The Dirt Podcast

Achoo, and Welcome to The Dirt Mar 01, 2023

This week, Amber is recovering from a nasty cold that has left her normally dulcet tones extremely froggy. So we've made lemons out of that germy lemonade (ew, sorry). It's an episode about the archaeology, prehistory, and history of the common cold! Learn how to tell if a skeleton had the sniffles, figure out if there are ghosts in your colon, uncover the great Vitamin C scam, and more!

CONTENT WARNING: A case study from ancient Nimrud includes brief mention of a post-mortem treatment for burial that some listeners may find upsetting!

For more on this episode's topics:

Humans are 8% virus – how the ancient viral DNA in your genome plays a role in human disease and development (The Conversation)

Prehistoric viruses smuggled genes into our DNA (Chemical & Engineering News)

Cold Virus Found To Manipulate Genes (ScienceDaily)

Sequences capture the code of the common cold (University of Wisconsin)

Common cold virus may predate modern humans, ancient DNA hints (Live Science)

Paleomedicine and the Evolutionary Context of Medicinal Plant Use (Nature Public Health Emergency Collection)

Cowabunga! Horn reveals herbal mixtures used by medieval healers in South Africa (RFI)

Africa's Medical History Revealed (Origins)

Infectious Diseases in the Archaeological Record (Ember Archaeology)

Disease concepts and classifications in ancient Mesopotamian medicine (Systems of Classification in Premodern Medical Cultures)

The Life and Health of Assyrian Queens (Ancient Near East Today)

Cold Sore Virus Detected in Ancient Human Remains (Archaeology)

Common cold: The centuries-old battle against the sniffles (BBC News)

Medical Practitioners: Ancient Legacy (Prof. Sean Taylor, MSU Moorhead)

Ancient Egyptian Medicine: A Systematic Review (Philosophy, Social and Human Disciplines)

Glossary of Medical Terms Used in the 18th and 19th Centuries (Craig Thornber)

Ethnobotany of Purple Coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia, Asteraceae) and Other Echinacea Species (Economic Botany)

How Linus Pauling duped America into believing vitamin C cures colds (Vox)

Archaeobotanical evidence of the use of medicinal cannabis in a secular context unearthed from south China (ScienceDirect)

MINISODE 2: It's Just Archaeology Feb 15, 2023

We're doing something different this week while Amber is on a whirlwind tour of life admin stuff. In response to some of the conflict over Graham Hancock's Ancient Apocalypse show on Netflix, Anna has been writing about the double-edged sword of creating archaeology content online. Social media can be a useful tool, but it can also be...well, not great. So, we figured, why not cover two types of content in one!

The plan is to make a short series of minisodes out of the process of writing an article about archaeology for the public. We can talk to fellow content makers, editors, and others who contribute to the creative process. Let us know if you'd like to hear more of this kind of thing at thedirtpodcast@gmail.com!

For extra context on archaeologists' response to Ancient Apocalypse:

Anna's columns for SAPIENS: https://www.sapiens.org/?s=&column%5B%5D=field-trips

The Familiar Strange on pseudoscience: https://thefamiliarstrange.com/2022/11/21/victorian-pseudoscience/

Open letter from the Society of American Archaeology to Netflix: http://saa.org/quick-nav/saa-media-room/saa-news/2022/12/01/saa-sends-letter-to-netflix-concerning-ancient-apocalypse-series

Ella al-Shamahi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ella_AlShamahi/status/1599474951823577088

Dangers of pseudoscience: https://www.dw.com/en/netflix-ancient-apocalypse-series-marks-dangerous-trend-experts-say/a-64033733

John Hoopes' comments on Hancock: https://news.ku.edu/2022/10/25/professor-can-comment-netflixs-ancient-apocalypse-how-pseudoarchaeology-can-reinforce

Atlantis is a fictional city: https://www.thoughtco.com/platos-atlantis-from-the-timaeus-119667

Bill Farley on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLFtC_OSpX4

Flint Dibble's article on Ancient Apocalypse for SAPIENS: https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/ancient-apocalypse-pseudoscience/

MINISODE - The World's Oldest Story Feb 01, 2023

This week, Anna has some big questions about the Pleiades, a group of bright, beautiful stars also known as the Seven Sisters. The myth of seven sisters that were turned into stars is remarkably consistent across multiple cultures. Also, it's always seven sisters, even though you can really only make out six with the naked eye. So what's going on? IS IT ALIENS?? No, of course not. It's much more interesting than that. Tune in to learn just how long humans have been telling each other stories under the stars.

Resources for this episode:

The Founding of the Seven Sisters (Vassar Encyclopedia)

Pleiades (Wikipedia)

How Many Pleiades Can YOU See? (Sky & Telescope)

Marra Wonga: Archaeological and contemporary First Nations interpretations of one of central Queensland’s largest rock art sites (Australian Archaeology)

Why are there Seven Sisters? (Advancing Cultural Astronomy)

The world's oldest story? Astronomers say global myths about 'seven sisters' stars may reach back 100,000 years (The Conversation)

Story Of The "Seven Sisters" Unfolds Across Enormous Ancient Australian Rock Art Site (IFLScience)

Gimme (Rock)Shelter: Neanderthals at Home Jan 18, 2023

We've discussed Neanderthals quite a bit on The Dirt (it's a whole section of Anna's contract). But while we've talked about their diet, their bodies, and their genes, we haven't spent much time thinking about their daily life, their living spaces, and the idea of "home." How did Neanderthals organize their domestic spaces? How do you make a cave cozy? How did people keep track of familiar places tens of thousands of years ago? What's cooking at Chez Neanderthal? Tune in to learn more!

Show notes:

Organization of residential space, site function variability, and seasonality of activities among MIS 5 Iberian Neandertals (Scientific Reports)

Neanderthals in the Levant: Behavioural Organization and the Beginnings of Human Modernity (Google Books)

Why this spot on the Jersey coast was like a magnet for Neanderthals (The Conversation)

Sleeping Activity Area within the Site Structure of Archaic Human Groups Evidence from Abric Romani Level N Combustion Activity Areas (Current Anthropology)

Variability of limestone knapping methods in Middle Palaeolithic levels M and Ob of Abric Romaní (Barcelona, Spain) (Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences)

Neanderthal Homes Were at The Cutting edge of Modern Living (University of Southampton)

Palaeolithic wooden artefacts from the Abric Romani (Capellades, Barcelona, Spain) (ScienceDirect)

The Paleolithic Age Cooked Up Creative Chefs (Sapiens)

Vegetation and climate record from Abric Romaní (Capellades, northeast Iberia) during the Upper Pleistocene (MIS 5d−3) (ScienceDirect)

Abundant molds of wooden remains were found in the Abric Romaní site evidences from 60,000 years old Neanderthal communities (IPHES News)

Neandertal Behavior at the Middle Palaeolithic Site of Abric Romaní, Capellades, Spain (Journal of Field Archaeology)

Neanderthals: an ecologically selective species? Experimental methods to research fire use in the Abric Romani rockshelter (UK Research and Innovation)

Science: Good housekeeping, Neanderthal style (New Scientist)

The complexity of Neanderthal technology (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

Neanderthals may have enjoyed hot baths at home in their caves (Cnet)

Archaeologists "Exceptional Find" Reveals Secrets Of Human Origins (Madrid Metropolitan)

Episode 213 - The Dirt Wines a Bit Jan 03, 2023

Join us for a tasting session along the timewine (TM) of human history! Is the human capacity to digest alcohol an evolutionary advantage? Are drunk apes chill apes? When did the first deliberate grape fermentation occur? How did a Greek wine cauldron end up in a Celtic burial in France? What's up with wine terms? Sip on all this and more in this week's episode. Many thanks to Rosie for sponsoring this one!

If you would like to sponsor an episode on a topic of your choosing for a minimum donation of $25, head to paypal.me/thedirtpodcast. Be sure to include a message telling us the topic in the transaction! All proceeds from sponsored episodes go to The Dirt's outreach efforts and the Pass the Mic conference travel grant!

This week's show notes:

Five Turning Points in the Evolution of Wine (Sapiens)

The Origins and History of Winemaking (ThoughtCo)

History of Alcohol: A Timeline (ThoughtCo)

The Origins and Ancient History of Wine (Penn Museum)

This 8000-year-old jar holds traces of what may be Eurasia's oldest wine (Science)

Oldest Evidence of Winemaking Discovered at 8,000-Year-Old Village (National Geographic)

A Greek Treasure in France (New York Times)

Vix Grave (Wikipedia)

Wine and Rome (Encyclopaedia Romana)

A Taste for Wine (Popular Archaeology)

To Your Health, Caesar! Wine and the Gauls (Pointe-à-Callière Museum)

Anthropomorphizing Wine in Our Current Climate (Anthropology News)

Here’s Why You Should Visit Spain’s Basque Country (Wine Traveler)

'Social Wine': Ethnic Identity and Wine Consumption in the Basque Diaspora in Barcelona (Spain) (Food, Drink and Identity in Europe)

This Basque Winery Is Reinventing Vermouth With a Regional Grape (and Sustainable Methods) (Saveur)

America Has a Drinking Problem (The Atlantic)

Why Do Humans Have a Taste For Alcohol? (Discover)

Expert Wine Tasting as a Social Practice: An Enactive Ethnography (Sociologica)

Uncovering the language of wine experts (Natural Language Engineering)

The semiotics of wine. Analysis of wine-related cultural consensus in two Spanish wine-producing regions (International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science)

Where Wine Flavors Come From: The Science of Wine Aromas (Wine Folly)

Find Out if You’re a Wine Supertaster (Wine Folly)

Crusoe Treasure Underwater Winery

Underwater wine ageing: Why are wineries doing it? (Decanter)

Stone Age Wine (Ancient Wine)

Nouvelle Fouille De La Tombe Princière De Vix : Premiers Résultats (INRAP)

Episode 212 - Sport, Kinship, and Black Football with Dr. Tracie Canada Dec 21, 2022

Anna and Amber chat with Dr. Tracie Canada a socio-cultural anthropologist whose ethnographic research uses sport to theorize race, kinship and care, gender, and the performing body. We talk about the lived experiences of Black athletes, the role of sports in human society, the many health implications of a contact sport, and more.

Find Tracie's work here:

https://www.traciecanada.com/

Welcome (Back) to The Dirt! Dec 09, 2022

Hello, and welcome to the new and improving Dirt Podcast! If you’re a longtime listener, welcome back and thank you so much for sticking with us. If you’re new to The Dirt, welcome! On normal episodes, we explore stories from archaeology and anthropology in a way that is hopefully accessible and entertaining for anyone, regardless of educational background. If you’re fascinated by the lives of people in the past, then this is a show for you!

That said, this particular episode is a much more casual, unscripted one than we usually put out. We wanted to provide an update on our move from the Archaeology Podcast Network, our reasons for moving, and our upcoming plans for the show and beyond. So for anyone who’s less interested in a hang with your host pals, here’s the TC;DL (too chatty; didn’t listen).

We’re moving our entire catalog of episodes from Soundcloud and APN to Captivate. This shouldn’t mean anything different for you, the listener–episodes should still go to the same RSS feed, so they’ll show up in your podcast player as usual.

Anna is going to finish that process ASAP. It involves converting over 150 files from WAV to MP3, woof. The episodes will then all be on Captivate, and available for your listening pleasure. After that, it’s just a matter of making sure all the show notes are correct.

You won’t hear ads, since we’re no longer on the APN feed, but you’ll hear the “whoosh” effect where the ads used to be.

We’re going to gradually phase out our Patreon account, where we get most of our financial support, and switch over to Ghost. This is an open-source subscription platform that does not take a cut of patron money, unlike Patreon. This way, all of your support goes directly to us. We’ll also be changing some of the tiers so that more of the bonus content is available to those at some of the lower subscription tiers.

We had a great time at the AAA conference in November, and had some substantial success with a podcast library booth!

We’ve got some big plans for the future of The Dirt, but the quality of our research and our episodes won’t change (except for the better)

Lastly, a few life updates, tangents, goofs, etc.

So if that summary does it for you, we’ll see you back here soon with new content! If you want to listen in for the whole meandering conversation, just keep listening. Thank you again, friends–we’re excited for a fresh start!

Happy ThanksViking! Dec 03, 2022

This week, Anna and Amber have a Thing*: it’s an episode all about the Viking Age! Sail with us through an exploration of life during the Viking Age. We talk about the ships they sailed, the food they ate, and the helmets they DIDN'T wear. Plus, some very experimental archaeology, and Amber learns how the salami is made...and nothing will ever be the same.

*Thing: An Old Norse word for an assembly of people convened for decision-making. Pronounced “ting.”

To learn more, check out:

How Vikings navigated the world (ScienceNordic)

Did Vikings really wear horned helmets? (History.com)

Viking food (National Museum of Denmark)

Fondén, R. , Leporanta, K. and Svensson, U. (2007). Nordic/Scandinavian Fermented Milk Products. In Fermented Milks, A. Tamime (Ed.). doi:10.1002/9780470995501.ch7

Holck, Per (August 2006). "The Oseberg Ship Burial, Norway: New Thoughts On the Skeletons From the Grave Mound". European Journal of Archaeology. 9 (2–3): 185–210

Daily Life in the Viking Age (Norse Mythology for Smart People)

Something rotten in Scandinavia : The world's earliest evidence of fermentation (Journal of Archaeological Science)

World’s Earliest Evidence Of Food Fermentation Discovered In Southern Sweden (Message to Eagle)

*Remember “thing” from our Mythconceptions episode?

View to a Kilwa: The Medieval Swahili Coast Dec 03, 2022

This week, while Anna and Amber's actual selves will be on the West Coast, the show heads for the East Coast-- of Africa, that is! Take a whirlwind tour of the Swahili coast and the economic and cultural exchanges over land and sea it has enjoyed for more than a thousand years, before zooming in on the very powerful, and very cool, medieval sultanate of Kilwa Kisawani.

To learn more:

Making History: An archaeologist unearths the history of the Swahili States (Bryn Mawr Alumnae Bulletin)

East Africa: Five Million Years of History (The Public Medievalist)

Early African History: fire, farming, Egypt, and the Bantu (Quatr.us)

Collins & Pisarevsky (2004). "Amalgamating eastern Gondwana: The evolution of the Circum-Indian Orogens". Earth-Science Reviews.

Richard Pankhurst, An Introduction to the Economic History of Ethiopia, (Lalibela House: 1961)

Recipe for ambergris and eggs

Early Global Connections: East Africa between Asia, and Mediterranean Europe (Global Middle Ages)

Kilwa Kisiwani: Medieval Trade Center of Eastern Africa (Thought.Co)

A lost city reveals the grandeur of medieval African civilization (Gizmodo)

Chami FA. 2009. Kilwa and the Swahili Towns: Reflections from an archaeological perspective. In: Larsen K, editor. Knowledge, Renewal and Religion: Repositioning and changing ideological and material circumstances among the Swahili on the East African coast. Uppsala: Nordiska Afrikainstitututet.

Fleisher J, Wynne-Jones S, Steele C, and Welham K. 2012. Geophysical Survey at Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania. Journal of African Archaeology 10(2):207-220.

Pollard E. 2011. Safeguarding Swahili trade in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries: a unique navigational complex in south-east Tanzania. World Archaeology 43(3):458-477.

Pollard E, Fleisher J, and Wynne-Jones S. 2012. Beyond the Stone Town: Maritime Architecture at Fourteenth–Fifteenth Century Songo Mnara, Tanzania. Journal of Maritime Archaeology 7(1):43-62

Wynne-Jones S. 2007. Creating urban communities at Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania, AD 800-1300. Antiquity 81:368-380.

Wynne-Jones S. 2013. The public life of the Swahili stonehouse, 14th–15th centuries AD. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 32(4):759-773.

Wynne-Jones S, and Fleisher J. 2012. Coins in Context: Local Economy, Value and Practice on the East African Swahili Coast. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 22(1):19-36.

Zhao B. 2012. Global Trade and Swahili Cosmopolitan Material Culture: Chinese-Style Ceramic Shards from Sanje ya Kati and Songo Mnara (Kilwa, Tanzania). Journal of World History 23(1):41-85.

