Have you ever found an arrowhead-shaped or a suspiciously potsherd-like rock in your backyard and thought, “I should take this to someone to find out if it’s real — but what if they think I stole it from protected land?”
Or what about this one: Your great-grandmother passed down a collection of American Indian artifacts she and your great-grandfather collected while tilling farmland, but you fear having it taken from you by officials.
The good news is, you are not alone and there are people who would like to help you find out about your discovery or collection.
The Verde Valley Archaeology Center is set to host its first Archaeology Road Show on Saturday, March 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Antiques Roadshow-styled event explicitly intends to bridge the gap between novice and expert.
“We often hear about amazing family collections that have been acquired over the years in the Verde Valley,” VVAC Executive Director Ken Zoll said. “Many pioneer and ranching families may be hesitant to bring the items into the open since they may have been collected on Forest Service lands many, many years ago.
“We want people to know that they hold important information about the prehistory of the Verde Valley and that it is time to share and learn more about important artifacts.”
According to Zoll, finding out about these collections is hampered due to public mistrust of archaeological laws alongside families with important archaeological evidence.
To host the event, VVAC has teamed up with Doug Gann of Tucson’s Archaeology Southwest organization, VVAC’s Todd Bostwick and archaeologist Kim Spurr.
Zoll invites families to bring in items they have found or from a collection to learn more about them. In exchange, the VVAC gains additional knowledge about past cultures through the artifacts.
“Unlike with the Antiques Roadshow, monetary value will not be provided for any item — only a value that comes from knowledge and helping to piece together our commonly shared heritage of the Verde Valley,” Zoll said.
For more information on the VVAC’s Verde Valley Archaeology Road Show, visit the organization’s website at vvarchcenter.org or call 567-0066. Zoll can be reached at director@verdevalleyarchaeology.org.
