The ArcheOlympics is an annual competition that brings together teams of archeology students, Arkansas Archeological Society members, middle school students, and anyone else interested in archeology and having fun. In October, the ARAS hosts the ArcheOlympics at our research station at WRI. The games consist of 3 events in which teams compete to show off their skills and knowledge in archeology-based games. The first is throwing a spear with an atlatl. This takes some skill, so most teams get together and practice before the event. Archeoletes throw for both distance and accuracy during the competition. The second event is the trivia contest. This event changes slightly each year based on the gameshow format that we choose, but archeoletes answer questions about archeology, important archeological sites, archeological ethics, and other topics related to the theme. This event directly pits teams against each other in answering the questions. The third event is the Excavation to Curation Obstacle course. The course changes slightly each year, but teams work together to make their way through the simulated stages of archeological research. They must lay out a 1m x 1m unit, “excavate” the unit, collect artifacts and interpret them, curate the artifacts, write the report, and get it accepted for publication.
ArcheOlympics teams ideally consist of 4-6 archeoletes. A team can play with fewer people, but with more than 6 you must form 2 teams. In the past, we’ve had teams ranging from 4-H club middle school students, to college anthropology clubs, to university professors (not in anthropology). Everyone is welcome and all ages can play, but anyone under 18 must have an adult present at the games and to sign off on the paperwork needed to compete. The only caveat to this is that professional archeologists are not allowed to compete in the games. They can, however, coach a team or volunteer to help run/judge the events. We can always use more people to help the day run smoothly.
Each year the ARAS’s assistant registrar, Madelyn Rose, designs a 3D printed trophy for the overall winning team. You can see the teams posing with their trophies on the individual event pages linked below. We also give out 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place medals for the individual events. But the real prize of the games is the fun, friendship, comradery, and networking that everyone gets to enjoy between professionals from a variety of organizations, students from multiple university archeology programs, and people who just love archeology.
As an added bonus the Arkansas Archeological Society provides lunch for everyone at the ArcheOlympics. Lunch typically consists of grilled burgers and hotdogs (dietary needs noted on the registration form), chips, cookies, and soda/water.
If you are a professional who would like to volunteer to help run the games or you’d like more information, email Michelle at mmrathga@uark.edu.
Here is the rulebook with information and hints for each game and how each game will work: 2024 Arkansas ArcheOlympics Rulebook (PDF)
And here are the liability forms that you (or your adult) must sign (we’ll email them to your team captain again closer to the event):
