OVIASC PRESS RELEASE DATE: March 27, 2013
CONTACT: Susan Grandpierre at 772-492-0771 or Sandra Rawls 772 778-5274 of the Old Vero Ice Age Sites Committee (OVIASC) for additional Information.
Old Vero Ice Age Sites Committee (OVIASC) has invited famed archaeologist Dr. James Adovasio, founder and director of Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute to present “Dig Old Vero: Challenges and Possibilities,” at its fundraiser at Emerson Center on Friday April 12, at 7:00 p.m. A display of Florida fossils will open at 6 p.m.
OVIASC is working with Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute on the strategy to excavate the Old Vero Site, one of the most important Ice Age Sites in North America. Adovasio has done many excavations in North America and abroad, in Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Israel. Dr. Adovasio is also one of the foremost experts in perishable artifacts (such as basketry and textiles) and has analyzed perishable remains from excavations in Central and South America, Europe, and Asia.
He is currently the Provost, Dean of the Zurn School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Director of the Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania,[1]
Dr. Adovasio is famous for excavating a Paleo-Indian site at Meadow croft Rock shelter in Pennsylvania in the 1970s, where chips of pottery, bones from game, charcoal and other evidence left by the people who used the rock shelter for thousands of years, made it the oldest site of human inhabitation in North America. When he published his findings almost 40 years ago, that people used the rock shelter 16-17,000 years ago it was archaeological heresy. At that time, orthodox science held that Clovis people, considered the continent’s first inhabitants, were not present before 11,200 years ago.
This parallels the history of the Vero Man Site, when state geologist Dr. E. H. Sellers was criticized in the early 20th century for asserting that fossilized human remains discovered together with extinct Ice Age animals, were contemporaneous with them. This proposed excavation will prove him right or wrong.
Adovasio work at Meadowcroft was praised for its "impeccable excavation" that set standards for archaeological study. These standards will be critical in getting the most out of the Old Vero Site excavation.
Don’t miss Dr. Adovasio’s fascinating 7 p.m. talk on the next steps for the Vero Site excavation, or the display of rare Florida Ice Age fossils in the Emerson Center lobby that opens at 6 p.m. This is a great opportunity to ask questions of the experts about what’s in store and how you can be a part of this adventure in archaeology. Dr. C. Andrew Hemmings, a Mercyhurst adjunct professor, who will lead the local excavation, will join Dr. Adovasio. Dr. Hemmings completed his M.S. and PhD at the University of Florida.
OVIASC invites the public to be a part of the project to re-excavate of the Vero Man Site, to preserve and protect it, to educate the public on its significance and to build a local exhibit for the enjoyment of residents and visitors. We hope they will want to join OVIASC and make a donation to OVIASC to support this historic excavation
Funds have already been raised but more are needed for the dig and the subsequent analytical analysis of findings that will be needed. To learn more about the Site and the project see OVIASC's website, www.oviasc.org or call Susan Grandpierre at 772-492-0771.
The public is invited to attend; tickets for this event cost $20 for adults and $5 for students and are available from the Emerson Center's online ticket office or by calling their box office at 772.778.5249. The Emerson Center has over 800 comfortable cushioned seats and is located on the southeast corner of 16th Street & 27th Avenue.
