Paleo-Olympics teaches students about connections to the past

What can observing flight patterns of birds tell someone about the "will of the gods?"

What is the proper way to shoot a bow and arrow?

How did ancient Egyptians paint hieroglyphics?

The Grand Valley community heard the answers to these questions and more during the 8th annual Paleo Olympics September 23 on the Allendale Campus.

The annual event, sponsored by the Archaeology Society, Classics Society, Grand Valley Journal of History, and Anthropology Club, encourages students, faculty and staff to participate in various events centered around learning about the past. 

"At this event, students can learn that the people of the past were just like us," said Jonathan Bluck, Archaeology Society president and a sophomore majoring in anthropology. "Every concept or principal that we have today is built from the past, and some people don't realize that."

This year's activities included: decorating cookies and plates with Egyptian hieroglyphics, archery and spear-throwing demonstrations, a "hunter-gatherer relay," spinning thread from raw wool, reconstructing ancient pottery, Medieval rugby and a variety of other ancient games.

Melissa Morison, associate professor of classics and archaeology minor program coordinator, said that while the Paleo-Olympics began with a small group of faculty and students having fun with history, the event has since expanded into an event that any student can appreciate and engage with.

"I think the students who buy into these clubs and majors care about interdisciplinary studies and care about the past, so they all have that in common," Morison said. "But, every once in a while, you get a student, not studying in one of these areas, who comes to this and says, 'Hey, this is for me.' This gets the students excited about studying these subjects and helps them realize that there are some fun things to be gained from studying the past."