The Dirt Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Dirt After Dark: Tiki Crazes and Volcano Sacrifices Feb 28, 2021

Show notes

In this super long, super exciting installment of Dirt After Dark, we pick up where we left off in our volcanoes episode and take a look at volcano-informed myth and culture in fact and fiction (and the things that fall somewhere in the middle) before jumping feet first into an exploration of the trope of volcano sacrifices. Plus, we tackle tiki culture and Amber finds a new favorite movie.

Current Eruptions (Smithsonian National HIstory Museum Global Volcanism Program)

The Golden Bough (Project Gutenberg) - Chapter 8: The Worship of Volcanoes in other Lands.

Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics (via Google Books)

Yadnya Kasada festival - in pictures (The Guardian)

Here's what it's like to get thrown into a volcano (Popular Science)

The Unlikely Philosophy of Joe Versus the Volcano (Tor.com)

The Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary - entry "tiki"

Tiki bars are built on cultural appropriation and colonial nostalgia. Where’s the reckoning? (Los Angeles Times)

Lovely Hula Lands: Corporate Tourism and the Prostitution of Hawaiian Culture (Border/Lines)

Is Tiki "Cultural Appropriation"? (Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Fantasy)

The Real and the Fake: Polynesian Culture and How We Perceive It (Critiki News)

On Culturally Thoughtful Tiki (Critiki News)

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

Show notes

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.

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Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

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Volcanoes! - Ep 124 Feb 15, 2021

Show notes

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.

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Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

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

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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.

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Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

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Unboxing Boxgrove - Ep 122 Feb 01, 2021

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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.

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Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

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

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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.

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Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

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

Show notes

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

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Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

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Show and Tell Abraq - Ep 120 Dec 21, 2020

Show notes

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.

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Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

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

Show notes

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.

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Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com

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

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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!

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