The Dirt Podcast

Latest Episodes:

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

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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.

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Prehistoric Japanese Pt 1 - Ep 69 Nov 18, 2019

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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.

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

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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?

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

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Deep Cuts from October episodes.

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

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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?

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

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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.

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

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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.

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Old News, Issue 12 Oct 18, 2019

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OLD NEWS IS BACK and slightly older than usual, dear listener! This month, we look at lovers, fighters, sports fans, sippy cups, and so much more!

Viking Drinking Hall in Scotland (Archaeology Magazine)

Ancient Egyptian Yeast (Archaeology Magazine)

Woodstock Archaeology (Time)

The bow of a World War II submarine was discovered off the coast of the Aleutian Islands (CNN)

Ancient DNA from Roman and medieval grape seeds reveal ancestry of wine making (Science Daily)

Age of Discovery ship found perfectly preserved in Baltic Sea (The Independent)

Indigenous petroglyphs found for 1st time in Newfoundland (CBC)

This Young Man and Woman Were Buried Face-to-Face 4,000 Years Ago in Kazakhstan (Live Science)

'Lovers of Modena' Buried Hand-in-Hand Turn Out to Be Men (Live Science)

Forgotten Sculpture of Alexander the Great Found in Greek Museum’s Storage (Greek Reporter)

Skeleton of Ancient Sports Fan and Head-Shaped Jar Found in Bulgarian Grave (Live Science)

Babies Drank from Ancient 'Sippy Cups' Thousands of Years Ago (Live Science)

15th-Century Scottish Warrior Who Died in a Clan Feud Was Buried with 5 Extra Heads (Live Science)

Genome of nearly 5000-year-old woman links modern Indians to ancient civilization (Science)

Extinction of Icelandic walrus coincides with Norse settlement (ScienceDaily)

Spooktober: Cryptoanthropology - Ep 64 Oct 14, 2019

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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

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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