Monthly Meeting

The Pueblo Archaeological and Historical Society's October meeting/presentation:

Thursday, October 3 at 7:00 PM

Pueblo Heritage Museum, 201 W. B Street, OR Virtually! If you are joining online, here is the link:  

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87515290286

The link will be activated at 6:00 PM. The meeting is scheduled to start at 7:00 PM. Click on the link above to join. The host will admit you into the meeting.

Lithophones in Colorado: 

Were these ground stone artifacts utilized to play some of the earliest rock music in the western U.S.?

A new class of prehistoric artifacts called portable lithophones has been identified from Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve and the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado.

“Litho” is Greek for stone and “phone” means sound; a lithophone is a musical instrument consisting of a purposely-selected rock (often formally-shaped) that is tapped or rubbed with friction to produce musical notes. Portable and stationary lithophones have been utilized in ancient and modern cultures around the world for thousands of years. Only a few highly-modified, portable lithophones have been formally recognized in North America and none have been previously documented in Colorado.

The artifacts being studied were originally thought to have functioned as grinding stones, pestles, and/or digging tools; however, testing has verified their acoustical properties. Twenty-two lithophones were analyzed as part of a Colorado State Historical Fund archaeological assessment grant and their characteristics will be discussed. A few sample lithophones and natural ringing stones will also be demonstrated.

Marilyn A. Martorano, a Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA) and a San Luis Valley, Colorado native, is currently the owner/archaeologist of Martorano Consultants LLC in Longmont, Colorado. She has over 40 years of experience in cultural resource management in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region.