Grants Awarded

Archaeological Assessment of San Luis Valley Lithophones

Alamosa County

The project will assess a new class of prehistoric artifacts called lithophones, a type of ancient musical instrument consisting of portable, shaped rock artifacts what were struck to produce musical notes. Although lithophones have been utilized in ancient cultures around the world, only a few have been formally documented in North America, and no lithophones have been documented in Colorado. A number of potential lithophones have been identified in the museum collection at Great Sand Dunes National Park and in private collections from the San Luis Valley and will be scientifically and musically analyzed.