FESTIVALS & EVENTS : Time Detectives Dust Off Image of Archeology

For many, the image of archeology comes straight out of the Indiana Jones movies--dashing adventurers plucking bits of treasure from tombs and temples. Such swashbuckling may have had a small element of truth once upon a time, but no more.

“A century ago, we were treasure hunters,” said Brian Fagan, a UC Santa Barbara archeologist who specializes in writing books on the subject for a general audience.

These days, Fagan said, “archeology is a very sophisticated, multidisciplinary science,” one that is concerned with reconstructing the daily lives of ordinary peoples more than with uncovering spectacular plunder.

This week in Orange County, archeologists are sifting and dusting their way through demonstrations and other activities to acquaint the general public with the work of real archeologists--not the movie kind. The events culminate Sunday in Newport Beach with the Festival of Archaeology.

In Anaheim, meanwhile, the annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology is underway. Most of the symposiums and other events are geared to professionals, but on Saturday there will be a free public session, with talks by Fagan and a UC Berkeley archeologist.

Sunday’s festival at Village Crean (a private residence overlooking Newport Bay) is sponsored by the Orange County Society of the Archaeological Institute of America. The local society has apparently tapped into a widespread local interest in the science: In just less than two years, the group has attracted more than 200 active members, including professionals but mostly people with an amateur interest, its officials say.

“I think now we’re fourth largest in the country, which is amazing considering how young we are,” said local society founder and president Norma Kershaw, adding that there are 89 local societies across the nation. The group aims to increase public interest in archeology and to support the research of archeologists in the field.

The group offers seven annual lectures (the next is in October, after a summer break), along with bus trips to local museums and other activities.

At the festival, 11 booths will be staffed by people who work in the discipline. Representatives of the Pacific Coast Archaeology Society will demonstrate stone-tool making, and two UCLA scholars will discuss their recent excavations in Syria. There will also be booths from the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, Mission San Juan Capistrano and the Biblical Archaeology Society.

In addition, there will be videos, dance, music and storytelling, along with ethnic food booths, prize drawings and a silent auction. Advance tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children to age 12; proceeds from the event will help support archeology education in county elementary schools. Hours are noon to 4 p.m.

Saturday’s public session of the Society for American Archaeology, “Investigating the Mysteries of Time,” will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Embassy West Room of the Disneyland Hotel. Fagan will open with “Time Detectives,” a general introduction to what archeologists do. Speaking next will be Berkeley’s Kent Lightfoot, who will discuss “Solving a California Mystery: The Shell Mounds of San Francisco Bay.”

Fagan said the point of his talk will be to demonstrate how archeologists, working with only the fragments past cultures have left behind, “can conjure extraordinary details about people’s daily lives.”

“I shall be talking about left-handed stone workers, about the the Pharaoh Tutankhamen’s wine labels, about the reconstruction of ancient Mesopotamian beer and basically talking about how archeology studies people. It’s not just a science--it’s about people.”

What: Festival of Archaeology.

When: Sunday, April 24, noon to 4 p.m.

Where: Village Crean, 2300 Mesa Drive, Costa Mesa.

Whereabouts: From the Corona del Mar (73) Freeway, go south on Santa Ana Boulevard and turn left on Mesa Drive.

Wherewithal: Adults, $10 in advance, $15 at the gate; children, $5 and $7.50. Tickets are limited, so it’s best to call ahead.

Where to call: (714) 496-5896.

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What: “Investigating the Mysteries of Time.”

When: Saturday, April 23, 1 p.m.

Where: Embassy West Room, Disneyland Hotel, 1150 W. Cerritos Ave., Anaheim.

Whereabouts: From the San Diego (5) Freeway, exit at Katella Avenue and go west. Turn right on Harbor Boulevard and turn left into the Disneyland Hotel.

Wherewithal: Free.

Where to call: (714) 284-6227.

* FESTIVALS AND EVENTS, Page XX.