Seven Ages Audio Journal

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Town Creek Mound: Mound Builder Series | SAAJ 81 Jul 14, 2025

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In this episode, Micah and Jason begin the conversation with news of a recent study published in Nature concerning the oldest and most complete sequenced Egyptian genome. Next, the conversation turns to the recent southeastern meteor strike over Georgia and South Carolina. The team is then joined by Megan A. of the Town Creek Mound in North Carolina to discuss this unique and well-preserved Mississippian site.

Town Creek Indian Mound is an unusual phenomenon in the history of North American archaeology. While most archaeological sites are investigated for a few years before archaeologists move on to new locations, Town Creek, situated on Little River (a tributary of the Great Pee Dee in central North Carolina), has been the focus of a consistent program of archaeological research for more than half a century. This research has contributed to scientific understanding of the original inhabitants of our continent and has provided educational opportunities for many graduate and undergraduate students in anthropology. Moreover, these contributions to science and higher education were made as the site contributed directly to public education.

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Town Creek Indian Mound

The Ryan-Harley Site | SAAJ 80 May 09, 2025

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In this episode, the team begins with news from Colossal Biosciences concerning the de-extinction of the Dire Wolf. We are then joined by Dr. Morgan Smith for an in-depth discussion about Florida's Ryan-Harley site. This unique Suwannee site offers clues to some of the lesser-known Paleoindian technocomplexes, cultures, and habits.

Dr. Morgan Smith received his PhD in Anthropology from Texas A&M University, where he studied in the Center for the Study of the First Americans. Prior to this, he worked for the Southeast Archaeological Center of the National Park Service. He has over a decade of experience in underwater and terrestrial archaeology. His contributions to underwater archaeology include efforts to develop methods and models to more accurately and reliably locate underwater prehistoric sites, emphasizing mobile forager societies. He has conducted archaeological and anthropological research throughout the southeast and in Missouri, Texas, Nevada, Mexico, and Costa Rica.

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Clovis Bone Needles at the La Prele Site | SAAJ 79 Mar 04, 2025

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In this episode, Micah and Jason start the discussion with news from Egypt involving the alluring scents associated with mummified remains. The discussion then turns to news from White Sands, New Mexico. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of ancient transport technology in the Americas, suggesting that early North Americans used travois-like sleds for transport nearly 22,000 years ago. The team is then joined by Wyoming State Archaeologist Spencer Pelton to discuss the latest discoveries from the La Prele, Wyoming Mammoth kill site.

Spencer Pelton is the Wyoming State Archaeologist and an adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of Wyoming. Spencer has maintained a varied career in federal and state government, private, and academic sectors, working in Tennessee, North Carolina, California, Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming during his 17-year career. He maintains research interests in the peopling of the Americas, but his field projects are increasingly focused on the latest prehistory and earliest history of the Wyoming High Plains and the Rocky Mountains. In addition to his academic and field research, Spencer is interested in the politics of heritage preservation and writes about that topic extensively in his Substack newsletter, Social Stigma.

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Early Paleoindian use of canids, felids, and hares for bone needle production at the La Prele site, Wyoming, USA

Spencer Pelton's Social Stigma

The Western Clovis Mammoth Hunters | SAAJ 78 Jan 25, 2025

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In this episode, the team discusses a recent scientific report concerning new evidence of hominin activity 1.9 million years ago in Graunceanu, Romania, in the form of multiple cut-marked bones. The discussion continues with exciting news from Siberia, with the discovery of a Saber-Toothed Cat cub in pristine condition, shedding new scientific light on this enigmatic species. James Chatters, PhD, then joins the team to discuss his latest paper on the Western Clovis diet, which was published in Science Advances.

Dr. James Chatters earned his PhD in Anthropology from the University of Washington in 1982. He is an archaeologist and paleontologist involved in discovering and investigating many of North America's earliest human skeletons. Best known for the 1996 discovery of Kennewick Man and ongoing work at the Hoyo Negro Site in the Yucatan of Mexico, he has also done extensive work in hunter-gatherer prehistory in the western US, macroevolutionary theory, palynology, and late Pleistocene mammals, most notably ground sloths.

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Mammoth featured heavily in Western Clovis diet

The Caddo Culture of Southern Arkansas | SAAJ 77 Dec 15, 2024

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In this episode, the team begins with an intriguing discussion concerning a recent discovery by anthropologists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Hawai'i, presenting research on a previously unknown—or, rather, uncategorized— introduction to the human species, H. juluensis.

The team is then joined by Southern Arkansas University archaeologist Dr. Carl Drexler to discuss the enigmatic Caddo culture. Dr. Carl G. Drexler (Station Archeologist) received his Ph.D. from the College of William and Mary in Virginia in 2013. He has been working in Arkansas since 2001 on domestic and military sites, including the battlefield of Pea Ridge. He has worked as an archeologist for the National Park Service, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and the United States Army. He has field experience in eight states and three foreign countries. Major research interests include conflict archeology, spatial analysis, historical archeology of the U.S. South and Midwest, Cuban archeology, terrestrial and aerial laser scanning (LiDAR), and the history and ethnography of sports in the United States, primarily baseball and hockey. His publications include articles in the SAA Archaeological Record and Arkansas Historical Quarterly, and a book chapter on spatial analysis in conflict archaeology, in addition to a number of reports.