Stone Towns of the Swahili Coast (Archaeology)

Oh, Curses! Dec 03, 2022

Halloween may be over, but Anna and Amber are keeping it spooky as they discuss curses and their consequences this week. Anna shares some tactics for recovering stolen tunics at Aquae Sulis (Bath, England), and what perils awaited medieval Javanese wrongdoers. Meanwhile, Amber looks at a ritual executioner from Australia, his highly collectible shoes, his supernatural counterpart, and the very real deaths that result from his work.

To learn more about today’s subject, check out:

The Curse of King Tut: Facts & Fable (Live Science)

Getting Even in Roman Britain: The Curse Tablets from Bath (Aquae Sulis) (Folklore Thursday)

A Brief History of Bath, England (Local Histories)

Roman Inscriptions of Britain

Adams, Geoff W. “The Social and Cultural Implications of Curse Tablets [Defixiones] in Britain and on the Continent.” Studia Humanoria Tartuensia 7A, no 5. (2006):8-10.

Cousins, Eleri H. “Votive Objects and Ritual Practice at the King’s Spring at Bath.” TRAC 2013: Proceedings of the Twenty-Third Annual Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference, London 2013. Ed. Hannah Platts, Caroline Barron, Jason Lundock, John Pearce, and Justin Yoo. Philadelphia, PA: Oxbow, 2014. 52-64.

Cunliffe, Barry, and Peter Davenport, eds. The Temple of Sulis Minerva at Bath: The Site. Volume 1 of the Temple of Sulis Minerva at Bath. Oxford: OUCA, 1985.

—. The Temple of Sulis Minerva at Bath: The Finds from the Sacred Spring. Volume 2 of the Temple of Sulis Minerva at Bath. Oxford: OUCA, 1988.

Fagan, Garrett G. Bathing in Public in the Roman World. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 2005.

Henig, Martin. Religion in Roman Britain. London: Batsford, 1984.

Ireland, Stanley. Roman Britain: A Sourcebook. 3rd ed. New York: Routledge, 2008.

Ogden, Daniel. Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds: A Sourcebook. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.

Tomlin, R.S.O. “Voices from the Sacred Spring.” Bath History. Vol. 4. Ed. Trevor Facett. Bath, United Kingdom: Millstream, 1992.

Versnel, H.S. “Prayers for justice, east and west: Recent finds and publications since 1990. ” Magical practice in the Latin West: Papers from the international from the international conference held at the University of Zaragoza, 30 Sept.-1 Oct. 2005. Ed. by R.L. Gordon and Marco Simon. Leiden: Brill, 2010.

Indigenous Australia Timeline - 1500 to 1900 (Australia Museum)

A rare and unusual West Australia Aboriginal ritual kit (Bonhams)

Late 19th-Century Australian Aboriginal Artifacts (Antiques Roadshow)

The Native Tribes of Central Australia(University of Adelaide)

Death and sorcery (Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology)

Here be Kurdaitcha: Towards an Ethnography of the Monstrous in the Margins of a Central Australian Aboriginal Town (Academia.edu)

Places and Spaces of Monstrosity (Academia.edu)

‘Dreamings’ and place – Aboriginal monsters and their meanings (The Conversation)

Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection at the University of Viriginia

Jan van Den Veerdonk. (2001). Curses in Javanese royal inscriptions from the Singhasari-Majapahit period, AD 1222-1486. Bijdragen Tot De Taal, 157(1), 97-112.

Beware the Boogeypeople! Dec 03, 2022

This week, Anna and Amber hunker down around the campfire to talk about things that go bump in the night, and encounter some common themes from around the world. Amber fangirls over a baby-snatching Mesopotamian demon and stumbles upon a familiar monster in Native American myth, while Anna offers some DIY advice for combating medieval witches.

To learn more about these (and other!) boogeypeople, check out:

The Epic of Atraḥasis (Livius)

Heffron, Yağmur. “Revisiting ‘Noise’ (rigmu) in Atra-ḫasīs in Light of Baby Incantations.” Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 73, No. 1 (April 2014), pp. 83-93.

Michel, Cécile. “Une incantation paléo-assyrienne contre Lamaštum.” Orientalia, NOVA SERIES, Vol. 66, No. 1 (1997), pp. 58-64.

Potts, D.T., D.L. Martin, K. Baustian and A. Osterholtz. “Neonates, infant mortality and the pre-Islamic Arabian amuletic tradition at Tell Abraq.” Liwa, Vol. 5, No. 9 (June 2014), pp. 3-14.

Kinnier Wilson, J. V. . “Gleanings from the Iraq Medical Journals” Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 27, No. 3 (Jul., 1968), pp. 243-247.

Typhoid Fever and Paratyphoid Fever: Symptoms and Treatment (CDC)

15 Bogeymen From Around The World (Listverse)

Brightman, Robert A. “The Windigo in the Material World.” Ethnohistory, vol. 35, no. 4, 1988, pp. 337–379. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/482140.

Nazare, Joe. “The Horror! The Horror? The Appropriation, and Reclamation, of Native American Mythology.” Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, vol. 11, no. 1 (41), 2000, pp. 24–51. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43308417.

Waldram, J. (2004). Revenge of the Windigo: The construction of the mind and mental health of

North American Aboriginal peoples. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Ahenakew, Cash. “The birth of the ‘Windigo’: The construction of Aboriginal health in biomedical and traditional Indigenous models of medicine.” Critical Literacy: Theories and Practices 5:1 2011.

Forbes, J. D., & Forbes, J. D. (2008). Columbus and other cannibals: The wétiko disease of exploitation, imperialism, and terrorism

. New York: Seven Stories Press.

Malleus Maleficarum (Wikipedia)

Merrifield, Ralph. “Witch Bottles and Magical Jugs.” Folklore, vol. 66, no. 1, 1955, pp. 195–207. JSTOR, JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1257932.

Merrifield, Ralph. (1987). The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic. B.T. Batsford, Ltd., London.

Hoggard, Brian (2004), "The archaeology of counter-witchcraft and popular magic", in Davies, Owen; De Blécourt, William, Beyond the Witchtrials: Witchcraft and Magic in Enlightenment Europe, Manchester University Press, ISBN 978-0-7190-6660-3

Manning, M. Chris (2012), Homemade Magic: Concealed Deposits in Architectural Contexts in the Eastern United States. Master’s thesis, Anthropology Program, Ball State University, Muncie, IN.

Becker, Marshall J. (1978), "An Eighteenth Century Witch Bottle in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.", Pennsylvania Archaeologist 48(1–2):1–11.

Cladh Hallan: An Episode in...Several Parts! Dec 03, 2022

This week, Anna introduces us to Bronze Age Britain and Amber tells us about the very, very unexpected discoveries at Cladh Hallan, Scotland. For maximum spookiness, don't read ahead: it's a real rollercoaster of a story about Bronze Age life, and death, and... after-death? Get ready, everyone. This one's nightmare fuel.

To learn more (and see photos!), check out:

Must Farm

Latest archaeological finds at Must Farm provide a vivid picture of everyday life in the Bronze Age (University of Cambridge)

History made: In an astonishing Bronze Age discovery a 3000-year-old community has been unearthed (CNN)

The Prehistoric Village at Cladh Hallan (University of Sheffield)

Mummification in Bronze Age Britain (BBC)

"Frankenstein" Bog Mummies Discovered in Scotland (National Geographic)

Ancient DNA typing shows that a Bronze Age mummy is a composite of different skeletons (Journal of Archaeological Science)

Solved: the mystery of Britain’s Bronze Age mummies (The Conversation)

Mummification in Bronze Age Britain (Antiquity)

Forensic Anthropology with Dr. Jonathan Bethard Dec 03, 2022

We talk to REAL LIVE FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGIST Dr. Jon Bethard (University of South Florida) about his career path from bassoons to bioarchaeology, the many duties of a coroner, life in Transylvanian villages, vampires (maybe), and his important work helping to identify victims of political conflicts and natural disasters all over the world.

Learn more about Dr. Bethard and his work at:

University of South Florida Faculty Profile

The Bioarchaeology of Inka Resettlement Practices: Insight from Biological Distance Analysis

Dr. Jonathan Bethard on ResearchGate

Abstract for paper, “Marginalized Motherhood: Infant Burial in 17th Century Transylvania”

Welcome to Cliff Palace: Ancestral Puebloans Dec 03, 2022

This week we round out this month's coverage of indigenous Latin America with a look at the Ancestral Puebloans of the American Southwest. We couldn't fit 10,000 years of human experience and complexity into a single episode, so instead we highlight some architectural and engineering achievements, petroglyphs, and some of the mythological beings represented in them. Plus, the origins of the word "adobe" and a lengthy consideration of why the cultural appropriation of Kokopelli looms so large in our memory of the 1990s.

To learn more, check out:

Aztec Ruins National Monument--New Mexico NPS Historical Handbook No. 36, 1962 (Project Gutenberg)

The Chaco Road System - Southwestern America's Ancient Roads (ThoughtCo)

Native Languages of the Americas: Pueblo Legends and Stories (Native-Languages.org)

Hopi Petroglyph Sites (CyArk)

How Kokopelli, the Flute-Playing God, Conquered Pop Culture (Artsy)

Books:

Pueblo Gods and Myths

Kokopelli, Casanova of the Cliff Dwellers

Chaco Handbook: An Encyclopedic Guide

Chaco Canyon: Archaeologists Explore the Lives of an Ancient Society

The Tarahumara (Rarámuri) Runners Dec 03, 2022

This week Anna and Amber run through the history of the Rarámuri of Chihuahua, Mexico. It's more than just sandals and beer, folks! Plus, a rundown of some of the biomechanics of ultramarathon running, and a theory for how Homo sapiens successfully overran Europe.

If you’d like to learn more about this week’s topic, why not start with:

“The Tarahumaras,” from GEOG 571: Cultural Intelligence, Applied Geography, and Homeland Security (Penn State)

The Sacred Corn Beer of the Tarahumara (NPR)

Tarahumara Runner Lorena Ramírez Makes History at Spain’s Ultramarathon (Remezcla)

Decorated Tarahumara Runner Calls on AMLO’s Support so She Can Continue Racing (Remezcla)

The legend of the Tarahumara: Tourism, overcivilization and the white man's Indian (International Journal of the History of Sport)

Harvard Professor Explains How the Tarahumara Run So Well in Those Sandals (Remezcla)

Strike type variation among Tarahumara Indians in minimal sandals versus conventional running shoes (Journal of Sport and Health Science)

1975 advertisement for The Earth Shoe

Athletic shoes with reverse slope construction (Justia Patents)

The science of elite long distance running (The Conversation)

Early humans won at running; Neandertals won at walking (Phys.org)

Choguita Rarámuri (Tarahumara) Phonology and Morphology (UC Berkeley Dissertation via eScholarship)

Aztecs are not Inca are not Maya Dec 03, 2022

It’s Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month here in the United States! This week, we attempt to help you (and ourselves) be less wrong about the most famous early Latin American cultures. Amber provides a crash course on Aztec, Inca, and Maya history and the thorny issues of contemporary indigenous cultural identity, while Anna chimes in with fun facts and Very Cool Things about each group!

To learn more, check out:

I’m Latino. I’m Hispanic. And they’re different, so I drew a comic to explain. (Terry Blas, via Vox)

Why Does Jared Diamond Make Anthropologists So Mad? (NPR)

Spanish and Nahuatl Views on Smallpox and Demographic Catastrophe in Mexico (The Journal of Interdisciplinary History)

From Náhuatl to Guaraní: 5 Apps to Help You Learn Indigenous Languages (Remezcla)

Chicueyaco: Daily Life in a Nahua Village (Cultural Survival Quarterly Magazine)

Náhuatl: A fond farewell? (Unravel)

Top 5 Ancient Aztec Inventions (How Stuff Works)

Badianus Manuscript: An Aztec Herbal, 1552 (University of Virginia)

The Great Inka Road: Engineering an Empire (Museum of the American Indian)

The College Student Who Decoded the Data Hidden in Inca Knots (Atlas Obscura)

Domenici, Viviano; Domenici, Davide (1996). "Talking Knots of the Inka" Archaeology. 49 (6)

Jacobsen, Lyle E. "Use of Knotted String Accounting Records in Old Hawaii and Ancient China". Accounting Historians Journal

‘Home Made’ Ancient Inca Instruments Replicas Perfectly Mimic Different Animals Using Nothing But Water (Get Lost to Be Found)

Poqomchi’ conversation: importancia del idioama poqomchi' en nuestro medio (Endangered Languages Project)

Mayan Scientific Achievements (History.com)

El Caracol (Exploratorium)

Cross-Legged Woman's Tomb Reveals Ancient Maya Kept Jaguars in Cages (Live Science)

NOTE: 09/16/18: An earlier version of the show description referred to the Aztecs, the Inca, and the Maya as Mesoamerican cultures, which is incorrect. Mesoamerica does not extend into South America, and so the Inca are not a Mesoamerican society. We apologize for the mistake, and thank you to listener Laura Heath-Stout for pointing it out to us!

Meow and Then: Cats Through the Ages Dec 03, 2022

It wouldn't be the internet if there weren't cats, so this week is the purr-fect op-paw-tunity to talk about Felis catus. Apologies (a-paw-logies? No? Ok, we'll stop) in advance, there's an odd crackling in the final minutes, but don't let that stop you from learning all about the history of kitties, their domestication, and some of their silly antics from the past several millennia.

If you're still itching for more information, check out these sources:

Domestic Cat (National Geographic)

Cats Domesticated Themselves, Ancient DNA Shows (National Geographic)

The Natural History of the Cat (Alley Cat Allies)

Abbott, Ian; Department of Environment and Conservation (2008). "Origin and spread of the cat, Felis catus, on mainland Australia: re-examination of the current conceptual model with additional information" Conservation Science Western Australia Journal (7).

Cats Are Ruthless Killers (Business Insider)

The Crazy Story Of A Cat Named Tibbles Who Killed Off A Whole Species Of Bird (Business Insider)

Curious Cat Walks Over Medieval Manuscript (National Geographic News)

This medieval manuscript curses the cat who peed on it (Gizmodo)

This cat was reared for one reason: to be mummified (BBC)

Early Taming of the Cat in Cyprus (Science)

A Roman Era Pet Cemetery: 86 Cat Burials Discovered in Egypt (Ancient Origins)

“Witch Cottage”? No. Cat Burial? Maybe. (Ancient Bodies, Ancient Lives)

The archaeology of the domestic cat (Current Archaeology)

How cats conquered the world (and a few Viking ships) (Nature)

Dogs and cats may have been involved in Maya rituals (The Economist)

They’re talking about cats from the genus Panthera, not Felis

Ancient Native Americans May Have Had Pet Bobcat (Live Science)

Bobcats also aren’t Felis, they’re Lynx

A Brief History of Cats in Asian Culture (Pearl River Mart)

Cats in the Ancient World (Ancient World Encyclopedia)

‘I can haz genomes’: cats claw their way into genetics (Nature)

Barkaeology: A Brief History of Dogs Dec 03, 2022

What better time to discuss the domestication and use of Canis familiaris than here in the dog days of summer? Anna and Amber discuss recent research tracing how wolves evolved into the pups we know and love, the earliest dogs known in the archaeological record, the evolution of our relationship with them, and some Very Good Boys and Girls throughout history. Plus, medieval pet name suggestions, Amber chokes up about the Odyssey (typical), waggy little flop-eared foxes, and Anna’s Movie Minute takes on Alpha (2018).

The First Dogs May Have Been Domesticated In Central Asia (Popular Science)

North America’s earliest dogs came from Siberia (Science News)

Human Footprints at Chauvet Cave (Archeology)

26,000-Year-Old Child Footprints Found Alongside Paw Prints Reveal Oldest Evidence of Human-Canine Relationship (Ancient Origins)

Earliest Dogs in North America (Canadian Museum of Nature)

America’s first dogs vanished after Europeans arrived, study finds (Washington Post)

Ancient American dogs almost completely wiped out by arrival of European breeds (AAAS)

The evolutionary history of dogs in the Americas (Science)

America's Oldest Dog Discovery Helps Solve Canine DNA Riddle (National Geographic)

Prehistoric Puppy May Be Earliest Evidence of Pet-Human Bonding (National Geographic)

Dog Love Isn’t A New Thing: Even Yudhisthir Refused To Enter Heaven Without His Loyal Dog (Scoop Whoop)

Trut, L. (1999). Early Canid Domestication: The Farm-Fox Experiment. American Scientist, 87 (2) DOI: 10.1511/1999.2.160

Trut, L. (2001). Experimental Studies of Early Canid Domestication. In The Genetics of the Dog, A Ruvinsky and J. Sampson, eds.

