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Lectures in Year 2021
December 2, 2021, Thursday, at 7:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Ballgames in Mesoamerica and Beyond
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Speaker: Dirk Van Tuerenhout, Ph.D.
When the Spanish set foot in this hemisphere, they witnessed people playing ballgames. A wide variety of ballgames were played in Mesoamerica and neighboring areas. Some were played in ballcourts, and some were not. Ballgames are still being played. A revival among modern Maya has led to the formation of the Pok Ta Pok World Cup, with teams from different countries vying to be crowned world champs.
What do we know about the ancient games? How is it still played today? These will be some of the topics that Dirk will cover in his upcoming talk. So, mark your calendar and don’t miss this fascinating lecture!
Speaker Biography: Dr. Dirk Van Tuerenhout, HMNS Curator of Anthropology, is an expert in human cultures, especially those of Latin America, and is well versed in archaeology and anthropology. He took part in excavations of Late Roman ruins in his native Belgium, and Maya ruins in Belize and Guatemala. Currently, Dirk takes care of the John P. McGovern Hall of the Americas, which is undergoing renovation. He also has served as curator of traveling exhibitions such as Pompeii: The Exhibition (2021), The Dead Sea Scrolls (2004), Mummy: The Inside Story (2005) and Imperial Rome (2007), Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia (2007), Secrets of the Silk Road (2010), and The Cave Paintings of Lascaux (2014). Dirk has a Master’s degree in Ancient History and another in Art History and Archaeology, both from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, as well as a M.S. and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Tulane University.
November 4, 2021, Thursday, at 7:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
The Amazing Roman Villa of Casale, Sicily
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Speaker: Bob Moore
In 2013, Bob and Nancy visited Sicily and toured this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built around 325 A.D. at the height of the Roman Empire, the Villa contains the richest, largest, and most varied collection of Roman mosaics in the world! Bob will talk about how life in the Roman Empire is portrayed in the mosaics from racing at the Circus Maximus, trapping and importing exotic animals from around the world, to children at play, and successful female Olympian athletes. The Villa of Casale was the home of a very powerful Roman family as shown by both their wealth, love of family, and their children. Bob’s talk will show both how much we have in common with the Romans and our differences through a series of beautiful personal photos. You will learn about the real origin of the bikini and other amazing facts. Don’t miss this entertaining lecture!
Speaker Biography: Robert ‘Bob’ Moore, Co-Founder of E-MLS, is a Certified Financial Planner and avocational archaeologist who loves travel, history and paleontology. He graduated from Michigan Technological Institute with degrees in geology and computer science. He earned his CFP through the University of Houston. Bob currently runs his own financial business called “Moore Money Management”. He regularly speaks on a variety of topics. Bob is a Mentor Docent at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) and volunteers for Special Exhibits, and the Paleontology Hall and Lab. He participates in both paleontological and archaeological digs for the HMNS, the Burpee Museum of Natural History and other organizations around the world. Bob has been featured in one National Geographic Special.
October 14, 2021, Thursday, at 7:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
The Shifting Ecology of Growing Tyrannosaurs: From Ballerinas of Doom to Bone-Crushing Bruisers
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Speaker: Thomas Holtz, Jr., Ph.D.
Tyrannosaurus rex and kin are infamous as among the largest predators ever to stride the land. Yet even these giants hatched as turkey- or goose-sized babies. New fossil discoveries and analyses reveal the shifting ecology of tyrant dinosaurs from swift agile hunters to the gigantic apex predators of their environment.
Speaker Biography: Dr. Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. is a Principal Lecturer in Vertebrate Paleontology at the Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park. His research focuses on the origin, evolution, adaptations, and behavior of carnivorous dinosaurs, and especially of tyrannosauroids (Tyrannosaurus rex and its kin). He received his Bachelor's degree from the Department of Earth & Planetary Geology at Johns Hopkins University in 1987 and his Ph.D. from the Department of Geology & Geophysics at Yale University in 1992. Currently, Tom is also a Research Associate of the Department of Paleobiology at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History and serves on the Scientific Council of Maryland Academy of Science, which operates the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore. In addition to his dinosaur research, Tom has been active in scientific outreach. He has been a consultant on museum exhibits around the world and on numerous documentaries, an author of several award-winning popular audience books, and the current editor of the “Life of the Past” series at Indiana University Press.
September 2, 2021, Thursday, at 7:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Reconstructing the Lost Civil War Gunboat, USS Westfield
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Speaker: Justin Parkoff, Ph.D.
Dr. Justin Parkoff will describe the 7-year project to physically reconstruct the Westfield’s wooden hull that had completely disintegrated over the last 146 years after it was blown up by its crew! He will talk about the history of the vessel and its design using historical documentation. Justin will also talk about the ~8000 artifacts recovered from the wreck site and demonstrate that if properly utilized, even the scantest remains can be a resource for reconstruction and answer questions on how the vessels components individually operated. Learn the full story from Justin who designed and implemented the long-term conservation and exhibit plan. Don’t miss his lecture on how a converted ferryboat became the flagship of the Union Navy during the American Civil War.