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Trowel 'n' Transit Blog

Rediscovering Turtle Island: First Peoples and the Sacred Geography of America | SAAJ 76 Nov 16, 2024

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In this episode, the Seven Ages team reunites after the tragic events surrounding Hurricane Helene's impact on Asheville, North Carolina. The team then discusses the latest news from the world of archaeology, after which we are joined byTaylor Keen of the Cherokee Nation, who discusses his new book, Rediscovering Turtle Island: A First Peoples' Account of the Sacred Geography of America.

Taylor Keen is a Heider College of Business Administration senior lecturer at Creighton University. He holds a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College and two master's degrees from Harvard University, where he has served as a Fellow in the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. He is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, the founder of Sacred Seed, an organization devoted to propagating tribal seed sovereignty, and a member of the Earthen Bison Clan of the Omaha Tribe where he is known by the name "Bison Mane." He lives in Omaha, Nebraska.

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Rediscovering Turtle Island

Sacred Seed

Otzi and the Discovery of Tyrolean Tattoos | SAAJ 75 Aug 18, 2024

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In this episode, the Seven Ages team begins with a short commentary on world events and the latest from Peruvian archaeology. The team is then joined by returning guest Aaron Deter-Wolf to discuss his latest paper Chalcolithic Tattooing: Historical and Experimental Evaluation of the Tyrolean Iceman's Body Markings. This paper captures the latest conclusions from examining the multiple sets of tattoos found in the body of Otzi, one of the most studied and fascinating sets of human remains in the world of anthropology.

Aaron Deter-Wolf is an archaeologist with the Tennessee Division of Archaeology in Nashville, Tennessee, and a leading researcher developing the archaeological study of tattooing. Aaron has published widely on ancient tattooing tools and traditions, including studies identifying tattooing artifacts from North America, experiments with professional tattoo artists recreating and testing ancient and historic implements, and efforts using digital imaging to record tattoos on mummified human remains. Aaron maintains the open-access Tattooed Human Mummies database, and shares information about the history of tattooing and body modification on Instagram @archaeologyink.

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Tattooed Human Mummy Database

Florida's Moundbuilders: The Mill Cove Complex - SAAJ 73 Jul 09, 2024

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In this episode, the Seven Ages team starts the show by discussing the ongoing mystery of the Antikythera mechanism. This is followed by an alarming story from North Carolina concerning one of the most significant archaeological finds ever discovered in the state and the controversy surrounding the intended land development for a housing community. The team then welcomes Dr. Keith Ashley from the University of North Florida to discuss the enigmatic Mill Cove Complex in Jacksonville, Florida.

Dr. Keith Ashley is an associate professor of anthropology at the University of North Florida. His current research focuses on Indigenous peoples and histories of southeastern North America, with a focus on Florida. He has been actively involved in archaeological excavations with UNF students throughout northeastern Florida, including the Mill Cove Complex since 1999.

We are also joined by Victoria Hayes. Victoria is a graduating senior in Anthropology at the University of North Florida. Her honors thesis focuses on a techno-functional analysis of pottery from the South Field area of the Mill Cove Complex. She plans to continue her research in graduate school at the University of Florida.

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UNF Archaeology Lab

Ancient Crossroads: The Archaeology of Gaza | SAAJ 73 May 21, 2024

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In this episode, the Seven Ages team discusses the continuing mystery surrounding the Roman Dodecahedron and the controversy of the "Wood Age". The team then welcomes Dr. Louise Steel from the University of Wales to discuss the ancient history and intriguing archaeology of Gaza.

Dr. Louise Steel is a Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of Wales. In the 1990s she directed excavations at the Late Bronze Age site of Al Moghraqa in Gaza. She has also worked extensively in Cyprus. Her recent research focuses on New Materialities, exploring people's relationship with matter and how this has been entangled in their daily lived experiences. She is a series editor of Materialities in Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Wales Press. Louise is Associate Director of the UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES UK hub, which explores transdisciplinary approaches to sustainability science, and works with Coastal TALES which examines how cultural heritage can help foster resilience to climate change in coastal areas.

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Dr. Louis Steel Presentation

Experimental Archaeology: Clovis Tools and Ancient Bison Butchery | SAAJ .072 Apr 06, 2024

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In this episode, Micah and James lead off the discussion with an update on earthquakes, odd weather, the 2024 full solar eclipse, Mediterranean archaeology during our open segment. We are then joined by Dr. Metin Eren of Kent State University, who returns to discuss the publication of a new, highly detailed paper involving experimental archaeology. The new paper titled "Experimental bison butchery using replica hafted Clovis fluted points and large handheld flakes" is available now in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports at ScienceDirect.com.

Dr. Metin Eren is a Professor of Anthropology at Kent State University. He is the founder and co-director of the Kent State University Experimental Archaeology Laboratory and a research associate at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. He has appeared on the SAAJ episode.054 The Clovis Projectile Point, and has also appeared on two of our Patreon podcasts, the Cross-Tyme Pub and the Digging Deeper podcast.

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