A Loyal Companion and Much More: Dogs in Ancient China (Ancient Origins)

On the custom of burying dogs in prehistoric burials (Chinese Archaeology)

Abuwtiyuw (Wikipedia)

Burying Dogs in Ancient Cis-Baikal, Siberia: Temporal Trends and Relationships with Human Diet and Subsistence Practices (PLOS One)

In Medieval Times, Popular Dog Names Included Little Hammer, Fortuna and Bo (Smithsonian)

Medieval Pet Names (Medievalists.net)

https://youtu.be/uIxnTi4GmCo

https://youtu.be/_AtP7au_Q9w

https://youtu.be/ih7P6E7OBl0

The Unsettling Business of Curating Human Remains Dec 03, 2022

Here at The Dirt, we talk a lot about the things that people leave behind, but we’ve not spent much time talking about what’s left behind of the people themselves. That changes this week, when Anna and Amber discuss excavating, storing, studying, and selling archaeological human remains, and take a look at some of the legal and ethical challenges involved. Content note: this episode contains descriptions of violence done to deceased people and discussion of trafficked human remains.

To learn more about the topics discussed this week (and be advised that there are a lot of images of archaeological human remains included), check out:

They Sell Skulls Online?! A Review of Internet Sales of Human Skulls on eBay and the Laws in Place to Restrict Sales (Journal of Forensic Sciences)

Human Skulls Are Being Sold Online, But Is It Legal? (National Geographic)

FAQ (Pandora’s Box UK)

The Long Ethical Arc of Displaying Human Remains (Atlas Obscura)

Human Remains: The Sacred, Museums And Archaeology (Public Archaeology)

Prof. Bob Muckle on Twitter

Mourning an Aboriginal death (Creative Spirits)

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (Wikipedia)

Grave Injustice: The American Indian Repatriation Movement and NAGPRA

NAGPRA as a Paradigm: The Historical Context and Meaning of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act in 2011 (Proceedings of the Ninth Native American Symposium)

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) (via National Parks Service)

Repatriation and Traditional Care (Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology)

Repatriation Office (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History)

Give Me My Father’s Body(1986), and the Dollop episode about Minik

The Basics of Section 106 Review (National Trust for Historic Preservation)

NAGPRA: Section 3 vs. ARPA vs. NHPA: Section 106 (National Parks Service)

Full Text of National Historic Preservation Act of 1966

A Citizen’s Guide To Section 106 Review (Advisory Council on Historic Preservation)

How the archaeological review behind the Dakota Access Pipeline went wrong (The Conversation)

Israeli Law, Jewish Law and the Archaeological Excavation of Tombs (International Journal of Cultural Property)

Israeli Archaeologists Dodge the Law to Study Human Remains (Ha’aretz)

Inside India's Underground Trade in Human Remains (Wired)

Bones of contention: The global trade in archaeological and ethnographic human remains (Saving Antiquities for Everyone)

This Archaeologist Uses Instagram To Track The Human Skeleton Trade (Forbes)

The Insta-Dead: The rhetoric of the human remains trade on Instagram (Internet Archaeology)

Meet the Living People Who Collect Dead Human Remains (Vice)

Lady Statues and Prehistoric Matriarchy Dec 03, 2022

Kick off Women's History Month with a show all about some of the earliest representations of women in art! Anna introduces us to the Venus of Willendorf and her curvy comrades, and shares a research study with very modern take on ancient art. Meanwhile Amber bursts our bubble about the matriarchy and goddess religions in Old Europe, and discusses goddess worshippers of past and present at Çatalhöyük in present-day Turkey. Or, as Amber would insist we call it this month, Her-key.

The Time of the Willendorf Figurines and New Results of Palaeolithic Research in Lower Austria (Anthropologie)

The Oxford Companion to Archaeology(via Google Books)

Venus Figurines of the European Paleolithic: Symbols of Fertility or Attractiveness? (Journal of Anthropology)

Das Mutterrecht (auf Deutsch via Archive.org, English translation WorldCat entry here)

The Marija Gimbutas Collection (Opus Archives and Research Center)

The World of the Goddess - Marija Gimbutas (Youtube)

The Myth of the Mother-Goddess (World Archaeology)

Goddesses, Gimbutas and New Age archaeology (Antiquity)

Catal-huyuk: A Neolithic Town(via Archive.org)

Archaeologists and Goddess Feminists at Çatalhöyük: An Experiment in Multivocality (Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion)

What Spake Zarathustra? Dec 03, 2022

It's almost officially springtime in the Northern Hemisphere, and the vernal equinox brings with it another reason to celebrate: Nowruz! Commonly known as Persian New Year, Nowruz has its roots in a millennia-old religion founded by a man named Zartosht whose ideas had a profound impact on the world. Anna introduces fire temples and what ancient writers had to say about Zoroastrianism, while Amber hypes the Bronze Age in Central Asia and suggests some ways in which Zoroastrian ideas have affected other religions.

Nowruz: Traditions for Persian New Year (United States Institute of Peace: The Iran Primer)

What life was like when Zoroaster lived? (Zoroastrian Kids)

Avesta (Livius.org)

Zoroastrians of Central Asia: Evidence from Archaeology and Art (FEZANA Journal via Academia.edu)

Records of the General Conference, 31st session, Paris, 2001, v. 2: Proceedings (UNESCO)

Ancient Sogdiana: A ‘Zoroastrian Stronghold’ (Avesta.org)

Parsi Woman Excommunication Case (Supreme Court Observer)

Early Chahar-Taqi Fire Houses and Temples (Heritage Institute)

The culture and social institutions of ancient Iran (WorldCat.org)

Ātaškada (Encyclopedia Iranica)

Fire Altars and Fire Temples in the First Millennia BC/AD in the Iranian World (via ResearchGate)

Zoroastrians in East Africa (The Zoroastrian Diaspora)

The Obscure Religion that Shaped the West (BBC Culture)

An Archaeology of Religion (via Google Books)

A Rare Glimpse Inside A Zoroastrian Temple In New York (HuffPost)

Made For Walkin': A Very Brief History of Footwear Dec 03, 2022

Anna and Amber rummage around on the floor of history's closet to bring you a brief history of shoes from around the world! Learn why caves in the southwestern USA are full of shoes. Find a shoe museum near you for some sole-searching. Enjoy a description of Anna's favorite goofy historical fashion statement. All this and more!

To learn more about this week’s topic, check out:

First Shoes Worn 40,000 Years Ago (LiveScience)

Why Are Some Caves Full of Shoes? (Sapiens)

King Den's sandal label (Google Arts & Culture)

Taking a Closer Look at an Odd Pair of Very, Very Old Socks (Smithsonian.com)

All About Shoes (Bata Shoe Museum)

A boot from Tønsberg (Museum of Cultural History)

Shoes and Pattens. Medieval Finds from Excavations in London: 2 (via Google Books)

Feet and Footwear: A Cultural Encyclopedia (via Google Books)

The Chopine (Helibrunn Timeline of Art History)

Tour These Nine Top Shoe Museums (Footwear News)

Ur Never Going to Believe This Dec 03, 2022

Join Anna and Amber on a tour of third millennium BCE Mesopotamia, where they explore the Royal Tombs of Ur. It has everything: musical instruments, very extra jewelry looks, a Great Death Pit (!), a famous excavator with a flair for the dramatic, even a surprise find nearly a century later in a museum basement. Who was buried there? What makes these tombs so special? What did Sumerian music sound like? How great was that death pit?

To learn (and see!) more, check out:

Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East (via Worldcat)

Art of the Ancient Near East: Resources for Educators (via Worldcat)

The Royal cemetery : a report on the predynastic and Sargonid graves excavated between 1926 and 1931 (via Worldcat)

Assyrian King-Lists, the Royal Tombs of Ur, and Indus Origins (Journal of Near Eastern Studies)

Woolley's Excavations (Ur Online)

The Musical Instruments from Ur and Ancient Mesopotamian Music (Expedition)

Musician's Recreation of Ancient Sumerian Songs Will Haunt You (io9)

Queen Puabi jewellery (Nasvete)

Jewelry from the Royal Tombs of Ur (Sumerian Shakespeare)

Scanning the Deadheads (Penn Museum)

What Do We Know About the People Buried in the Royal Cemetery? (Expedition 20)

Human sacriﬁce and intentional corpse preservation in the Royal Cemetery of Ur (Antiquity, via Academia.edu)

Let's Talk About (Inter)Sex Dec 03, 2022

This week's episode was inspired by news coverage of Revolutionary War hero Casimir Pulaski, who, according to his skeleton, may have been intersex. But what does it mean to be intersex, and how do we incorporate this very real form of existence into our understanding of the archaeological record? Learn along with Anna and Amber from forensic archaeology, American history, Indigenous American culture, and a truly heart-wrenching tale from Iran.

Revolutionary War Hero's Skeleton Suggests He Was Intersex (Forbes)

What is intersex? (Intersex Society of North America)

Was This Famous Revolutionary War Hero Intersex? (LiveScience)

Revolutionary War hero Casimir Pulaski might have been a woman or intersex (NBC News-- not great)

Was the Revolutionary War Hero Casimir Pulaski Intersex? (Smithsonian)

Two Spirit (Indian Health Service)

A Cree doctor's caring approach for transgender patients (CBC)

Engendering archaeology : women and prehistory(via WorldCat)

Between Male and Female (Sapiens)

Breaking the Borders/Violating the Norms: An Archaeological Survey of an Intersex in a Traditional Society, Bam (South Eastern Iran) (Sexuality & Culture)

The Dirt Is Moving! Goodbye APN :( Nov 09, 2022

We’re moving! The Dirt is changing hosts and leaving the APN. However, you shouldn’t experience an interruption in your shows when they return. The feed should update automatically.

From Chris Webster: I’ve really appreciated having the quality content from Anna and Amber on the APN! You’re a class act and put on an interesting and informative show. We’ll miss you for sure!

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

PROMO - Spines in Peru, Decapitated Romans and Egyptian Notepads - The Archaeology Show 158 Oct 12, 2022

The Archaeology Podcast Network is taking a bit of a break for October, 2022. In the mean time, we’re introducing you to some of the other fantastic shows that we produce. Here’s an episode from The Archaeology Show with three news articles from February 2022.

This week we have three interesting archaeology news articles. First, spines excavated in the Chincha valley of Peru are threaded on reeds posthumously. Archaeologist speculate this may have been done by the family members of the data after looting by the Spanish occurred. In segment 2 we take a look at a cemetery in the UK with an unusually high number of decapitated bodies. And finally, it turns out that ancient Egyptians used broken pot sherds as a type of notepad that school children used to practice script writing.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

More Parts of Cladh Hallan - Ep 210 Oct 05, 2022

Truly we are talking ancient history, since “Cladh Hallan: A Story in Several Parts” was episode 18, way back in 2018 when we still had no idea what we were doing and long before the content that was migrated to the APN feed. This may be the first time some longtime listeners (including you?) have heard this story, and we’ll round it out with some additional context for the subject matter. Find out what we sounded like before Anna really got the hang of sound editing!

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Must Farm
Latest archaeological finds at Must Farm provide a vivid picture of everyday life in the Bronze Age
History made: In an astonishing Bronze Age discovery a 3000-year-old community has been unearthed (CNN)
The Prehistoric Village at Cladh Hallan (University of Sheffield)
Mummification in Bronze Age Britain (BBC)
"Frankenstein" Bog Mummies Discovered in Scotland (National Geographic)
Ancient DNA typing shows that a Bronze Age mummy is a composite of different skeletons (Journal of Archaeological Science)
Solved: the mystery of Britain’s Bronze Age mummies (The Conversation)
Mummification in Bronze Age Britain (Antiquity)
Goosebumps: Say Cheese and DIE
An Update on Bronze Age Mummies (The Independent)
Death is not the end: radiocarbon and histo-taphonomic evidence for the curation and excarnation of human remains in Bronze Age Britain (Cambridge University Press)
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/abs/death-is-not-the-end-radiocarbon-and-histotaphonomic-evidence-for-the-curation-and-excarnation-of-human-remains-in-bronze-age-britain/8D38788C8B9F4E69E579D31150EB0A90

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

The Dirt Gets Theatrical - Ep 209 Sep 28, 2022

Theater as public entertainment has taken many forms throughout time and among different cultural groups. We’ll hop through various times and places to look at the places where performances were held, the types of pieces performed, and the role of theater as an emotional pocket dimension.

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Finding Our Religion with Dr. Candace Lukasik - Ep 208 Sep 21, 2022

Candace is an anthropologist and ethnographer whose research focuses on the intersections of transnational migration, religion, race, and empire. We learned so much in this episode! It's always such a treat to have a guest with a perspective from one of the anthropological fields other than archaeology. We hope you enjoy it and we hope it gives you all lots to think about!

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

The Dirt Dries Out - Ep 207 Sep 14, 2022

There have been an awful lot of news stories lately featuring “lost” sites or structures “revealed” by the effects of drought and climate change. Way to look on the positive side, I guess! We’ll take a look at some of these sites and more broadly, the effects of climate change on current archaeology. Both of your tired hosts were a bit punchy during recording, so this episode is ever so slightly goofy despite the gravity of the topic. But we hope you enjoy it!

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

What's Benin Going On? - Ep 206 Sep 07, 2022

We meant to tackle this question before, but we can’t wait any longer! The Benin Bronzes have received media attention lately in a series of newsworthy announcements to repatriate them from various museums in North America and Europe to Nigeria. What are these alliterative artifacts, and how did thousands of them disappear from the Kingdom of Benin only to appear by the hundreds in museums overseas?

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Animals With Jobs (How Domestication Works) - Ep 205 Aug 31, 2022

Anna saddles up to lead Amber on a faunal adventure! We’ll discuss the changes that happen when humans start influencing animal breeding. We’ll also cover the origin stories of a few of the most prevalent domesticated species. But don't worry, we cover some examples of "non-typical" domestication too, plus a case of animal coworkers. We’ll even tackle the question… have we humans domesticated OURSELVES??

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Hopping Over to Himyar - Ep 204 Aug 24, 2022

For the first half of the first millennium CE, Himyar was based in what is today Yemen and flourished thanks to its role in inter-regional trade. We’ll discuss the political landscape of ancient southern Arabia, the conversion of the Himyarite dynasty from polytheism to Judaism, and recently published research on environmental factors that contributed to the Himyarite state’s decline and eventual conquest.

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

An Under-the-Weather Special - Ep 203 Aug 17, 2022

Anna is sick this week, so we've been unable to record new episodes. But rather than leave you hanging, we're releasing a lightly trimmed version of the latest episode of Old News. We've got human bone jewelry, the first Black Baptist church in colonial America, alleged art crimes, some seriously inclement weather, and more!

Old News is one of our monthly bonus episodes that comes with the Absolute Dirtbag tier over at Patreon.com/thedirtpodcast, so head over there if you want to support the show and get access to FOUR YEARS' WORTH of bonus content.

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

The Dirt Goes Site-Seeing - Ep 202 Aug 10, 2022

This week, Anna and Amber debut a new (occasional) series: Site-Seeing! There are so many archaeological sites out there, and some of them tend to overshadow others. In order to learn about and showcase some lesser-known sites, your hosts will each present a brief exploration of a site previously unknown to either of them. This time, we feature Djenné, an ancient city in what is today Mali, and Ban Chiang, in what is today Thailand.

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

The Past Smells - Ep 201 Aug 03, 2022

We've asked this on the show before, but..what did the past smell like? In this episode, we talk about some of the ways that researchers are finding and recreating some ancient aromas. We also get speculative about smellscapes and honk the Clown Horn of Orientalism at some perfumes. Get your sniffers ready, this one's fun!

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Summer Blockbuster 3: Avatar - Ep 200 Jul 27, 2022

To wrap up our inaugural Summer Blockbuster series, Amber leads us on a mission to Pandora with Avatar (2009). Rather than exploration of the culture of the indigenous Na’vi population (or maybe in addition to), we’ll examine some of the philosophical underpinnings of the franchise and discuss the book that completely changed Amber's intellectual trajectory.

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Summer Blockbusters: Apocalypto - Ep 199 Jul 20, 2022

Amber guides Anna through the jungle of the 2006 film Apocalypto...but hopefully a little less racistly than director Mel Gibson did! We’ll talk about human sacrifice, what was (and was not) going on in Maya culture in the 15th century CE, and the movie’s ending that couldn’t be more on the nose if it went “boop!”