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(FYI. The USS Westfield is now on display at the Texas City Museum.)
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Speaker Biography: Dr. Justin Parkoff is a Texas A&M University graduate who joined the Texas Maritime Museum (TMM), Rockport, Texas, in April 2020. He is a registered professional marine archaeologist with a background in conservation, historic preservation, and museum exhibit design. Prior to joining the TMM, Justin served as an archaeologist and conservator on maritime projects for the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Texas Historical Commission, and the AECOM’s Culture Resource Management Division. These projects involved analyzing artifact assemblages discovered along the Texas Gulf Coast and in the upper Delaware River Valley. Justin’s private research focuses on steamship technology and 19th century maritime history. For this reason, Justin has consulted on a variety of Texas State projects that analyzed steamship wrecks.
May 6, 2021, Thursday, at 7:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
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Discoveries and Treasures from Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, England
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Speaker: Bob Moore
You've seen the 2021 movie "The Dig", now learn about what was found. Bob & Nancy visited Sutton Hoo in 2009 and then, visited the British Museum to see the actual artifacts. Bob will speak about the 1939 archaeological excavation of Mound #1 and discovery of the 7th century Anglo-Saxon ship burial and amazing treasures found within the inner burial chamber. He will talk about who was probably buried there and the associated resplendent artifacts. Bob will cover the pre-Anglo-Saxon through Medieval history of the site and talk about the 17 other burial mounds including the execution burials. Bob will conclude with the latest ongoing discoveries. So, don’t miss this lecture on Sutton Hoo and the people who became the English!
Speaker Biography: Robert ‘Bob’ Moore, Co-Founder of E-MLS, is a Certified Financial Planner and avocational archaeologist who loves travel, history and paleontology. He graduated from Michigan Technological Institute with degrees in geology and computer science. He earned his CFP through the University of Houston. Bob currently runs his own financial business called “Moore Money Management”. He regularly speaks on a variety of topics. Bob is a Mentor Docent at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) and volunteers for Special Exhibits, and the Paleontology Hall and Lab. He participates in both paleontological and archaeological digs for the HMNS, the Burpee Museum of Natural History and other organizations around the world. Bob has been featured in one National Geographic Special.
April 8, 2021, Thursday, at 7:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Pompeii: The Big Picture
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Speaker: Dirk Van Tuerenhout, Ph.D.
Dirk will take you beyond the usual story. He will talk about what can be learned from a city in the 1st century AD so well preserved by a natural disaster. Dirk will talk about Roman life, culture, and status; what about the divide between rich man and poor man? Also, what can be learned from their graffiti? So, mark your calendar for this fascinating lecture!
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(FYI. "Pompeii: The Exhibition" was hosted from Mar 30, 2021 to Sep 6, 2021 at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.)
Speaker Biography: Dr. Dirk Van Tuerenhout, Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) Curator of Anthropology, is an expert in human cultures, especially those of Latin America, and is well versed in archaeology and anthropology. He took part in excavations of Late Roman ruins in his native Belgium, and Maya ruins in Belize and Guatemala. Currently, Dirk is curator of Pompeii, The Exhibition and takes care of the John P. McGovern Hall of the Americas, which is undergoing renovation. He also has served as curator of traveling exhibitions such as The Dead Sea Scrolls (2004), Mummy: The Inside Story (2005) and Imperial Rome (2007), Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia (2007), Secrets of the Silk Road (2010), and The Cave Paintings of Lascaux (2014). Dirk has a Master’s degree in Ancient History and another in Art History and Archaeology, both from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, as well as a M.S. and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Tulane University.
March 18, 2021, Thursday, at 7:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Horses and Hominins from Hadar, Ethiopia
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Speaker: Eric Scott
Eric will speak about ongoing research in the Afar Desert of Ethiopia, the region that produced the famous early hominin, Australopithecus afarensis, skeleton nicknamed 'Lucy'. He will discuss the Ledi-Geraru site, where scientists recently discovered fossil evidence representing the earliest known occurrence of our own human genus, Homo. Scott will also talk about the animals that lived alongside early Homo at Ledi-Geraru, with a particular focus on an unusual lineage of extinct three-toed horses from the site. So, mark your calendar. Eric is an entertaining speaker and you won't want to miss his presentation!
Speaker Biography: Eric Scott is a vertebrate paleontologist specializing in extinct Ice Age mammals, particularly horses and bison. He studies the evolution and extinction of North American Pleistocene megafauna, with a focus on biogeography – particularly, how the geographic distribution of species can change through time, and how this can inform our understanding of Ice Age extinctions. Scott has worked throughout western North America as well as East Africa. He is Vice President and Principal Paleontologist of Cogstone Resource Management, Inc., and an adjunct lecturer at California State University, San Bernardino. Scott is an emeritus Curator of Paleontology for the San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands, California, where he worked for 24 years. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1990.