and hone your atlatl throwing and archery skills. See our Archaeology Camp Page for more information.
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.
Sip & Sketch Holiday Art Class – CANCELED
San Diego Archaeological Center 16666 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA, United StatesThis event has been CANCELED - Sip, sketch, and color at our holiday art class with archaeological illustrator Donna Walker. Learn how to draw the native plant Toyon Berry, also known as California Holly, then color your drawing with Prismacolor, an oil-based color pencil that blends and looks like a watercolor painting when you’ve finished. You’ll learn techniques that will give your objects depth and definition – gone will be the flat-looking images, yours will look 3-D! Then turn your drawing into a personalized holiday card for friends and family! All art supplies will be provided. Tickets include drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic options available) and light refreshments. This event is 21+. Cost: $35; SDAC Members $30
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? 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. Note: Child tickets do not include the use of traditional pigments (modern acrylic paint will be used instead). *Prior participation in our Pints & Pigments workshop is not required. 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; Kids (12 & under) $15 Registration is closed. Limited tickets available at door.
Story Time with an Archaeologist
San Diego Archaeological Center 16666 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA, United StatesJoin us on select Thursday mornings for archaeology-themed story time at the Center. Stay afterwards to explore the museum with family-friendly activities like our Archaeology Quest and Field Lab.