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Summer Blockbusters: The Dig - Ep 198 Jul 13, 2022

Welcome to a month of Summer Blockbusters, where we talk about the archaeology in movies that aren't Indiana Jones! This week, it's the 2021 film The Dig, starring Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan. We'll talk a bit about the film, but mostly about the real site portrayed in it--the Anglo Saxon burial at Sutton Hoo. This site was key to rewriting the understanding of post-Roman Britain, and was especially meaningful as a symbol of English national identity during WWII.

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Sea Peoples - Ep 197 Jul 06, 2022

“The Sea Peoples” is a term that refers to a seafaring culture of unclear origin that bopped around the eastern Mediterranean and adjoining areas around 1200-900 BCE. There are ancient Egyptian murals and reliefs that depict battles against these unnamed adversaries, but no definitive labels or helpful texts. So who were the Sea Peoples? We’ll discuss some theories, and probably not reach any conclusions apart from “wow people really care a lot about this, huh?”

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

The Dirt Gets Wrecked - Ep 196 Jun 29, 2022

Y'all, it has been a TOUGH WEEK. You can tell because Anna somehow manages to get the episode intro WRONG after doing it correctly nearly 200 times. But we're just gonna keep swimming! We couldn’t do a month-at-sea theme without talking about shipwrecks. And it’s not just pirate ships and the Titanic, either. We’ll discuss all kinds of underwater assemblages and the ways in which shipwreck archaeology helps us understand travel, life, commerce, connectivity, and more.

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

CLAMoring for Data with Christine Bassett - Ep 195 Jun 22, 2022

Ahoy! We’re still at sea, the ocean is still None of Our Business, and yet we’re learning so much about it! This week, we’ve got a special guest to guide us. Christine Bassett is currently a program coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Program Office (NOAA). Christine collects data from ancient Arctic shell middens to reconstruct climate and sea ice levels for archaeological sites in the Aleutian islands. Tune in to learn how she’s turning thousand-year-old clams into a climate thermometer!

Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!

Connect with James on Twitter: @paleoimaging

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

The Unalaska Sea Ice Project
Follow Christine on Twitter @ClamsAndClimate

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Terra Nullius - Ep 194 Jun 15, 2022

Terra nullius is a Latin phrase meaning “nobody’s land,” but historically it has tended to mean something closer to *grabby hands.* What does it mean when a place is considered no one’s? Are there still places where people aren’t? Are there places where we've never been? The answers may surprise you.

Members, check out an extended edition of this episode here.

Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!

Connect with James on Twitter: @paleoimaging

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Fruits de la Mer - Ep 193 Jun 08, 2022

Welcome to episode one of our themed month: The Dirt at Sea! The oceans (and seas and lagoons and fjords and so on) have provided people with food and other resources for hundreds of thousands of years. We’ll be discussing some examples of this from the archaeological record. We’ll also investigate how archaeology can get at the relationship between people and the big blue – and it’s much more than just reconstructing ancient coastlines.

Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!

Connect with James on Twitter: @paleoimaging

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Video Game Archaeology with Dr. Bill Farley - Ep 192 Jun 01, 2022

There are surprising intersections between video game creation and archaeology, and that, of course, comes along with the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of mining ancient history for content creation. Neither Anna nor Amber really grew up playing video games, so we are extremely lucky to have a guest expert, Dr. Bill Farley, Associate Professor of Anthropology at South Connecticut State University. Bill will be our guide on the subject. The Toad to our Mario Party. Right? That’s a thing, right?

Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!

Connect with James on Twitter: @paleoimaging

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Bill's YouTube channel

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Cargo Cults: Actually a Thing? - Ep 191 May 25, 2022

First used to describe religious movements that emerged in Melanesia following contact with Allied military personnel in World War II, cargo cults are sects and ritualized behaviors intended to summon outsiders (and their stuff) back and bring about a new age. We’ll explore theories for why they come about, discuss some examples of cargo cults in the traditional definition, and consider what parallels might exist in other cultures.

Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!

Connect with James on Twitter: @paleoimaging

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

They Told Us So - Ep 190 May 18, 2022

We’ve had plenty of instances on the show (in the main feed and especially in Old News) of archaeological research bearing out information that existed already in the historical and oral traditions of Indigenous groups. We’ll discuss some examples of this, and we’ll also examine the relationship of Indigenous science and knowledge with the Western systems that actively invalidate and exclude them.

Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!

Connect with James on Twitter: @paleoimaging

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Becoming Dr. Bonesaw with Naomi Martisius - Ep 189 May 11, 2022

This week, Amber's under the weather, so Anna goes solo with special guest Dr. Naomi Martisius. Naomi tells us how she deciphers clues about human behavior by looking at tiny tiny VERY tiny portions of animal bone surfaces under a microscope. We’ll get into her undergraduate discovery that re-wrote a part of prehistory (no, really), and her work on the extremely cool bone artifacts and ornaments from Bacho Kiro Cave, in what is today Bulgaria.

Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!

Connect with James on Twitter: @paleoimaging

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

What have Anna and Amber been up to? - Ep 188 May 10, 2022

BONUS

Hello, friends! We’re moving our episode schedule slightly—episodes will now be coming out on Wednesdays!! But in the meantime—This is a shortened version of a much longer chat that's available to our Patreon members (link below to join and support the show)! Anna and Amber chat about some changes in their personal lives, plus some updates to The Dirt. We also FINALLY answer our own interview questions:

1. What's the best thing about anthropology?

2. What moment from human history/prehistory or the history of anthropology would you want to go back in time to see?

This is a departure from our usual episodes, so if you're not a big fan of parts of the show where we get chatty...this one might not be for you!

Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!

Connect with James on Twitter: @paleoimaging

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Support The Dirt on Patreon

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

The Neo-Assyrians - Ep 187 May 03, 2022

Settle in for a HEFTY episode, folks! This week, Amber and Anna examine the world of the Neo-Assyrian empire. This means some substantial time spent context-setting, thanks to the complex nature of early Mesopotamian politics, religion, warfare, and state propaganda. Then we look further at that carefully crafted state propaganda and its influence on Assyriology. THEN we get into a bit of archaeology, and finally, discuss the Neo-Assyrian legacy and descendant communities. What a ride!

Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!

Connect with James on Twitter: @paleoimaging

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

*LISTENER NOTE* We discuss some pretty graphically violent art in this episode, starting around time stamp 35:00. Content warning for war crimes and sexual assault--skip ahead about 25 minutes.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Maroon Communities - Ep 186 Apr 25, 2022

On a listener-sponsored episode, Anna and Amber tackle the archaeology and historical context of maroon communities. These are societies formed by self-liberated Africans during the period when the slave trade was a huge part of the world economy. We discuss some archaeological case studies, and then really think long and hard about what it means to reconstruct these lives, and who has historically done so.

Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!

Connect with James on Twitter: @paleoimaging

Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Anthropology and Science Fiction - Ep 185 Apr 18, 2022

In a SURPRISE THIRD INSTALLMENT of our discussion of sci fi and archaeology, we talk about two giants of world building, Octavia E Butler and Ursula K LeGuin. We also talk about a few fictional anthropologists of TV and cinema.

Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!

Connect with James on Twitter: @paleoimaging

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Science Fiction and Anthropology: Part 2! - Ep 184 Apr 11, 2022

We're back! And we're continuing our exploration of science fiction in archaeology AND anthropology in science fiction. Last time, we talked to author Pat Edwards about world-building and storytelling--this time, we tell the stories. Amber gets speculative, Anna spins some yarns, and we investigate the Thousand and One Nights. Show notes coming soon!

Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!

Connect with James on Twitter: @paleoimaging

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

It's A Wash - Ep 183 (ENCORE) Apr 04, 2022

(ENCORE) This week, Anna and Amber decided to clean up their act and take a look at the history of bathing and hygiene. We’re dipping our toes into Roman baths, sweating through Finnish and Russian saunas, discussing the shrewd marketing behind the “Halitosis Effect,” and more. Plus, what even IS soap, anyway?

Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

View to a Kilwa - The Medieval Swahili Coast (CLASSIC) - Ep 182 Mar 28, 2022

In this re-release of an EARLY classic, take a whirlwind tour of the Swahili coast and the economic and cultural exchanges over land and sea it has enjoyed for more than a thousand years, before zooming in on the very powerful, and very cool, medieval sultanate of Kilwa Kisawani.

Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!

Links

Making History: An archaeologist unearths the history of the Swahili States (Bryn Mawr Alumnae Bulletin)
East Africa: Five Million Years of History (The Public Medievalist)
Early African History: fire, farming, Egypt, and the Bantu (Quatr.us)
Collins & Pisarevsky (2004). "Amalgamating eastern Gondwana: The evolution of the Circum-Indian Orogens". Earth-Science Reviews.
Richard Pankhurst, An Introduction to the Economic History of Ethiopia, (Lalibela House: 1961)
Recipe for ambergris and eggs
Early Global Connections: East Africa between Asia, and Mediterranean Europe (Global Middle Ages)
Kilwa Kisiwani: Medieval Trade Center of Eastern Africa (Thought.Co)
A lost city reveals the grandeur of medieval African civilization (Gizmodo)
Chami FA. 2009. Kilwa and the Swahili Towns: Reflections from an archaeological perspective. In: Larsen K, editor. Knowledge, Renewal and Religion: Repositioning and changing ideological and material circumstances among the Swahili on the East African coast. Uppsala: Nordiska Afrikainstitututet.
Fleisher J, Wynne-Jones S, Steele C, and Welham K. 2012. Geophysical Survey at Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania. Journal of African Archaeology 10(2):207-220.
Pollard E. 2011. Safeguarding Swahili trade in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries: a unique navigational complex in south-east Tanzania. World Archaeology 43(3):458-477.
Pollard E, Fleisher J, and Wynne-Jones S. 2012. Beyond the Stone Town: Maritime Architecture at Fourteenth–Fifteenth Century Songo Mnara, Tanzania. Journal of Maritime Archaeology 7(1):43-62
Wynne-Jones S. 2007. Creating urban communities at Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania, AD 800-1300. Antiquity 81:368-380.
Wynne-Jones S. 2013. The public life of the Swahili stonehouse, 14th–15th centuries AD. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 32(4):759-773.
Wynne-Jones S, and Fleisher J. 2012. Coins in Context: Local Economy, Value and Practice on the East African Swahili Coast. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 22(1):19-36.
Zhao B. 2012. Global Trade and Swahili Cosmopolitan Material Culture: Chinese-Style Ceramic Shards from Sanje ya Kati and Songo Mnara (Kilwa, Tanzania). Journal of World History 23(1):41-85.
Stone Towns of the Swahili Coast (Archaeology)

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Anthropology and Science Fiction with Pat Edwards - Ep 181 Mar 21, 2022

Pat Edwards is an author, game builder, and creator of all kinds of sci-fi and fantasy content. We all sit down and puzzle through some questions about the boundaries between archaeological interpretation and fiction, the use of anthropological tropes in pop culture, and strategies for drawing from the archaeological record for fictional world-building. We had a blast with this unconventional topic, and we hope you enjoy listening!

Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!

Links

Pat Edwards

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

The Sweet Stuff - Ep 180 Mar 14, 2022

We're bouncing back from some bumps in the road this week, and bring you a short and sweet episode about some of the history and archaeology of two sweet substances--maple syrup and sugarcane.

Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Them There Hills: Mounds and the Myth of the Moundbuilders - Ep 179 Mar 07, 2022

Hello, lovely listeners--a whole bunch of life stuff has smacked us right in the face recently. Thank you so much for your patience and continued support--we really love you. This week's classic episode is all about mounds and the people that built (and absolutely did not build) them.

Links

Cahokia: The Great Native American Metropolis (via WorldCat)
Cahokia Mounds
Watson Brake, a Middle Archaic Mound Complex in Northeast Louisiana (American Antiquity)
12th-Century Cahokia Was a “Melting Pot” (Archaeology)
Cahokia and the Excavation of Mound 72 (Lithics Casting Lab)
The Ancient Mounds of Poverty Point: A Place of Rings (via WorldCat)
Moundbuilders (Newberry)
Early pottery: Technology, Function, Style, and Interaction in the Lower Southeast (via WorldCat)
White Settlers Buried the Truth About the Midwest’s Mysterious Mound Cities (Smithsonian)Check out Ken
Feder’s take on the myth of the moundbuilders over on Archaeological Fantasies. He’s also the author of this week’s Dirt Book Club entry, Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

CLASSIC: Dogtectives! - Ep 178 Feb 28, 2022

Amber's traveling for work this week, so we bring you a perfectly dry-aged episode from years past. We bring you a fascinating, poignant, and thoroughly delightful interview with Very Special Guest Lynne Engelbert, a handler with the Institute for Canine Forensics. Learn what the talented pups at the ICF do for a living and prepare to be amazed!

Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!

Start your own podcast with Zencastr and get 30% off your first three months with code DIRT. Click this message for more information.

Links

Institute for Canine Forensics

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

You Are What You Eat (LIVE!) - Ep 177 Feb 21, 2022

How do we know what people ate in the past? How did they make their food? How did food fit into the social aspect of life in the past? We discuss old old recipes, spicy Sichuanese history, an herbal mystery, how food changed our faces, and more!

Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!

Start your own podcast with Zencastr and get 30% off your first three months with code DIRT. Click this message for more information.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Studying Salvage Anthropology w/ Samuel Redman - Ep 176 Feb 14, 2022

We dive into Dr. Samuel Redman’s latest book, Prophets and Ghosts: The Story of Salvage Anthropology. Amber and Anna (mostly Amber) have lots of questions about the seemingly paradoxical 19th- and 20th- century urge by American scholars to “rescue” objects and even human remains from “disappearing” Indigenous groups. It’s a fascinating window into anthropology viewed as a moral and academic obligation, and the social underpinnings of the development of the discipline in the US. And! You can enter to win your very own copy of Ghosts and Prophets! Harvard University Press generously hooked us up with three copies to give away. The promotion is running via Twitter and Instagram, so keep an eye out for those posts for the extremely low-effort rules for entering.

Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!

Start your own podcast with Zencastr and get 30% off your first three months with code DIRT. Click this message for more information.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Sanxingdui and the Shu State - Ep 175 Feb 07, 2022

This week, we explore yet another place that’s not a backwater or influenced by aliens! In 1986, two pits were excavated at the site of Sanxingdui (Three Stars Mound) in what is today China’s Sichuan province. These two pits, and six more uncovered in 2021, were full of bronze, jade, gold, and ivory objects that appear to have been “sacrificed” (burned or broken) before burial. The artifacts were made in a style never before seen in Chinese material culture. What was going on at Sanxingdui, and why was the site abruptly abandoned thousands of years ago? We can tell you right off the bat that it wasn’t aliens, but you’ll have to listen to the episode to find out more!

Links and Sources

Seismic Shift (Archaeology)
Large Standing Figure, Sanxingdui Museum (Art and Archaeology dot com)
A Preliminary Report on the Standing Bronze Figure from Sacrificial Pit Number Two, Sanxingdui (Early China, via JSTOR)
New finds at Sanxingdui Ruins show creative power in ancient China (Xinhua Net)
Sanxingdui relics: What is the secret of the bronze heavenly tree? (CGTN)
Mysterious Sanxingdui Ruins reveal more stunning relics (Global News)
Mystery of Ancient Chinese Civilization's Disappearance Explained (LiveScience)
Sanxingdui: researchers say newly found sites in China date back as far as 3,200 years (South China Morning Post)
Historical discovery revives wild theories of an alien civilisation in ancient China, but experts say no way (South China Morning Post)

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

JANUARY HIATUS CLASSIC - Where Do Babies Come From? - Ep 174 Jan 31, 2022

This week, we bring you the MIRACLE OF BIRTH. Join Amber and Anna for a brief frolic through some ancient birthing wisdom and evidence of pregnancy and childbirth in the archaeological record. We're also joined by the brilliant Dr. Natalie Laudicina, who takes us on a fascinating and slightly terrifying journey through the surprisingly complicated landscape of the primate birth canal. Content warning: some of the subject material in this episode may be upsetting, but we try to give listeners a heads up.

Start your own podcast with Zencastr and get 30% off your first three months with code DIRT. Click this message for more information.

