The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has announced a free virtual series of speakers including researchers, resource management professionals and archaeology students to highlight archaeological research in Tennessee.

The series, organized by TDEC’s Division of Archaeology, begins at 6 p.m. (CDT) on Thursday, April 21 and will be held at the same time on the third Thursday of each month from April to October. The first speaker in the series will be Dr. Kevin Smith of Middle Tennessee State University on “Exploring Native American Foodways in Ancient Tennessee: More Than Just Corn, Beans, Squash.”

“With so many events canceled over the last two years, including our own current research conference, we’re excited to launch a virtual lecture series,” State Archaeologist Phil Hodge said. “The series will provide an opportunity for the public to learn about new archaeological research in Tennessee and meet the archaeologists leading some of the most important research in the Volunteer State.”

Details for each of the events can be found at this link, and links to each meeting will be provided there as each presentation approaches.

Each year since 1989, the Division of Archaeology has co-sponsored the Current Research in Tennessee Archaeology (CRITA) meeting to promote the state’s archaeological heritage and share information about research in the state. After canceling the 2022 meeting, the division pursued ways to share happenings in Tennessee archaeology with the public and professional community and build momentum toward the anticipated return of CRITA in 2023. The virtual series is a result of those efforts.

Anyone who has questions about the series are invited to contact Hodge by email at Phil.Hodge@tn.gov.