Post by Woody Williams on Aug 26, 2005 13:28:36 GMT -5
Spear point gone from fair exhibit
By JENNIFER WHITSON Courier & Press Indianapolis bureau (317) 631-7405 or jdwhitson@earthlink.net
August 26, 2005
INDIANAPOLIS - A 12,000-year-old spear point belonging to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources disappeared from an exhibit the agency presented at the Indiana State Fair.
On Aug. 20, the department hosted an "Artifact Road Show" where staffers would look at objects people brought in and tell them about the history.
The spear point was on a table with several other objects, such as arrowheads, so that people could touch and compare them.
About an hour into the event, staffers noticed that the spear point - one of the oldest artifacts the DNR owns - was missing.
"It comes from a time period when the glaciers were just starting to recede in Indiana and people were hunting larger game," said Dr. Rick Jones, a state archaeologist.
On Thursday, DNR's media office put out an alert saying the department wants the artifact back. Jones said they don't have a clue what happened to it and they don't want to pursue charges if it was stolen.
"We're not looking for anything other than to get the artifact back," he said. Anyone with information can call the DNR at (317) 232-1646 or anyone who has the spear point can drop it off at any DNR property.
Jones said the return is especially important because the artifact is part of DNR's teaching collection that staff members regularly take to school events. Jones said he rarely speaks about the dollar value of any artifact because he doesn't want to encourage a market for the items but rather pique an interest in their history.
But a quick search on the Internet auction site eBay.com showed several spear points on sale with bids ranging from $10 to $1,000.
By JENNIFER WHITSON Courier & Press Indianapolis bureau (317) 631-7405 or jdwhitson@earthlink.net
August 26, 2005
INDIANAPOLIS - A 12,000-year-old spear point belonging to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources disappeared from an exhibit the agency presented at the Indiana State Fair.
On Aug. 20, the department hosted an "Artifact Road Show" where staffers would look at objects people brought in and tell them about the history.
The spear point was on a table with several other objects, such as arrowheads, so that people could touch and compare them.
About an hour into the event, staffers noticed that the spear point - one of the oldest artifacts the DNR owns - was missing.
"It comes from a time period when the glaciers were just starting to recede in Indiana and people were hunting larger game," said Dr. Rick Jones, a state archaeologist.
On Thursday, DNR's media office put out an alert saying the department wants the artifact back. Jones said they don't have a clue what happened to it and they don't want to pursue charges if it was stolen.
"We're not looking for anything other than to get the artifact back," he said. Anyone with information can call the DNR at (317) 232-1646 or anyone who has the spear point can drop it off at any DNR property.
Jones said the return is especially important because the artifact is part of DNR's teaching collection that staff members regularly take to school events. Jones said he rarely speaks about the dollar value of any artifact because he doesn't want to encourage a market for the items but rather pique an interest in their history.
But a quick search on the Internet auction site eBay.com showed several spear points on sale with bids ranging from $10 to $1,000.