James A. Brown, an anthropology professor at Northwestern University, will speak about an ancient North American culture at 7 p.m. Aug. 28 in Richards Hall, Room 15. The lecture, “Place, Practice and Process in the Hopewell Culture,” is free and open to the public.

In the talk, Brown will examine archaeological observations made over the course of his career regarding the social processes involved in the florescence of Ohio Hopewell ritual activity during the first four centuries of the common era (including the building of monumental earthworks and astronomic observations).

Brown is an emeritus professor of anthropology at Northwestern University, a member of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences, and an internationally recognized expert on Hopewell and Woodland culture. He directed excavations at the famous site of Mound City site (part of the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park) in 1963 and has spent his career exploring the unique role of Hopewell culture in the prehistory of the North America.

Brown has published five books and dozens of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters.

This lecture is sponsored by the UNL Research Council and the John L. Champe fund.