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

It's Jennauary! - Ep 173 Jan 24, 2022

We’re finally introducing our producer, Jenna Hendrick, in an episode! Jenna has been working with us behind the scenes on our social media posts and some of the nuts and bolts of episode organization for several months now. We chat about popular media portrayals of human life in the Paleolithic, and how those affected popular perception of the human past.

Tune in to the full episode on Patreon for our best/worst Pop-Paleo Awards show!

Start your own podcast with Zencastr and get 30% off your first three months with code DIRT. Click this message for more information.

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

The Queen of Sheba - Ep 172 Jan 17, 2022

It's another January Hiatus episode--this time a cleaned-up excerpt from Dirt After Dark. Amber drags Anna back to Arabia, where we discuss possibly its most famous inhabitant of all time: the Queen of Sheba. We look at the source material and the archaeology before really getting into it to discuss racism, misogyny, and--of course--camels.

Start your own podcast with Zencastr and get 30% off your first three months with code DIRT. Click this message for more information.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Race and Biological Anthropology with Dr. Rachel Watkins (131) - Ep 171 Jan 10, 2022

Recently, Anna and Amber sat down with Rachel Watkins, a biological anthropologist and scholar-activist whose research centers on social and biological histories of Black Americans in the 19th and 20th centuries. Learn about the social history of biological anthropology, the exemplary case studies with which Dr. Watkins has worked, why you shouldn't discount the creepy things small children sometimes do, and so much more!

Start your own podcast with Zencastr and get 30% off your first three months with code DIRT. Click this message for more information.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Neanderthalk with "Kindred" Author Dr. Rebecca Wragg Sykes (113) - Ep 170 Jan 03, 2022

We hope you enjoy this great interview from the archives. If you're doing cool research, and want to talk about it on the show, drop us a note at thedirtpodcast@gmail.com!

Anna and Amber sit down with Dr. Rebecca Wragg Sykes, Paleolithic archaeologist and author of the book "Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death, and Art." We talk about Rebecca's education and her love for all things ancient, and she resolves some common misconceptions about our Neanderthal cousins. "Kindred" just came out in the States, so pick up a copy of your very own for an amazing synthesis of current Neanderthal knowledge.

Start your own podcast with 30% off Zencastr for the first 3 months with The Dirt! Click anywhere on this paragraph.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Oh, Nice - Ep 169 Dec 27, 2021

We're closing out the year with a cozy episode about heartwarming things in the archaeological record. That’s right, we’re just going to find examples of nice things that people did and made in the past and tell you all about them. It’s a little year’s-end treat for us all. There's some discussion of Dads Being Dads, some loud opinions from Anna's neighbor's dog, and an all around good time.

Start your own podcast with 30% off Zencastr for the first 3 months with The Dirt! Click anywhere on this paragraph.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

How Long Ago Was the Past? - Ep 168 Dec 20, 2021

When does “The Past” start, and how far back does it go? How long did it take people to get places in the past? How do we attempt to hold the vastness of time and geography in our minds? Not well, especially in an audio medium, but we’re excited to blow your minds.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

From The Vault: Portrait of a Podcaster on Fire - Ep 167 Dec 13, 2021

This week, we bring you another episode from behind the Patreon paywall. Sure, the title is a stretch, but it's hard coming up with a topical joke about portraiture! This month we dive into some early examples of representing individuals in ancient art from several times and places. Amber inexplicably takes umbrage with the entirety of Byzantine art, and both hosts question what is a face and what is a couple of lines that sorta look like a face.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

How Do We Know What We Know? - Ep 166 Dec 06, 2021

There are a lot of misconceptions in archaeology that are often perpetuated simply because people don’t think about how the information they take for granted came to be. How do archaeologists know what people were doing in the past? Actually, how do we know anything at all? How do we know what didn’t happen? Tune in and find out!

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

From the Vault: "Ancient" "Astronomy" - Ep 165 Nov 29, 2021

This week, Amber is finishing grad school applications and Anna had some vaccine booster side effects, so we bring you an excerpt from an episode of Dirt After Dark! Amber brings Anna (kicking and screaming) along on an exploration of some space weirdos who interpreted various bits and pieces of archaeology and ethnography to show that there's another mystery planet out there, and it's out to get us. And also bring us civilization? Anyway, it gets really weird, and we hope you enjoy the ride.

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Thanksglyphing - Ep 164 Nov 22, 2021

We’re shaking things up this year, and instead of doing a ThanksViking episode, we’re peeking into the world of Maya and Aztec art and writing. The Maya wrote using a system of around 800 glyphs--the Aztecs used as many as 2,000. We won’t get to ALL of these, but we’ll talk about how these writing systems developed, how they were used, and the role they played in the lives of the Aztec and Maya people.

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Yes We Cant: Anti-Languages and Argots - Ep 163 Nov 15, 2021

Come along for an exploration of anti-languages and the qualities that make them successful in building community and maintaining safety among the people that develop them. From occupational jargon to survival as a marginalized group to being hip with the kids, we tour a few of these languages, and subject everyone to a 16th century dialogue with translation.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Kyle Jordan - Ep 162 Nov 08, 2021

Anna and Amber are joined by wonderful Special Guest, Kyle Jordan! Kyle is a disabled Egyptologist interested in themes of religion, magic and identity in the Egyptian world, with a specific focus on the appearance and interpretation of disability in Ancient Egypt and Egyptology as a discipline. We had a wonderful-- and long-- conversation with Kyle about how Egyptians viewed the embodiment of disability, how perception of disability in archaeology has changed (and how it still needs to change), and more.

Listener note, we mistakenly discuss the dialogue of a man and his ka, which was in fact between a man and his ba. This dialogue is on the subject of suicidal ideation, so please take care or skip forward at about [41:04.000].

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Let's Call It a Ritual Object - Ep 161 Nov 01, 2021

Thanks to everyone who came out to our virtual live show! This is the edited audio of that event. We talk about the role of ritual in daily life, how our big round human brains have evolved the ability to think about abstract meaning and ritual significance, and the theory underpinning all of this. We also take a trip to two incredible archaeological sites to think about how the people living there might have thought about the unknown and unseen in their lives. Whoa.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Spooktober: Fear Itself - Ep 160 Oct 25, 2021

We explore the evolutionary roots of fear, and the science of how it works. Why do some people love thrills and chills, while others don't? Why does fear make us stinky? And how can we think about something as personal and ephemeral as fear in the archaeological record?

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Spooktober: Monster Mash - Ep 159 Oct 18, 2021

This week, we lift our spirits (oooOOOooo) with a round-up of monsters. We explore their origins and effects on us, with examples ranging from memories of very real things in the past to a hypothesis that doesn't quite have legs (unlike griffins).

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Spooktober: Homo lepidopteris - Ep 158 Oct 11, 2021

This week, we're taking a turn for the cryptid and spooking local with the legend of West Virginia native son, the Mothman. For a little over a year leading up to December 1967, sightings of a winged humanoid with glowing eyes were reported in and around Point Pleasant, WV. Since then, Mothman has evolved from evil omen to legend to meme. In this episode, we’ll explore the legend, collective memory, and the power of portents.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Spooktober: Feral Children - Ep 157 Oct 04, 2021

SPOOKTOBER HAS BEGUN! This week, we discuss the trope in myth, legend, horror, and adjacent genres of feral children. We won't be directly discussing actual cases of trauma, neglect, or child abuse, but rather the place of the bestial feral child in the mythology of different ancient cultures all the way up to a more recent timeline. Why do these stories interest us, spook us, and who's the real monster here?

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Disability in the Ancient World With Andrew Gurza - Ep 156 Sep 27, 2021

This week, Anna and Amber are joined by Andrew Gurza, disabled content creator and fellow podcaster, to talk about disability and care in the ancient world. We talk with Andrew about the need for disabled voices in archaeology, his path to podcasting, and some archaeological case studies that show that humans have always taken care of one another.

Links

Andrew Gurza's website
Ancient Bones That Tell a Story of Compassion (NY Times)
Ancient Bones Offer Clues to How Long Ago Humans Cared for the Vulnerable (NPR Goats and Soda)
Follow Andrew on Twitter: @AndrewGurza_

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

School of Rocks with Dr. Danielle Macdonald - Ep 155 Sep 20, 2021

Dr. Danielle Macdonald specializes in the prehistory of Western Asia and the stone tools that people made and used in their everyday lives. That’s right, three years in, we’re finally doing an episode on lithics! We’ll also talk about Danielle’s path to anthropology and her ongoing work at the site of Kharaneh IV in what's today Jordan.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

ÖMG: Ötzi the Iceman - Ep 154 Sep 13, 2021

It’s the episode title that’s been making us giggle for months! We’re FINALLY examining the famous Chalcolithic ice-mummy just in time for the 30th anniversary of hikers stumbling upon his body. We’ll explore the archaeological methods and evidence that tell us about who Ötzi was, what his life was like, and how he died. Umlauts will, no doubt, abound.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Who's the New Guy? - Ep 153 Sep 06, 2021

Remember that time we did a whole series on the human family tree and then finished talking about evolution forever because we were all done? HA! OF COURSE WE AREN'T DONE! There have been some amazing new discoveries in the human fossil record since that series dropped, so we're here to update you on what our family shrubbery looks like now. We journey to Siberia, the Philippines, China, and other places, and our story gets a whole lot more complicated! We love to see it.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

We Stan a King: Nabonidus - Ep 152 Aug 30, 2021

This week, Amber tells Anna the story of Nabonidus, King of Babylon, who, mid-kinging, tootled off to the Arabian desert for a decade to worship the moon god, Sin. But is that the whole story? Of course not. Tune in to learn what Nabonidus was maybe really doing out there.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Shh! We're in the Library Episode - Ep 151 Aug 23, 2021

This week, Anna and Amber take a tour of some of the libraries of the ancient world. We visit Mesopotamia for the origins of writing and the heartland of administrative paperwork, hit up Africa for the oral traditions of the Griots, browse the stacks of oracle bones in China, and...yes, talk about the Library of Alexandria.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Back to School: Stratigraphy - Ep 150 Aug 16, 2021

It's our 150th episode! Wow! This week we're starting our Back To School series with a short primer on stratigraphy. How do archaeologists divide a site into time periods? How did people first figure out that layers of sediment accumulate over time through different processes? How many dirt/soil/sediment puns is Anna capable of making in roughly forty minutes? We’ll find out.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

I Gotta Go: Archaeology of Abandonment - Ep 149 Aug 09, 2021

This week, we’ve got an episode that started off as a funny title and became a topic. There are many possible reasons for abandoning a site, and there are plenty of examples from the archaeological record. We’ll look into evidence for climate change, conflict, natural disaster, and other reasons for abandonment (not all at once; that sounds like a really bad place to live). Plus, Anna and Amber do Dickens.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Field Season with Carlton Gover - Ep 148 Aug 02, 2021

This week, Anna and Amber sit down with archaeologist, podcaster, and member of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, Carlton Shield Chief Gover. We talk about his path to archaeology, an Indigenous perspective on archaeology as history and heritage, how to prank your site supervisor, and more!

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Field Season: The Indiana Jones Episode - Ep 147 Jul 26, 2021

In this installment of Field Season, Amber and Anna take a trip to the semi-mythical world of cinematic archaeology. Who inspired the character of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr.? Did the Indiana Jones franchise leave a lasting impression on archaeology? Plus--we've got a whole roundup of fellas that likely influenced the American public's perception of what an explorer should look like.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Field Season with Allyson Blanck - Ep 146 Jul 19, 2021

Anna and Amber are joined this week by Allyson Blanck, a Classical archaeologist and advocate for accessibility and inclusivity in the field. Learn about best practices for accommodating archaeologists with disabilities in the field, the changes that are already underway in the discipline, and how much farther we need to go. Plus, some excellent dog content and a discussion of ancient cranial surgery!

Links

Allyson on Twitter: @ablanck_page
https://classics.arizona.edu/people/ablanck

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Feeling it Out: Phenomenology - Ep 145 Jul 12, 2021

How do we capture a sense of the experience of living in a landscape of the past? What did the past smell like? What did it feel like? How can we understand ancient people's mindsets, perceptions, intentions, and emotions? Will Anna end up deeply confused? Tune in to find out!

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Nazca, Outside the Lines - Ep 144 Jul 05, 2021

On this sponsored episode, Anna and Amber talk about the Nazca culture of coastal Peru. There's SO much more to talk about than the famous Nazca Lines. There's gorgeous ceramics, ingenious irrigation, trophy heads, cactus tripping, and much more!

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Shaking Hands With Ella al-Shamahi - Ep 143 Jun 28, 2021

Ella al-Shamahi is a paleoanthropologist, National Geographic Explorer, evolutionary biologist, stand-up comic, and author of the new book The Handshake: A Gripping History. And NOW, she's a guest on The Dirt Podcast! We chat about how she came to anthropology, learn about the biological and cultural roots of the handshake, about science's Geography Problem, and what it's like to be a capital-E Explorer.

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

Star-Struck by Ancient Astronomy - Ep 142 Jun 21, 2021

People in the past looked up at the stars and planets, too. How did ancient cultures perceive the night sky? How did they explain the movement of celestial bodies? How did astronomy figure into ancient religion, calendars, city planning, and more? Was it aliens? Nope, but it was pretty much all math. Sorry.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
Tee Public Store

Affiliates

The Archaeology of Patagonia - Ep 141 Jun 14, 2021

This week, we talk about the first (known) human arrivals in this region, waaaay way down at the tip of South America, and the archaeological remains that tell us how they lived. We've got a cave of hands, commentary from Charles Darwin, old old feet, fish ears, and SO much more!

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

The Plaster Skulls of Jericho - Ep 140 Jun 07, 2021

In 1953, archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon and her team uncovered human skulls covered with plaster and decorated with shells to resemble human faces. These Neolithic artifacts may be one of the earliest known examples of human portraits. In this sponsored episode, we’ll dig into the discovery, the site of Jericho itself, and the lives of the people who buried the skulls in the first place.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Welcome to Lemurtown - Ep 139 May 31, 2021

Listeners, once again, life has come at us like a poorly written simile, so we're releasing a previous Patreon episode. And once again, we are so deeply grateful for your patience and support. Thank you for sticking with us. As an extension of March Madagascarness, we head back to the island with our (ill-fitting) primatology hats on. Anna put together a fun script about giant extinct lemurs, tiny not-extinct lemurs, and even creepy aye-aye fingers, but somehow Amber managed to have a full on meltdown about a lemur named Maki.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Holding Out for a Hero(dotus) - Ep 138 May 24, 2021

It's Amber's birthday episode! Since she loves historiography, we're taking it back to one of the earliest historians, Herodotus. How did he think about the past, and how did that influence historians who came after him? What did he get right, and what did he get wrong? What's up with that weird boat, those mummy enemas, the flying snakes, and the giant ants? Listen and find out!

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Prepare to Be Amaz(on)ed - Ep 137 May 17, 2021

We haven’t covered much archaeology from the Amazon Basin on the show, but this week, that changes! Instead of being the primitive groups early European explorers reported on, people lived in the Amazon Basin region for thousands of years by adapting to their landscape as well as modifying their environment to suit their needs! Somehow, we suspect that you, listeners, are not shocked.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Mummies' Day - Ep 136 May 10, 2021

This week, Anna and Amber celebrate some of the lesser-known mummies of the world. Amber shares her hometown mummies, while Anna spins the stories of a smoke-dried philosopher, a legendary Lama, and...a winery? Plus, one Egyptian mummy thrown in for good measure.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

That Good Old Copper Complex - Ep 135 May 03, 2021

We’ve been remiss in discussing the Chalcolithic (Copper Age) anywhere in the world, so we’re fixing that by spotlighting one particular technology in what is today the US states of Michigan and Wisconsin, and some of the world’s earliest coppersmiths. Plus, a very salty discussion of the pseudoscience and *bad* historical takes behind some alternative theories for the Old Copper Complex's creators.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

All the Pretty Horses - Ep 134 Apr 26, 2021

This week, we've got one more past Patreon episode for you! Thank you all for your patience as we get back into the swing of things. We'll be back with your regularly scheduled new episodes in May. But for now, we're all horses, all the time. Amber gives you an unbridled (har!) look at the Hittite Horse Training Texts, which are much more than just Kikkuli (remember him?). After that, we veer from horsemanship to horse-man-’ship. First there’s a glimpse into the legal mind of the Hittites, and then some interesting commonalities across Indo-European societies and an overview of equine lives in antiquity. Ohhh neigh.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Sorry to Barge In - Ep 133 Apr 19, 2021

This week, Anna and Amber are playing catch-up after attending the SAA conference, recovering from vaccine shots, and life in general. We'll be taking the rest of April off for a short break. In the meantime, please enjoy a cleaned-up version of a Dirt After Dark episode where Anna treats Amber to the story of the Roman emperor Caligula's absurd pleasure boats on a tiny, tiny lake.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Other People of Size - Ep 132 Apr 12, 2021

A follow-up and expansion to episode 99, People of Size, Anna and Amber explore other categories of largeness and how they’re represented in the archaeological record. We discuss fat bodies that are coded male, the strength and bulk of sumo wrestlers, and cultural and historical shifts in the aesthetic of the male body.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Race and Biological Anthropology with Dr. Rachel Watkins - Ep 131 Apr 05, 2021

Recently, Anna and Amber sat down with Rachel Watkins, a biological anthropologist and scholar-activist whose research centers on social and biological histories of Black Americans in the 19th and 20th centuries. Learn about the social history of biological anthropology, the exemplary case studies with which Dr. Watkins has worked, why you shouldn't discount the creepy things small children sometimes do, and so much more!

