The 6th annual Arkansas ArcheOlympics was held on October 10, 2026 at the Arkansas Archeological Survey’s WRI station on Petit Jean Mountain, near Russellville. As always, competitors put their archeological knowledge and skills to the test in three challenging events. This year’s teams were the Looting Haters, Trowel Masters, and Lucy Lovers from Arkansas Tech University under the coaching of Dr. JT Lewis, Bowne’s Bears from the University of Central Arkansas, Trowel and Error from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock under the coaching of Dr. Maureece Levin, and the Bone Brigade from Lyon College under the coaching of Dr. Jason Kennedy.
Teams went head-to-head in a Family Feud-style trivia contest, identifying the most popular responses to archeology questions based on a survey of Arkansas Archeological Society members conducted at the annual meeting in Fort Smith on September 26. Trowel and Error had the best understanding of Society members’ responses and claimed first place in the event.
Teams then had to work together to complete the Excavation to Curation obstacle course. Archeoletes had to lay out a 1 x 1 meter unit, “excavate” a unit, interpret a set of artifacts, reconstruct a pottery vessel, label and package an artifact for long-term storage, and get their final report accepted for publication. This year’s teams excelled at laying out the unit, but had some trouble with reassembling the vessel. Bowne’s Bears persevered though and won this event with a time of 8:23.
Lastly, each player showed off their hunting skills by throwing a spear with an atlatl. Players had two opportunities each to compete for distance and for accuracy. The longest throw this year was 50.78 m (166.6 ft) by Wiley from the Trowel Masters and the most accurate throw was by Mason of Trowel and Error.
When the scores from all three events were combined, one team emerged as the overall champion. Bowne’s Bears from UCA won the 2026 ArcheOlympics trophy! Congratulations!
The Arkansas Archeological Society provided lunch for all of the players and volunteers. Special thanks to Ashley Hansen and Rachael Weist who did the grilling! The Society also provided several door prizes for the archeoletes.
ArcheOlympics would not be possible without the many volunteers who help make the event run smoothly. Thank you to Maureece Levin, Jason Kennedy, Katy Gregory, Tim Mulvihill, Mel Zabecki, Taylor Greene, Rachael Weist, and Rachel Tebbetts. And an extra special thank you to Emily Beahm and Ashely Hansen for hosting the games at their research station.
