The Arkansas Archeological Survey and Arkansas Archeological Society are co-hosting a new virtual lecture series, called "Archeology in Pajamas," from fall 2024 through spring 2025.

Have you been interested in attending a talk but weren't wanting to travel far distances, battle inclement weather or leave the house because you aren't feeling up to coming to an in-person talk? Then this virtual Zoom lecture series is for you! We have a wide range of topics presented by speakers from varied parts of the country, so there is sure to be something for everyone.

To attend, please register for the lecture. These lectures are free and open to the public; anyone is welcome to (virtually) attend. You will need to individually register for each talk, and more information about each will be released as the dates approach.

Julie Zimmermann of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will give the next talk, "Storytelling in the Creation of Cahokia, a Native American Theater State," at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10.

Cahokia might be understood as the capital of a Native American theater state that drew people to it and spread its influence by attracting followers through theatrical rituals. Of those rituals, storytelling was primary, because stories create worldview and give meaning to all other rituals. Cahokian stories were embodied in artworks made at and disseminated from Cahokia.

Primary among these stories was that of a hero who wore human head earrings. Cosmological and goddess stories were also told by Cahokians, but the stories of heroes are those most commonly depicted in Braden-style artworks found far from Cahokia. The dissemination of hero stories might support the notion that Cahokia was a theater state, and the heroic epic was a tool of statecraft central to the growth of that state. Cahokians created their world through stories, but it was through hero stories that they grew their authority in far-flung societies.