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

April Fool's: Cursèd Objects - Bonus Episode Apr 01, 2021

Anna and Amber bring you some bonus April foolery in the form of spooky cursed objects and haunted places. What's up with the Victorians and their creepy parlor displays? Can physics explain a haunted statue? Who asked Alexander Graham Bell about any of this? Apologies if the sound quality is different for this one, friends--Anna's laptop might've had an April Fools' curse of its own going on!

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

It's A Pod Mitzvah - Ep 130 Mar 29, 2021

Amber and Anna discuss some of the different rituals, ceremonies, and traditions associated with coming of age in cultures around the world and throughout time. From tossing baby teeth up to the roof to tying a vine to your ankles and jumping off a wooden tower, it's all fascinating.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Archaeology of Childhood - Ep 129 Mar 22, 2021

Amber and Anna examine how different ancient cultures viewed children and childhood. We’ll also discuss how the archaeological interpretation of the lives of children in the ancient past has shifted as we’ve gained more and more evidence.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

March Madagascarness - Ep 128 Mar 15, 2021

This week, Anna and Amber journey to the island of Madagascar. Yeah, sure, there were once man-sized lemurs there, but we’re talking about the people of Madagascar, how and when they arrived on the island, their history, archaeology, and more! Plus, Anna discovers that maps are super useful.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Anna's Birthday Podcastle - Ep 127 Mar 08, 2021

This episode happens to fall within Anna's birthday week, so Amber has very kindly indulged Anna's childhood love of knights, castles, magic, and adventure. This week, we're exploring Arthurian legend, and some of the...unique legacies it has left behind. We firmly establish that Arthur had TWO different swords. We also confirm that no, Robin Hood was not a Knight of the Round Table. Plus, the Yelp review that made Amber laugh until she cried.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

The Dirt Caves In: LIVE! - Ep 126 Mar 01, 2021

If you were a pre-Homo sapiens hominin, the place to see and be seen was Africa in what is today colloquially known as the Cradle of Humankind. True to form, we're late to the party, but come along with us anyway for a tour of the cave sites that revolutionized paleoanthropology.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the live show!

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

DNA: The Dirt, uh, Finds a Way - Ep 125 Feb 22, 2021

This year is the 20th anniversary of the first publication of the Human Genome Project, and the 10th anniversary of the Neanderthal Genome Project. Since both of these projects began, DNA research has changed what we know about the human story more than we could ever possibly have imagined. Come learn about a tiny fraction of this knowledge with us, and listen to our brains explode.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Volcanoes! - Ep 124 Feb 15, 2021

Let’s lean into our fear of pyroclastic flow and talk about the traces that volcanoes can leave in the archaeological record. Turns out, it’s a lot more than buried cities. We’ll also take a look at how volcanoes manifest in the myths and legends of various cultures.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

The Good Old Days: Prehistoric Inequality - Ep 123 Feb 08, 2021

This week's episode is a listener-sponsored one! Ancient hunter-gatherers are often painted as egalitarian, with all members contributing to the needs of the group. But what does evidence from prehistory say about things like access to nutrition, or care for the sick or injured? Are there cases where some individuals were clearly treated differently from others? How far back can we go to find clues? Stay tuned, sleuths.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Unboxing Boxgrove - Ep 122 Feb 01, 2021

This week, Anna introduces Amber to the site of Boxgrove, in what is now Sussex, England. It's one of the oldest known hominin sites in the UK, and features the remains of our early relative, Homo heidelbergensis. Join us to learn more about the Muddle in the Middle, the world's hardest jigsaw puzzle, and the molecular clock.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Bonus Ep: Five Stars' Worth of Fun with One Star Archaeology Jan 22, 2021

It's a bonus episode! Anna and Amber are joined by some of the wonderful folks at One Star Archaeology (Twitter: @1starchaeology, Instagram: @onestarchaeology) for dramatic readings of internet reviews of archaeological sites.

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Merry Hyksmas! With Dr. Chris Stantis - Ep 121 Dec 28, 2020

Seasons greetings! And by that we mean we're wrapping up 2020 by sitting down with Dr. Chris Stantis, who uses stable isotope analyses to learn how people lived in the ancient past. We discuss the real story of the Hyksos Dynasty during the Second Intermediate Period in Egypt. Were they the pushy invaders they've been made out to be? Or is there more to the story? (There's more to the story). Not only ALL THIS, but Dr. Stantis convinces Amber and Anna to love those pesky little atoms--stable isotopes!

Links

Who were the Hyksos? Challenging traditional narratives using strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis of human remains from ancient Egypt (PLOSOne)
The Foreigner as Scapegoat: Lessons from Ancient Egypt and Today (Chris Naughton dot com)
Additionally, Dr. Stantis has the following recommendations for those interested in learning more about the Hyksos:
The Ascendancy of the Kushite Kingdom of Kerma in the Post Middle Kingdom Era: Revisiting the Second Intermediate Period of Ancient Egypt (Archaeological Research Facility, UC Berkeley)
Dr. Danielle Candelora’s research on Hyksos and “race” in scholarship

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Show and Tell Abraq - Ep 120 Dec 21, 2020

This week, Amber takes Anna on a guided tour of her beloved Arabia. Learn about the varied mountains, deserts, and oases that are nowhere near as empty or inactive as Western explorers might have you believe. We examine the archaeology of Tell Abraq, get scammed by a guy named Ea-Nasir, solve the mystery of Magan (hint: not actually a mystery), and share insights from skeletal remains about community care and compassion thousands of years ago. Disappointingly, we still don't know what Dilmun onions are.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Mausoleum? I hardly know 'em! - Ep 119 Dec 14, 2020

This week, Amber and Anna delve into the massive site of the first Chinese Emperor's burial complex. Were there flowing rivers of mercury? Maybe. Are there thousands of terra cotta soldiers? Definitely. Do we understand how metal detectors work? Kind of! Plus, some thumb-related Art Crime, and Anna finally apologizes for attributing Hey Ya to Snoop Dogg when it is absolutely by Outkast. How embarrassing. WARNING: Episode contains spoilers for Waiting for Godot.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

BMAC: The Best Bronze Age Complex You've Never Heard Of - Ep 118 Dec 07, 2020

This week, Anna and Amber head to ancient Central Asia for a sponsored episode in which they explore the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex. Come along and learn why there’s BMAC stuff all over the place! Visit Gonur and the man that wants to be buried in its deserts! Consider the who and the why of the BMAC and its collapse (psst it wasn’t a collapse)! Meet some Horse Guys!

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Fish People - Ep 117 Nov 30, 2020

This week, Anna and Amber bring you the result of episode planning by two hosts who have had a VERY long year and who refuse to back down from a dumb joke. We're talking Mersons of Interest, aquatic apes, men who wear fish, and more! Make sure to listen through the end for...what can only be described as a musical masterpiece.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Thanksviking II: The Vikinging - Ep 116 Nov 23, 2020

Anna and Amber embark once again into the Viking Age, this time with the help of Neil Price's excellent book Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings. Come learn about the origins of Ragnarok, Viking sorcery, and more!

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Ellora Caves - Ep 115 Nov 16, 2020

This week, Anna and Amber engage in some light speleology to give you a glimpse of the Ellora Caves--a shared Hindu, Buddhist and Jain sacred site in India. What makes a place feel sacred and special, and why are so many caves viewed as sacred places around the world and throughout time? Plus, Amber's review of Werner Herzog's opus In the Cave of Forgotten Dreams. We are all crocodiles looking back into the abyss of time, friends.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

We Bet You'll Enjoy This Episode - Ep 114 Nov 09, 2020

This week, Anna and Amber have dealt you an excellent hand of examples of gambling, and the archaeology and anthropology thereof! Listeners, we hope you'll bear with us on this episode. We recorded on day three of the 2020 electoral vote counts, and we've both lost our minds. Come along on this ride with us as we explore what evidence we have for gambling in the archaeological record, and what we can learn from the types of games people play.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Neanderthalk with "Kindred" Author Dr. Rebecca Wragg Sykes - Ep 113 Nov 02, 2020

Anna and Amber sit down with Dr. Rebecca Wragg Sykes, Paleolithic archaeologist and author of the book "Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death, and Art." We talk about Rebecca's education and her love for all things ancient, and she resolves some common misconceptions about our Neanderthal cousins. "Kindred" just came out in the States, so pick up a copy of your very own for an amazing synthesis of current Neanderthal knowledge.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Spooktober: Buried Alive?!?!?! - Ep 112 Oct 26, 2020

For the final spooky episode of 2020, Amber and Anna take on the extremely frightening topic of live burials. We discuss the forensic evidence that indicates that a person might have been buried alive, talk about some archaeological contexts for live burials, and cover some real and probably-not-so-real accounts from history. This one's got some real ups and downs, so buckle up.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Spooktober: It's A Whole Ordeal - Ep 111 Oct 19, 2020

Sure, maybe you've heard of the River Ordeal, or trial by fire, but have you heard of Trial by Bean? How about the Ordeal of the Turf? In this Spooktober installment, Amber walks Anna through the ways that those accused of crimes have proven their innocence (or not!) throughout history and all over the world.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Spooktober: They Built It On a Haunted Burial Ground - Ep 110 Oct 12, 2020

For decades, American horror has been haunted by the specter of the "Indian Burial Ground." This week, we look at the roots of the phenomenon, the history behind some of the most famous instances, and Indigenous responses to the trope. Plus, Amber serves the worst Maine accent while trying to explain the plot of Pet Sematary, and bullies you all into checking out her Book Club recs.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Handing It Over to Spooktober - Ep 109 Oct 05, 2020

Amber eases Anna into Spooktober with some archaeological accounts of hands in... unexpected places.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Warding Off Evil - Ep 108 Sep 28, 2020

This week, Anna and Amber get ready for the spooky season by talking about some of the ways that people in various cultures have protected themselves from bad luck, ill will, and evil. Load up on garlic, toss some salt over your shoulder, and join us!

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

A Very Brief Intro to Ancient Egyptian Archaeology - Ep 107 Sep 21, 2020

This week, Amber and Anna bring you three of the best-known archaeological sites from Ancient Egypt. These sites tell us a whole lot about life in the past--not just for the pharaohs and the elites, but the workers who built them. We also dip our toes into Ancient Egyptian cosmology and zip through the dynastic timeline!

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast; thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Linguistics and Endangered Languages with Dr. Chris Donlay - Ep 106 Sep 14, 2020

Anna and Amber finally get some much-needed linguistics help from Dr. Chris Donlay. We talk about his unconventional academic path and his work recording and studying endangered languages! Plus, he schools us on how language shapes our perception of the world, how old spoken language *might* be, and what to do with a linguistics degree.

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Building a Better Researcher, Part 2, with Tasha Bergson-Michelson - Ep 105b Sep 07, 2020

The second half of Anna and Amber's conversation with librarian and research guru Tasha Bergson-Michelson. This week, we chat about the value of critical thinking, combatting misinformation in our social circles, and how to hack Wikipedia for the greater good. Plus, some unexpected facts about ice cream parlors and fog!

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Building a Better Researcher, Part 1, with Tasha Bergson-Michelson - Ep 105 Aug 31, 2020

Amber and Anna sit down to chat with the incomparable Tasha Bergson-Michelson, a librarian and educator. Research is a skill that is learned, and Tasha teaches us how to up our game. We learn about the process of good research, how to avoid sketchy sources, and the best ways to get started on any research project. We enjoyed talking with Tasha so much that we did it a whole bunch! Next week, we'll bring you the second half of our conversation.

Contact

thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Queryin' the Illyrians - Ep 104 Aug 24, 2020

This week, on a sponsored episode, Anna and Amber examine the traces left by the various ancient cultures called "Illyrians." We've got some architecture, coin-nerdery, a smattering of religion, and a complicated political legacy. It all makes for an excellent entry in our collection of supporting characters from the Classical world!

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Illustrating Archaeology - Ep 103 Aug 17, 2020

This week, Anna and Amber take on archaeological illustration. That's right-it's an audio episode about an entirely visual topic! This'll go well. We cover the merits of hand drawing vs. photography, reveal some stories from our own...mixed experiences, and investigate the very cool technique of photogrammetry.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Chalk it Up to Science - Ep 102 Aug 10, 2020

This week, on a short but fun episode, Anna and Amber investigate some of the massive figures cut into the chalk landscape of the Southern UK. Who made them? How old are they? Why are there so many horses?

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Mythteries and Mythnomers - Ep 101 Aug 03, 2020

Since back-to-school season is rolling around again, let's return to our annual tradition of busting myths and righting wrongs! This time, we cover pyramid construction (and curses), the Genghis Khan family reunion, the end of James Cook, Stonehenge, the Dark Ages, and more. This episode is not to be myth-ed.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

It's Time to Talk About the Future - Ep 100 Jul 27, 2020

This week, for our ONE HUNDREDTH EPISODE, Anna and Amber bend their brains around the archaeology of the future and the future of archaeology. What will excavation look like in 100, 1,000, or 5,000 years? What about human evolution? Human culture? Language? We come up with more questions than answers, and have a great time doing it. THANK YOU for getting us to Episode 100!

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

People of Size - Ep 99 Jul 20, 2020

Amber and Anna explore perceptions of human body shape in different times and places. What’s the difference between fatness and obesity? Why should we look askance at BMI? What is UP with Peter Paul Rubens and his damp, shiny nudes? And more!

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Oscan the Right Questions - Ep 98 Jul 13, 2020

This week, on a special sponsored episode, Anna and Amber explore some of the lesser-known Italic cultural groups that were peripheral to Ancient Rome. We seek out Samnites and uncover Umbrians. We also take a brief tour of Etruscan wine country.

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Hip Neanderthals with Mayowa Adeboyega - Ep 97 Jul 06, 2020

These hips don't lie. Amber and Anna talk with paleoanthropologist Mayowa Adeboyega about her research on the evolution of the pelvis. Mayowa also gives us some insights on the experience of being Black in academia, and how she uses science communication and the occasional silliness to make anthropology more accessible.

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

The Dirt Digs Pride - Ep 96 Jun 29, 2020

Amber and Anna are holding their very own Pod Pride Parade this week! We talk about the possible genetic influences behind human sexuality and discuss instances of queerness in archaeology (and some TRULY bad takes from news outlets). We also discuss gay icons from ancient history, badass queer archaeologists, and more!

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Teeth and Trowelblazing with Special Guest Dr. Brenna Hassett - Ep 95 Jun 22, 2020

This week, Anna and Amber chat with researcher, author, science communicator, founding TrowelBlazer, and wearer of many hats, Dr. Brenna Hassett! We learn that we've all got a mouthful of clocks, that women have always been a part of the digging sciences, and that networks truly matter.

Links

Dr. Brenna Hassett (UCL)
@brennawalks on Twitter
TrowelBlazers
Built on Bones: 15,000 Years of Urban Life and Death
And Dr. Hassett mentioned two books by Angela Saini:
Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong and the New Research That’s Rewriting the Story
Superior: The Return of Race Science

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Hunting and Gathering - Dirt 94 Jun 15, 2020

This week, Anna and Amber have foraged up an episode all about hunting and gathering. We also examine anthropology and ethnography, and the problematic origins of these disciplines. We discuss the Grandmother Hypothesis, wax rhapsodic about salmon, and...Amber tells another honey story.

