FORT PIERCE - See how skeletons reveal the past through the examination of traumatic injury, nutrition, disease and culture at a program presented by Dr. Rachel Wentz, director of the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN), East Central Region at the Fort Pierce Branch Library on Tuesday, June 10 at 7 p.m.
"Bones and Bodies: How Skeletons Unlock the Past" will be the topic for the evening.
The Florida Archaeology Network is a network of professional archaeologists charged with educating the public on the rich archaeological heritage in Florida. It is a statewide program administered by the University of West Florida in cooperation with the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources. It provides free lectures to the public, community organizations and local schools. The network is "dedicated to preserving the past through education and action."
Dr. Wentz graduated from Florida State University with a Ph.D. in Anthropology and specializes in the bioarchaeological analysis of human remains with focus on ancient disease and population health. She has analyzed remains from Little Salt Spring and Calico Hill, both prehistoric sites in Florida. Dr. Wentz has also done skeletal work in St. Croix, England and Ukraine. She obtained experience in forensic anthropology at the C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory at the University of Florida. Dr. Wentz has taught courses in physical anthropology, human osteology and forensic anthropology at Florida State University.
The foremost goal of public archaeology is to inform the interested public about archaeology and to preserve the fragile and irreplaceable remains of our past. Archaeological sites in Florida are being destroyed at an ever-increasing rate by both human actions and natural processes. Increased citizen awareness helps to protect these sites.
This program is free and open to the public. Registration is not required.
The Fort Pierce Branch of the St. Lucie County Library System is located at 101 Melody Lane. For more information, call Vicki Cooke at (772) 462-2787.
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