Download Des Moines Register 04-01-06 Bones at ISU site will be examined

Des Moines Register
04-01-06
Bones at ISU site will be examined
LISA LIVERMORE
REGISTER AMES BUREAU
Ames, Ia. — Iowa State University officials have reversed their decision on the
value of the animal bones found on campus last week, saying instead that the
remains have historical value and will be open to anthropologists for a nine-daylong dig.
On March 24, Dean McCormick, assistant director of facilities for design
and construction services, said the animal bones that were found on the south
side of the Memorial Union during a construction expansion project had no
historical significance.
McCormick said Friday that opinions started to differ last week as word got out
about the discovery.
"We were sorting through the opinions we heard." Now, he said, "We think
there's merit to doing some exploration."
On Friday, ISU's office of media relations issued a news release saying the area
would be the site of an archaeological dig, scheduled to begin today. The dig is
not open to the public.
"I think maybe some quick assumptions may have been made," ISU President
Gregory Geoffroy said Friday.
After several meetings that included people from the College of Veterinary
Medicine and the anthropology department, "a lot of information has sort of been
brought forward to indicate that there may be items and information that can be
gained from archaeological analysis," Geoffroy said.
The analysis is expected to cost between $30,000 and $35,000, which includes
discovery and recovery, curation, analysis and technical reporting, ISU officials
said.
Matthew Hill, an assistant professor in anthropology who is the principal
investigator of the dig, said researchers want to probe into how animals were
studied and disposed of at the first veterinary hospital in the United States.