Links

Hunter-Gatherers (Foragers) (Human Research Area Files)
Hunter-Gatherer Culture (National Geographic)
What Is a Hunter-Gatherer? Variation in the Archaeological Record of Eastern and Southern Africa (Journal of Archaeological Research)
Hunter-gatherer studies and human evolution: a very selective review (American Journal of Physical Anthropology)
The Ethnohistory and Anthropology of ‘Modern’ Hunter-Gatherers (The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology and Anthropology of Hunter-Gatherers)
AnthroBites: Scientific Racism (AnthroPod)
Grandmothering, menopause, and the evolution of human life histories (UNM Digital Repository)
Whales and humans linked by 'helpful grandmothers' (BBC)
Why Grandmothers May Hold The Key To Human Evolution (NPR)
The Evolutionary Importance of Grandmothers (The Atlantic)
The Surprisingly Sticky Tale of the Hadza and the Honeyguide Bird (Atlas Obscura)
Honey, Hadza, hunter-gatherers, and human evolution (Journal of Human Evolution)

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Rapa Nui! - Ep 93 Jun 08, 2020

This week, Anna and Amber voyage to the island of Rapa Nui, famous for its monumental stone heads, and for the idea that its islanders caused their own collapse through environmental exploitation. Turns out, that's probably not what happened! Tune in to learn more about what archaeology and anthropology can tell us about the real stories of the Rapanui people.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Not Before I've Had My Coffee - Ep 92 Jun 01, 2020

Anna and Amber fill your brain mug with piping hot knowledge about the archaeology, genetics, and culture behind some of our favorite morning drinks.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

The Dirt Digs Down Under - Ep 91 May 25, 2020

Description: Anna and Amber make a long-overdue trip to Australia this week. How did humans get there? How long ago did they arrive? What have they been doing since then? We cover these and other big brain-exploding topics for your education and entertainment!

Links

Humans First Arrived in Australia 65,000 Years Ago, Study Suggests (The New York Times)
Human occupation of northern Australia by 65,000 years ago (Nature)
The first genomic history of Australia’s peopling (ScienceDaily)
The spread of people to Australia (Australian Museum)
Mungo Lady and Mungo Man (Visit Mungo)
A 42,000-year-old Man Finally Goes Home (Smithsonian)
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander collection timeline (Australian Museum)
Explore cultural objects, art & technology (Australian Museum)
Identifying Aboriginal Sites (Aboriginal Heritage Office)
Indigenous Archaeology: Historical Interpretation from an Emic Perspective (Nebraska Anthropologist)
Guidelines for Ethical Research in Australian Indigenous Studies (AIATSIS)
‘Dreamtime’ and ‘The Dreaming’ – an introduction (The Conversation)

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Even Tinier Plants with Dr. Kristen Wroth - Ep 90 May 18, 2020

We've talked tiny plants, but this week we're going EVEN SMALLER. Anna and Amber chat with Dr. Kristen Wroth, who studies plant micro-remains like phytoliths to learn about ancient human behavior. We talk about favorite plants, field stories, and more!

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Archaeo Mad Libs With The Dirt - BONUS May 13, 2020

We took paragraphs from two very out-of-date archaeology papers and took out lots of key words. Then, listeners sent in their own word lists, with which we filled in those paragraphs! The results were very silly, and we had a lot of fun!

Stay tuned for upcoming live events, and come hang out with us on our stream!

Links

twitch.tv/thedirtpodcast

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

The Dirt Stays Home - Ep 89 May 11, 2020

Like most of you, we've been staying at home for the past several weeks, so we thought--what better way to distract our listeners from THEIR households than a look at OTHER people's households! Anna and Amber talk about how archaeologists' concept of "house" and "home" and "living space" has shifted over the years, and take a look at some ancient examples of home life.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Art Crimes - Ep 88 May 04, 2020

Cue the tense cinematic score. We’re talking about art crimes, both solved and unsolved! Heists, forgeries, and criminal masterminds abound, as we discuss the “value” of art, and why the black market for art and antiquities continues to thrive.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm!

Here There Be Dragons: Etiologies - Ep 87 Apr 27, 2020

This week, Anna and Amber talk about those pesky Big Questions: How are we here? Why are we here? Where do dragons come from? Turns out, people have been coming up with explanations, myths, and stories for questions like this since prehistory.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Check Yourself Before You Shipwreck Yourself - Ep 86 Apr 20, 2020

Anna and Amber venture beneath the waves this week to bring you an episode about shipwrecks and underwater archaeology! We visit a few of the most famous ships in Davy Jones' Locker, Amber learns that underwater archaeology means more than "just pick it up from the bottom," and Anna dusts off that pirate accent.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Green Sahara: The African Humid Period - Ep 85 Apr 13, 2020

The grass is always greener on the other side (of the Holocene). What is today a vast and inhospitable home to many people and creatures was, between ten and five thousand years ago, a lush environment replete with lakes, forests, and grasses. We examine the first clues that suggested a Green Sahara to researchers, explore the technologies and societies that lived there, and contemplate what the Sahara’s past might suggest about its future.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Book Club Bonanza - Ep 84 Apr 06, 2020

Settle into your comfiest chair for Book Club with Anna and Amber this week. We talk about our favorite books, movies, and TV shows with archaeological or anthropological themes! We've also got some tips for listeners on how to get your literary fix while you're sheltering in place.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

A Giant April Fool's Episode Apr 01, 2020

This year's April Fool's Day episode is on the biggest thing that never was: giants! Dive normal-sized-headfirst into conspiracy theories and hoaxes surrounding giants in the archaeological record, and meet some giants that didn't exist in Saudi Arabia, India, the Caucasus, and Appalachia.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Tiny Plants: Paleoethnobotany with Special Guest Dr. Madelynn von Baeyer - Ep 83 Mar 30, 2020

Anna and Amber chat with Dr. Madelynn von Baeyer about archaeological plants. How do you find 'em? What can they tell us? What's the best archaeological plant? And what does any of this have to do with MUMMIES?!?

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

A Day at the Museum with Dr. Briana Pobiner - Ep 82 Mar 23, 2020

Anna and Amber chat with Dr. Briana Pobiner, a researcher and educator at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History's Human Origins Program. We talk favorite hominins, meat science, evolutionary education, how to get the most out of a frolic through the museum, and some of the zillion other things Dr. Pobiner does.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Mark My Words: Linguistics! - Ep 81 Mar 16, 2020

In this episode, Amber and Anna talk about talking. It’s finally an episode on linguistics! We think about Neanderthal speech, wrestle with syntax and semantics, and have a whole language family reunion.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Eat Locally: The Archaeology of Indigenous American Food - Ep 80 Mar 09, 2020

This week, Anna and Amber take a look at foodways in the archaeological record of North America. What does archaeological evidence say about what was cooked, who was cooking, and what vessels were used to prepare and store food? What evidence is there for recreating ancient and pre-contact diets? How does this fit in with contemporary food sovereignty movements among Indigenous people? How great are potatoes? All this and more!

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Not All Heroes Wear Capes: Countering Human Remains Trafficking - Ep 79 Mar 02, 2020

This week, Anna and Amber are joined by Dr. Damien Huffer, a bioarchaeologist and crime fighter. Dr. Huffer’s work was featured way, way back in Episode 36, “The Unsettling Business of Curating Human Remains,” and Anna and Amber are keen to learn more. How does one get into this line of work? What makes people want to own parts of other people? What’s being done to stop trafficking, and what lies ahead?

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Hasanlu: An Iron Age Whodunnit - Ep 78 Feb 24, 2020

In the early first millennium BCE, the city of Hasanlu was destroyed in a single, terrible day. Excavations reveal murdered civilians and a citadel engulfed in fire, but who was responsible for destroying this town on the road to everywhere in Iron Age Western Asia? This week, Anna and Amber tell Hasanlu's story, and of the academic drama that followed its excavation (and continues to this day).

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

The Dirt Travel Club: Bulgaria Edition - Ep 77 Feb 17, 2020

This week, Anna gets out her box of slides from her recent trip to Bulgaria. We discuss some of the deep history (and prehistory) of Bulgaria, as well as some mythology and folk traditions. Then, we have a chat about some of our favorite ways to experience different communities and cultures when we travel. (Hot tip: EAT EVERYTHING)

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Special Guest Kimberlee Moran and the Arch Street Project - Ep 76 Feb 10, 2020

Anna and Amber are joined by forensic archaeologist Kimberlee Moran to talk about the unique story of the First Baptist Church cemetery in Philadelphia, PA. Our story this week has twists, turns, and more information about preserved brains than you might think possible!

Links

Affiliates

This Is Your Brain on Drums - Ep 75 Feb 03, 2020

We're back! Anna and Amber are marching to a very special beat this week, as we talk about sound-induced trances and other ways in which people achieved altered states in the past. Tune in, turn on, and join us!

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Fieldwork Stories - Ep 74 Dec 23, 2019

This week is a little different! As we head into a brief holiday break, we want to show our fellow archaeologists some love. We took to Twitter, and in this episode we share some fieldwork stories from you, our listeners! Amber and Anna also share their own field experiences.

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Our Most Metal Episode of All Time - Ep 73 Dec 16, 2019

Time to throw the devil horns and apply superfluous umlauts to vöwëls, because this week The Dirt is totally metal! Metallurgy, that is. How and when did humans first use metals, and what can we learn about them? Some come straight from the ground, others from far, far away, some from a combination of raw materials, and some? Some come FROM OUTER SPACE.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

It's the (Moral) Circle of Life! - Ep 72 Dec 09, 2019

This week, Amber and Anna wade into the moral circle. When it comes to deserving help and care, who counts? What does that care look like, and how can we see evidence for it in the historical and archaeological record? We do our best to wrap our brains around all this and more.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Aiding and A-vetting: The Archaeology of Animal Care - Ep 71 Dec 02, 2019

This week Anna and Amber told you we’re going to the park, but really it’s a trip to the v-e-t in an episode all about evidence for animal care and veterinary medicine in the archaeological record. Learn how archaeologists assess animal welfare from bone analysis, ancient Egyptian animal medicine, a snapshot of life on a medieval French farm, and more, including 2nd millennium BCE pro tips on how to get your horse absolutely jacked.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Japanese Food and Drink, Then, Now, and Way Back When - Ep 70 Nov 25, 2019

It’s the second half of our two-episode series on Japan! This week, Amber and Anna explore some of the traditions and material culture surrounding Japanese food. We research rice, sample sake, banter about bento, and MAYBE MAKE THE BEST SERIES OF PUNS EVER HEARD ON THE SHOW.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Prehistoric Japanese Pt 1 - Ep 69 Nov 18, 2019

This week, it’s a sponsored episode (thanks Elizabeth!) and part one in a two-part series on ancient Japan. This week—the Jomon, prehistoric Japanese hunter-gatherers, and their descendants, the Ainu indigenous people. Also, some bears.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

It's A Wash - Ep 68 Nov 11, 2019

This week, Anna and Amber decided to clean up their act and take a look at the history of bathing and hygiene. We’re dipping our toes into Roman baths, sweating through Finnish and Russian saunas, discussing the shrewd marketing behind the “Halitosis Effect,” and more. Plus, what even IS soap, anyway?

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

October Bonus Episode - Deep Cuts - Ep 67b Nov 08, 2019

Deep Cuts from October episodes.

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Still Spooktober: They Built It on a Haunted Burial Ground - Ep 67 Nov 04, 2019

Spooktober winds to a close once again, and we end with a mystery. Bundle up and join Anna and Amber at Roopkund Lake, where bones scatter the shore and speculation and science meet. Who were the people whose skeletal remains keep appearing in a remote lake in northern India? How did they get there? How might we find out?

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast

Affiliates

Spooktober: The Nature of Evil - Ep 66 Oct 28, 2019

Come along for a look at the anthropology of “evil,” some of the psychological designations that true crime podcasts might neglect, some wildly speculative thoughts about the roots of human evil, and how scores on “psychopath tests” vary across societies. Plus, the earliest cold case murder, Machiavelli on Machiavellianism, and unfortunately, the entirely unwelcome reappearance of the Evil Neanderthal theory.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Spooktober: South American Horror Story - Ep65 Oct 21, 2019

This week, head south to the misty, mysterious island of Chiloé, Chile, where Amber tells Anna a story of a powerful cult of warlocks that held the island in their grip in the late 19th century CE. But, as in all good horror stories, the true villain is possibly something else entirely. Sit down for a hearty meal of the spookiest spaghetti and explore indigenous Mapuche governance, colonization, and whether the ghost stories of Chiloé might be more meaningful than they seem.

Content warning: there is a brief scene describing graphic violence, but we’ll warn you when it’s time for sensitive ears to skip ahead.

Links

Contact

Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

Spooktober: Cryptoanthropology - Ep 64 Oct 14, 2019

It's here! Spooktober is here! Your (g)hosts kick off the month with an exploration of things that go bump in the woods, and discuss what anthropology has to say about Bigfoot. Turns out, a whole lot. There’s skepticism, mild skepticism, and then there's theory that may finally break Anna altogether.

LinksIs Bigfoot Real? The Long Strange Story of Our Search for Bigfoot (Popular Mechanics)People Have Been Chasing Bigfoot for 60 Years—Here's How It Began (History.com)Bigfoot 411 Them + Us Homo heidelbergensis (Smithsonian Museum of Natural History)Bigfoot Culture and Belief of Sasquatch in the United States (Esri)The Science Behind Bigfoot an Interview With Dr. Jeff Meldrum (BYU-Idaho Radio)Are Other Hominins (Hominoids) Alive Today? (Relict Hominid Inquiry)Bigfoot DNA (Monster Talk)We Burn as Many Calories as Hunter-Gatherers, So What Makes Us Fat? (Time)How many humans would it take to keep our species alive? One scientist's surprising answer (NBC News)Bigfoot Skepticism (Monster Talk)ContactEmail the Dirt Podcast

The Professor Is In (And Pseudoscience Is Out) - Ep63 Oct 07, 2019

This week, Anna and Amber welcome Very Special Guest Ken Feder (Central Connecticut State This week, Anna and Amber welcome Very Special Guest Ken Feder (Central Connecticut State University) to talk all things archaeological and pseudoarchaeological. Amber and Anna ask Ken about teaching strategies! Hot takes from critics! The real impact of archaeological research on living communities! The proper way to say 'Thames!' And more! Plus, why you should buy all of Ken’s books.

LinksAncient America: Fifty Archaeological Sites to See for Yourself “Outcasts” Build Their Own Village in 18th-Century Barkhamsted (Connecticut History)Building in Egypt: Pharaonic Stone Masonry Steph Halmhofer and Bones, Stones, and Books Archaeological Fantasies Kenneth Feder’s Faculty BioContactEmail the Dirt Podcast

Listening to the Oldies - Ep 62 Sep 30, 2019

This week, Anna and Amber sing you a little tune about musical instruments in the archaeological record, and the ways that we can access ancient music today. From the discoveries of the earliest known flutes, to jamming out with Homer, to some mind-blowing takes on sound and silence, consider it our first movement in this composition.

Links

Scales from Around the World (How Music Really Works)

A Biological Rationale for Musical Scales (PLOSOne)

A Voice from the Past (The New Yorker)

The European Music Archaeology Project Recreates Instruments of Old (New York Times)

Ice and Longboats: Ancient Music of Scandinavia (European Music Archaeology Project, Volume 2)

Ancient Greek music: now we finally know what it sounded like (The Conversation)

8 Oldest Musical Instruments in the World (Oldest.org)

Brookhaven Lab Expert Helps Date Flute Thought to be Oldest Playable Musical Instrument (Brookhaven National Laboratory)

Oldest Greek Fragment of Homer Discovered on Clay Tablet (Smithsonian)

Sing like you mean it! - the Linguistics of Tonal Languages

Listen to Sappho Read By Stephen G. Daitz (The New Yorker Podcast)

Hear What Homer’s Odyssey Sounded Like When Sung in the Original Ancient Greek (Open Culture)

Homer Multitext Project

We can tell where a whale has travelled from the themes in its song (New Scientist)

ContactEmail the Dirt Podcast

Story Time with Anna: Olaus and the Chamber of Confirmation Bias - Ep 61 Sep 23, 2019

Snuggle on down in your jimjams with a mug of your favorite warm beverage, as Anna tells Amber a bedtime story about a great moment in archaeological discovery. This week, we travel back to 17th century Sweden, where a professor named Olof Rudbeck changed the world with his research. No spoilers, so check out thedirtpod.com for this week's show notes and recommended reading.

