On-Line Activity
Identifying Ancient Artifacts and Pottery

The Ice Cave has been a gathering place for over 1200 years. We know this because of the artifacts left here by early man. Many stone artifacts and incredibly intact pottery pieces have been found in the area. All the artifacts and pottery pieces found by the Candelaria family have been preserved and displayed at the trading post. Reference to these items are in theTrail Guide, and in the Field Trip Data Sheet section of Education Corner.

Before or after taking a field trip to the Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano, teachers may want to discuss with their students the historical significance of the pottery found around the Ice Cave area. We have a very general identification of the pieces in our display, but lack specific information on individual pieces. This activity invites you and your students to research individual pottery pieces like those shown below. This may be done through library research, internet research, or contacting professors of anthropology in your local area.

To examine and identify the Ice Caves pottery, click here for our Virtual Museum Gallery. Each piece has a vr.museum# which you can refer to when contacting the Ice Cave. We invite you to aid in identifying each piece as to type, age, and function. You may print out the individual pictures for close examination. As you identify each artifact, please e-mail us with your findings. We will post your research and findings on our website. We look forward to hearing from you.