The Prehistory Guys

Latest Episodes:

INTERVIEW: Tess Machling | Torcs, Prehistoric Society and Chocolate. Oct 31, 2020

Show notes

However, she has a particular passion for Iron Age torcs, running a website with restorer Roland Williamson called The Big Book of Torcs. https://bigbookoftorcs.com/ There's no-one better with whom to explore the detail and peculiarities of these magnificent artefacts than Tess and 'talking torcs' is the central theme of this discussion.

And then - chocolate torcs anyone? No time to explain ... listen on! 😊

http://www.prehistoricsociety.org/

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#34 The Cornish Bird | INTERVIEW with Elizabeth Dale - The Stones & Hidden Wonders of Cornwall Jul 30, 2020

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Elizabeth Dale A.K.A. 'The Cornish Bird' can trace her heritage in Cornwall back more than 500 years. As you probably know, from a megalithic point of view, Cornwall is one of the most densely packed areas in the whole of the UK and if you visit Lizzie's blog 'The Cornish Bird' https://cornishbirdblog.com, you're sure to find her writing beautifully about ancient sites both familiar and strange, many well off the beaten track. For a change we thought you'd love to hear from someone who's approach is not academic, someone who appreciates the stones for their own sakes - as they stand in and characterise the landscape in which she lives. Help support us and join our Patreon community

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Living in the Iron Age | Caroline Nicolay & Tom Timbrell | PODCAST #33 Jun 17, 2020

Show notes

It was an absolute delight talking with Caroline & Tom about their insights into what it was like living in the Iron Age. This is archaeology from the other end of the barrel; actually living and working with the available foods, materials, pigments and technology gives an insight into prehistoric life that simply looking at archaeological remains cannot. The depth of archaeological knowledge these two have, coupled with their experience of hands-on dealing with the realities of day-to-day Iron Age life, illuminates not only a period just before the Romans arrived, but probably way before that, the Bronze Age and maybe even the Neolithic. Help support us and join our Patreon community

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SEREN GRIFFITHS | Science in Archaeology | PODCAST #32 May 27, 2020

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We met Seren in 2019 at the Prehistoric Society’s 'Landscapes of the Dead' conference at the Society of Antiquaries in London where she gave a fantastic talk. In fact, the first thing Rupert said to Michael after her presentation was that he really wished she had been one of his lecturers!

It really is no surprise that Seren was the youngest person ever to be invited to give the very prestigious Golson Lecture at Australia National University in Canberra in 2018.

Seren's specialities are science in archaeology and public archaeology, and her work on the mesolithic neolithic transition is something we’re interested in as well. However, we're particularly fascinated by what she has to say about a site that we're slightly (infamously!) connected to - Bryn Celli Ddu. Together with Ffion Reynolds, she has been lead archaeologist on the excavations there over the last 5 years.

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Duncan Garrow | Neolithic Argonauts, Grave Goods & Crannogs | PODCAST #31 | May 08, 2020

Show notes

We do try to bring you wide ranging areas of study and this month we’re delighted to be joined by Professor Duncan Garrow of Reading University

We met Duncan at the Landscapes of the Dead conference back in November 2019 and knew we had to get him on the show. Apart from being a great speaker, he is another frontline archaeologist who makes you reconsider all sorts of things you thought you knew.

Duncan Garrow teaches later European prehistory (with a particular focus on Britain) and archaeological theory. His research interests include the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition; long-term histories of deposition; burial practices; the interpretive potential of radiocarbon dating; the integration of developer-funded and university-based archaeology; archaeological theory; and interdisciplinary approaches to material culture.

In this interview, we grill him about Neolithic 'argonauts' and migrations across the Channel and the western seaways, Rupert's favourite: crannogs - and the amazing UK Grave Goods project he is involved with in assocation with the British Museum.

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A NEW POTTERY DATING TECHNIQUE | Prehistory Guys Investigate | PODCAST #30 Apr 29, 2020

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True to form, The Prehistory Guys chase down another media headline to find the hidden treasure! In this case, news of a new date for old London conceals the real story: the first use of a new and exciting archaeological dating technique for pottery. Help support us and join our Patreon community

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AUBREY BURL 1926-2020 | A short appreciation Apr 21, 2020

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We were saddened to learn of the passing of the great archaeologist. For megalithic enthusiasts, his influence has been profound and that holds true for us and the podcasts and films we make. We couldn't let the moment pass without saying a few words. Help support us and join our Patreon community

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PODCAST #29 | Mike Allen | Snails, Stonehenge and Prehistoric Landscapes Apr 14, 2020

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The Prehistory Guys talk to environmental archaeologist and conchologist (snail expert) Dr Mike Allen, lecturer at Oxford University and research fellow at Bournemouth University. Help support us and join our Patreon community

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PODCAST #28 | Lightning Strikes at Callanish? Apr 10, 2020

Show notes

In December 2019 reports began to appear in the media about the discovery of an anomaly in the Callanish landscape on Lewis that pointed to a 5,000 year old lightning strike being the inspiration for the famous monument.

The discovery was made by the Calanais Virtual Reconstruction Project, a joint venture led by the University of St Andrews with standing stones trust Urras nan Tursachan and the University of Bradford and supported by funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise. They were not on the hunt for ancient lightning strikes however. The anomaly was thrown up by a magnetometry scan of one of the Callanish sites - Airigh na Beinne Bige, otherwise know as Site XI.

Can we infer that the whole Callanish site was erected because of a lightning strike? It's a nice idea - but can it withstand the merciless glare of investigation by The Prehistory Guys?

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PODCAST #27 | Seven Ages Research Associates INTERVIEW Apr 06, 2020

Show notes

A couple of podcasts back, we interviewed Professor Bruce Bradley - he of the Solutrean Hypothesis in Paleolithic America. Truth be told, the impetus to contact Bruce Bradley came about because we'd noticed that an outfit called 'Seven Ages Research Associates' in the States had just published an interview with him. It was a bit "if they can - why don't we?" - so we did.

Well, one thing led to another and one day we got an invitation from Jason Pentrail, one of the three associates, to hook up and produce some back-to-back interviews with each other. They'd interview us for their podcast and we'd interview them for ours. Here's our side of the deal!

Although their remit is very much broader than ours (histrory, archaeology, science and culture) it turns out we are very much on the same page as far as communicating what may be going on behind the scenes in academia within our spheres of interest.

If this chat is anything to go by, there is much for us to exchange and we feel that we've barely scratched the surface as far as us talking to each other is concerned. Watch this space.

In this brief chat, we talk about their various areas of interest, Bruce Bradley, bridging the gap between amateur and professional archaeologists and their favourite archaeological sites in the USA and more. Enjoy.

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