Archives to Host Food For Thought Lunchtime Lecture on Thursday, October 20 at 12:00 pm

10/12/22


PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release - October 12, 2022

Media Contact: Georgia Ann Hudson

georgiaann.hudson@archives.alabama.gov

(334) 353-3312


FOOD FOR THOUGHT LUNCHTIME LECTURE AT THE ARCHIVES ON 

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20 AT 12:00 PM

DISCOVERING MABILA

 PRESENTED BY ASHLEY DUMAS


Montgomery, AL (10/12/2022) – The Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) will continue its 2022 Food For Thought lunchtime lecture series on Thursday, October 20, at 12:00 PM. Ashley Dumas will present Discovering Mabila. The program will be held in person at the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) in Montgomery. Admission is FREE. It will also be livestreamed through the ADAH’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. 


On October 18, 1540, at a native town called Mabila, indigenous chief Tascalusa and his warriors fiercely resisted a Spanish army led by Hernando de Soto. The outcome of the battle irrevocably altered the course of European colonization of North America. The exact location of this battle remains one of Alabama's most intriguing mysteries, but archaeologists can now claim with confidence that they are close to discovering the site. In this presentation, Dr. Ashley Dumas will recount the recent work by a multi-institutional team to locate Mabila and to better understand indigenous peoples' responses to the arrival of Europeans. 


Dr. Dumas is an associate professor of anthropology at the University of West Alabama, where she also serves as the manager of the Fort Tombecbe archaeological site. She currently manages the Search for Mabila Project. Her primary research focuses on culture change in the late prehistory and colonial period in the Southeast. In 2021 the University of Alabama Press published her co-edited volume Salt in Eastern North America and the Caribbean: History and Archaeology. 


For additional information, call (334) 353-4689. A complete schedule of our 2022 lunchtime lecture series is available at archives.alabama.gov. Food for Thought 2022 is made possible with support in memory of Mike Jenkins IV.


The Alabama Department of Archives and History is the state’s government-records repository, a special-collections library and research facility, and home to the Museum of Alabama, the state history museum. It is located in downtown Montgomery, directly across Washington Avenue from the State Capitol. The Museum of Alabama is open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 to 4:30. The EBSCO Research Room is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 to 4:30. To learn more, visit www.archives.alabama.gov or call (334) 242-4364. 


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Alabama Department of Archives & History 

624 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL 36130

www.archives.alabama.gov



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