ContactEmail the Dirt Podcast

Listener Questions - Ep 60 Sep 16, 2019

This week, Anna and Amber tackle some questions submitted from you, the listener! It's a lightning round of stories about ghost puppers, citizen archaeology, glimpses of what happens behind closed doors, Stone Age musicians, and much more!

LinksArchaeology, folklore, and the skeletal remains of a hellhound (Strange Remains)Leiston: Are these the bones of devil dog, Black Shuck? (East Anglia Daily Times)What To Do If You Find A Site (Archaeological Society of Virginia)Moundville Archaeological Park Swimming in the Sahara (Discover Magazine)How Climate Change May Have Shaped Human Evolution (Smithsonian Magazine)Earliest music instruments found (BBC News)A Vest Pocket Guide to Brothels in 19th-Century New York for Gentlemen on the Go (New York Times)A Guide to Houses No Gentleman Would Dare to Frequent (New York Times)Pre-Incan Civilizations in Peru (Kuoda)ContactEmail the Dirt Podcast

Fun-A with Fauna - Ep 59 Sep 09, 2019

Anna and Amber talk about animal bones and what you can learn from them about domestication! Learn about how selective breeding affects animals' bodies (and also learn that Amber is very afraid of pigs). We also take a detour into Spookytown with some bizarre Iron age animal burials, and top it off with a lovely story about a kitten.

LinksTop Signs of Animal Domestication (ThoughtCo)Early Date for Horse Domestication in Kazakhstan (Current World Archaeology)The boneyard of the bizarre that rewrites our Celtic past to include hybrid-animal monster myths (The Independent)Ritual and Burial: The Strange and Elaborate Ways Humans Prepared Animals for the Afterlife (Ancient Origins)Ancient bobcat buried like a human being (Science)ContactEmail the Dirt Podcast

The Dirt Potcast: Ceramics in Archaeology - Ep 58 Sep 02, 2019

This week, we’re talking ceramics! Anna and Amber explain how bits of pottery aren’t called shards, but do hold lots of secrets (and sometimes blood!), the role of ceramics in archaeology, evidence for amateur and student potters, and how Amber clearly didn’t miss her calling as a ceramic artist.

LinksBasic Concepts: Pottery in the Archaeological Record (Archaeology Review)

[https://ahotcupofjoe.net/2007/01/basic-concepts-pottery-in-the-archaeological-record/]Ancient Chinese pottery confirmed as the oldest yet found (The Guardian)

[https://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/jun/28/ancient-chinese-pottery-oldest-yet]Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) in the Study of Archaeological Ceramics (Oxford Handbook of Archaeological Ceramic Analysis)

[https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199681532.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199681532-e-24]Thule tradition (University of Waterloo)

[http://anthropology.uwaterloo.ca/ArcticArchStuff/thule.html]Ceramic Technology of Arctic Alaska: An Experimental and Adaptive Craft (Teal Sullivan)

[http://www.tealsullivan.com/ceramics/arcticpottery/]How to Make an Unfired Clay Cooking Pot: Understanding the Technological Choices Made by Arctic Potters (Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory)

[https://www.jstor.org/stable/25653111?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents]Muweilah (Universes in Universe)

[https://universes.art/en/art-destinations/sharjah/archaeological-sites/muweilah]Prehistoric Children Working and Playing: A Southwestern Case Study in Learning Ceramics (Journal of Archaeological Research)

[https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/jar.57.4.3631354]The Dirt Book Club!

When Clay Sings (via WorldCat) [https://www.worldcat.org/title/when-clay-sings/oclc/340283]ContactEmail the Dirt Podcast

August Hiatus Aug 19, 2019

Hey everyone! We're experiencing some technical difficulties with one of our computers. We'll be back with regular weekly episodes just as soon as we figure that out. In the mean time, check out the other great episodes in our back catalogue and on the Archaeology Podcast Network.

Cache of the Day - Ep57 Aug 12, 2019

This week, Anna and Amber take their inspiration from an archaeological news story and dive into some hidden treasures!

LinksSamuel Pepys’ 1666 diaries about his beloved parmesan [http://www.pepys.info/1666/1666sep.html] (Pepys.info)Grave of 'real-life Asterix' who fought Caesar found amid trove of weapons and possessions in West Sussex [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/07/22/real-life-asterix-fought-caesar-found-amid-trove-weapons-possessions/] (The Telegraph)Archaeologists find richest cache of ancient mind-altering drugs in South America [https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/05/archaeologists-find-richest-cache-ancient-mind-altering-drugs-south-america] (Science)Clovis-era Tool Cache 13,000 Years Old Shows Evidence Of Camel, Horse Butchering [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090225132355.htm] (Science Daily)Under Maryland Street, Ties to African Past [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/science/21arch.html] (The New York Times)A Cache of 18th-Century Rockets Discovered in India [https://www.archaeology-world.com/a-cache-of-18th-century-rockets-discovered-in-india/] (Archaeology World)A Dog Named Monty Has Dug Up a Rare Cache of Bronze Age Artifacts in the Czech Republic [https://news.artnet.com/art-world/dog-archaeologist-czech-republic-1351412] (ArtNet)ContactsEmail the Dirt Podcast

Them There Hills: Mounds and the Myth of the Moundbuilders - Ep56 Aug 05, 2019

It’s all about mounds and moundbuilders on this week’s episode with Anna and Amber.

LinksCahokia: The Great Native American Metropolis (via WorldCat)Cahokia Mounds Watson Brake, a Middle Archaic Mound Complex in Northeast Louisiana (American Antiquity)12th-Century Cahokia Was a “Melting Pot” (Archaeology)Cahokia and the Excavation of Mound 72 (Lithics Casting Lab)The Ancient Mounds of Poverty Point: A Place of Rings (via WorldCat)Moundbuilders (Newberry)Early pottery: Technology, Function, Style, and Interaction in the Lower Southeast (via WorldCat)White Settlers Buried the Truth About the Midwest’s Mysterious Mound Cities (Smithsonian)Check out KenFeder’s take on the myth of the moundbuilders over on Archaeological Fantasies. He’s also the author of this week’s Dirt Book Club entry, Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science andPseudoscience in Archaeology.ContactEmail the Dirt Podcast

Troy Story: Heinrich Schliemann and the Power of Lying - Ep 55 Jul 29, 2019

This week, we play some of the Classics: a look at Troy, the Trojan War, and its discovery. Enter Heinrich Schliemann, the archaeologist (nope) who excavated the site of Hisarlik, in present-day Turkey, found evidence of the end of the Iliad (nope), went on to excavate other Homeric heroes (again, nope), and completely changed the game for public interest in archaeological research and the possibility that Homer was based on historical events (actually, this one is true). Come for Amber attempting to recite the Aeneid, stay for Anna throwing books in disgust.

ContactEmail the Dirt Podcast

An Arctic Expedition - Ep 54 Jul 22, 2019

Amber's too cold, Anna's too hot, and we've both lost our dang minds! In an effort to think about something other than the summer heat, this week we're offering you a sampler platter of some of the amazing archaeology from the Arctic regions up north! Learn how people got to the Arctic, what some of them did when they got there, and what's happening to Arctic sites now in light of global warming. Also hyenas. Refreshing!

LinksThe Peopling of the Americas: Evidence for Multiple Models (Discover)Late Pleistocene exploration and settlement of the Americas by modern humans (Science)Beringia (National Parks Service)These First Americans Vanished Without a Trace — But Hints of Them Linger (LiveScience)The ancient people in the high-latitude Arctic had well-developed trade (EurekAlert)Do Canadian Carvings Depict Vikings? Removing Mammal Fat May Tell (LiveScience)How Did Prehistoric Hyenas Reach the Americas? Through the Arctic (Ha’aretz)As the Arctic Erodes, Archaeologists Are Racing to Protect Ancient Treasures (Smithsonian)The Unalaska Sea Ice Project (Boston University Zooarchaeology Laboratory)What Clam Thermometers Tell Us About Past Climates (Sapiens)Clamshells and Climate Change: What seal bones and clamshells teach us about past climate (The Brink)Digging for butter clams in Dutch Harbor, Alaska (Youtube)The Dirt Book Club!The earth is faster now: indigenous observations of Arctic environmental change, by Igor Krupnik and Dyanna JollyThe last imaginary place: a human history of the Arctic world, by Robert McGheeContactEmail the Dirt Podcast

The Climes, They Are A-Changin' Jul 07, 2019

This week, it's a topic that's incredibly relevant and important, and...not the least bit fun. It's climate change! We're here to combat misinformation and to tell you what we know about past global climate change, how we know it, and what that means for our future.

African Empires: Part Two Jun 30, 2019

We wrap up our whirlwind tour of African Empires this week with the later part of the timeline. Anna and Amber travel to Timbuktu, the Solomonid Empire, the Fatimid Caliphate and more! We also cover the Scramble for Africa, which sounds fun and madcap, but is...the opposite of that.

African Empires: Part One Jun 24, 2019

Amber and Anna dip their toes into the vast history of the African continent. In this first installment of a two-episode series, we look at some pre-Classical civilizations. Learn about foreign queens and imported baboons, and why camels are great for business AND religion. And remember! It's never a collapse.

It's Never a Collapse: Angkor Wat Jun 16, 2019

This week, Amber and Anna explore Angkor Wat, the legendary Cambodian temple complex. Who built it? What happened? Did the civilization collapse? (Spoiler: no.) Was it rediscovered after being forgotten for centuries? (Spoiler: also no.) Come for the history, stay for the alien spider beings!

Where Do Babies Come From? The Archaeology of Childbirth Jun 09, 2019

This week, we bring you the MIRACLE OF BIRTH. Join Amber and Anna for a brief frolic through some ancient birthing wisdom and evidence of pregnancy and childbirth in the archaeological record. We're also joined by the brilliant Dr. Natalie Laudicina, who takes us on a fascinating and slightly terrifying journey through the surprisingly complicated landscape of the primate birth canal. Content warning: some of the subject material in this episode may be upsetting, but we try to give listeners a heads up.

News Roundup! Jun 02, 2019

Anna and Amber are both traveling this week, so instead of leaving your feeds bereft, we've got an episode of Old News for you to enjoy!

Prehistoric Beasts and Where to Find Them May 26, 2019

It's another Very Special Sponsored Episode this week! We're talking prehistoric animals of all shapes and sizes (and by all sizes we mean mostly TOO BIG). Learn about giant birds hunted by the first people on New Zealand, the giant sea scorpion that will haunt Amber's dreams, and, well, probably more than you ever wanted to know about woolly mammoth butts.

Dogtectives on the Case! May 19, 2019

This week, we bring you a fascinating, poignant, and thoroughly delightful interview with Very Special Guest Lynne Engelbert, a handler with the Institute for Canine Forensics. Learn what the talented pups at the ICF do for a living and prepare to be amazed!

What is Going on with Those Denisovans?! May 12, 2019

This week, Anna and Amber sit down to chat about the Denisovans, the human ancestors we didn't know we had until recently. Learn about what evidence we have for Denisovans, the traits for which we can thank them, and some of the mysteries that remain. Come for big reveals about what's in human DNA, stay for ample use of phrases like "bouts of interbreeding."

This Episode is Revolting May 05, 2019

It's another Very Special Sponsored Episode this week, about the archaeology of protest, revolt, and rebellion. Join Anna and Amber alongside coal miners in West Virginia, Jewish rebels in the first century CE, enslaved Africans in the Danish Virgin Islands, and more stories of human defiance and resilience in the face of oppression.

Spilling the Antiqui-Tea: Artifact Trafficking and the Antiquities Black Market Apr 28, 2019

Psst. Do you want to buy some archaeology? WELL WE DON'T HAVE ANY TO SELL YOU, BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE WRONG. But that hasn't stopped other people from doing it! Join us this week for a Very Special Sponsored Episode on the antiquities black market, the harm it does to archaeology and to real living people all over the world, and some of the folks doing extremely cool things to protect cultural heritage.

Here Be Unicorns: The Ancient Indus Valley Apr 21, 2019

Join Anna and Amber on an excursion to the Indus Valley, and an exploration of some of the ancient societies therein. Learn about the thrills of city planning and indoor toilets, experience the mystery and absurdity of the Indus "unicorn," and enjoy a surprising number of Anna's best seal impersonations.

Let's Talk about (Inter)Sex Apr 14, 2019

This week's episode was inspired by news coverage of Revolutionary War hero Casimir Pulaski, who, according to his skeleton, may have been intersex. But what does it mean to be intersex, and how do we incorporate this very real form of existence into our understanding of the archaeological record? Learn along with Anna and Amber from forensic archaeology, American history, Indigenous American culture, and a truly heart-wrenching tale from Iran.

Ur Never Going to Believe This Apr 07, 2019

Join Anna and Amber on a tour of third millennium BCE Mesopotamia, where they explore the Royal Tombs of Ur. It has everything: musical instruments, very extra jewelry looks, a Great Death Pit (!), a famous excavator with a flair for the dramatic, even a surprise find nearly a century later in a museum basement. Who was buried there? What makes these tombs so special? What did Sumerian music sound like? How great was that death pit?

Archaeologists Dig Dinosaurs... April Fools! Apr 01, 2019

Hello, and welcome to The Dirt, a podcast all about dinosaurs! Since we’re archaeologists (and thus don’t study dinosaurs, ahem) we know nothing about this subject, so for this special April Fools’ Day episode, Anna sits down with paleontologist Chris Capobianco from Harvard University’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. Learn about how quickly a fossil forms, the process of preparing fossils for research or exhibition, what dinosaurs really looked like, how exactly one goes about becoming a paleontologist, and what the future may hold for the discipline (and humanity.

Helen Hunt Jackson: Woman with a Hobby Mar 31, 2019

Our very first LIVE SHOW, from Cosumnes River College in Sacramento! In honor of Women's History Month, we celebrate the life and career of Helen Hunt Jackson, the raddest lady activist and author you've never heard of. In her lifetime, Jackson was a vocal and tireless advocate for Native American rights during the federal land grabs of the 1800s.

These Boots Were Made for Talking: A Very Brief History of Footwear Mar 24, 2019

Anna and Amber rummage around on the floor of history's closet to bring you a brief history of shoes from around the world! Learn why caves in the southwestern USA are full of shoes. Find a shoe museum near you for some sole-searching. Enjoy a description of Anna's favorite goofy historical fashion statement. All this and more!

What Spake Zarathustra? Mar 17, 2019

It's almost officially springtime in the Northern Hemisphere, and the vernal equinox brings with it another reason to celebrate: Nowruz! Commonly known as Persian New Year, Nowruz has its roots in a millennia-old religion founded by a man named Zartosht whose ideas had a profound impact on the world. Anna introduces fire temples and what ancient writers had to say about Zoroastrianism, while Amber hypes the Bronze Age in Central Asia and suggests some ways in which Zoroastrian ideas have affected other religions.

Piltdown and Out Mar 10, 2019

It's been hectic over at The Dirt HQ! Rather than leaving your feeds dark for a month, here's a Patreon-exclusive episode from earlier this year: Last month, you joined us on a tour of human evolution, and our many ancestors therein. We also shared a bit from Dirt After Dark about pseudoarchaeology and its racist underpinnings. For this month’s Deep Cuts, why not a bit of both? We present to you the Piltdown Man, the most contentious human ancestor there never was.

Lady Statues and Prehistoric Matriarchy Mar 03, 2019

Kick off Women's History Month with a show all about some of the earliest representations of women in art! Anna introduces us to the Venus of Willendorf and her curvy comrades, and shares a research study with very modern take on ancient art. Meanwhile Amber bursts our bubble about the matriarchy and goddess religions in Old Europe, and discusses goddess worshippers of past and present at Çatalhöyük in present-day Turkey. Or, as Amber would insist we call it this month, Her-key.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Contact

ArchPodNet

Affiliates

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

Affiliates

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

Affiliates

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

Affiliates

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

Affiliates

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

Affiliates

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

Affiliates

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

Affiliates

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

Affiliates

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

Affiliates

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

Affiliates

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

Affiliates

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

Affiliates

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

Affiliates

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

Affiliates

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

Affiliates

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

Affiliates

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

Affiliates

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

Affiliates

Links