Unearthed: Ancient Life in the Boulder Valley
Located in: Anthropology Hall
This new exhibit features a collection of 80+ stone tools known as The Mahaffy Cache that was found in a Boulder backyard in 2008. The artifacts were studied by CU Boulder Professor of Archaeology Doug Bamforth, Ph.D. The tools date to approximately 13,000 years ago near the end of the last ice age.
The discovery of a cache of stone tools from the late Pleistocene is a very rare event in archaeology. The fact that the cache was found in a modern development within a contemporary city makes it extraordinary. This is the first time the tools have been exhibited to the public. The exhibition explores the science behind the discovery through interactive elements, video, and touchable replicas of the tools.