This week we interview Jason Cooper, an archaeologist with the Washington DOT, the current president of the Association for Washington Archaeology, and former archaeologist with the environmental firm, AMEC. In 2008 we were lucky enough to work on an Olcott excavation with Jason, and now he has co-written a book about those findings. We discuss the significance of the Olcott tradition in Washington, as well as how our findings on the CRM project in 2008 contributed to our knowledge of the Olcott...
Sep 05, 2021•53 min•Ep. 137
Timelines is back, and this time we take a look at a time that is extremely significant to the United States: 1776, and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. We explore the events leading up the the Revolutionary war in America, as well as what was happening at the same time in other parts of the world: China and Africa. Links Timeline of the Declaration of Independence Declaration of Independence China and America in 1776: A Comparison Qing Dynasty Ten Great Campaigns Imamate of Futa ...
Aug 29, 2021•50 min•Ep. 136
Your news for the week includes a Roman basilica, the largest found in Israel, uncovered in the city of Ashkelon. Next is a preserved, mummified, body of a freed Greek slave that lived in Pompeii. Finally, we go to England to find the remains of an Abbey that fell into disuse in the 1500s. Links 2000 Year Old Basilica Unearthed in Ashkelon Archaeologists find mummy, evidence of Greek in Pompeii Archaeologists find skeleton, evidence of Greek in Pompeii Stunningly preserved mummy of slave found i...
Aug 23, 2021•37 min•Ep. 135
In this week’s episode of The Archaeology Show, we take a look at 3 recent archaeology news articles. First, a Roman graveyard containing an unusually high number of decapitated burials, indicating they may have been executed criminals. Second, lava tubes in Saudi Arabia with thousands of bones deposited by hyenas representing many different animals, including humans. Finally, we discuss spade shaped coins made in a 2500 year old Chinese mint. Links 'Exceptionally high' number of decapitated bod...
Aug 15, 2021•50 min•Ep. 134
On today’s show we start with an article that claims to “debunk” the Paleo Diet. However, what it really does is just talk about a lot of really cool food-related things in history. Next we go to Turkey and learn about a headless statue that was recently discovered. Finally, we end in an Iranian salt mine where naturally mummified sheep were found. Links The real Paleo diet: Scientists debunk ancient food myths Headless Statue of Ancient Woman Discovered in Turkey’s ‘Mother Goddess City’ 1600 Ye...
Aug 08, 2021•37 min•Ep. 133
On this weeks episode we have 3 interesting archaeology news articles. First up is the discovery of a Roman Pomerium marker defining the boundary of city of Rome 2000 years ago. Second, a 4000 year old city in Iraq has been discovered. And finally, a reanalysis of skeletons from a Pleistocene era graveyard in Sudan provide new insight into how the people buried there died. Links Ancient Rome's city borders were discovered in a rare stone 4,000-year-old city discovered in Iraq Scientific Reports:...
Aug 01, 2021•47 min•Ep. 132
Paul Zimmerman from the ArchaeoTech podcast joins Chris and Rachel on their archaeological project in the high desert of Nevada. We talk about a dubious piece of Neanderthal art - I mean, art is art, right? We also look at a Nubian cathedral that was recently excavated. Finally, Paul helps us understand the Temple of the Winged Lions at Petra. He's actually worked there! Links A 51,000-year-old carved bone is one of the world’s oldest works of art, researchers say NBC Article Nature Archaeologis...
Jul 25, 2021•50 min•Ep. 131
We have three great news stories for you this week. First, we talk about an article from Smithsonian about ancient tombs in Egypt. Check out the documentary coming out in 2021! Next we look at an experimental archaeology article looking at three different cave lighting systems and their effectiveness. Finally, we look at the oldest tattooing tools ever found in North America. Links Inside the Tombs of Saqqara Scientists reconstruct cave lighting systems used by early humans Tennessee site yields...
Jul 18, 2021•37 min•Ep. 130
This week we discuss three recent news articles about archaeology. First, potential new additions to the hominin evolutionary tree. Then, a CRM firm in South Carolina opens a time capsule from the mid 1800s. And finally, a carved wood staff is found in Finland and it may have belonged to a Shaman. Links Mysterious skull fossils expand human family tree — but questions remain Contents of long-buried time capsule surprise archaeologists Possible shaman's snake stick from 4,400 years ago discovered...
Jul 05, 2021•41 min•Ep. 129
There are a lot of interesting archaeology articles in the world this week. On today’s episode we cover just three. We start with an uncracked 1000 year old chicken egg. Then we talk about a unique child burial in Poland. Finally, we talk about fancy viking clothes and the cost to make them. Links Archaeologists Discover - and Crack - an Intact 1,000 year old chicken egg Girl buried with finch in her mouth puzzles archaeologists Original German Article: The girl with finches: a unique post-medie...
Jun 27, 2021•44 min•Ep. 128
A recent article discussing the discover of over 200 child burials in Canada has brought the Canadian Residential School system back into the light. The schools were for First Nations children to be indoctrinated into white society. They striped children of languangen and identity and forced them into gender-typical labor. it was a horrifying time in Canada that came to an end, in once case, in just 1996. Links Why Canada is mourning the deaths of 215 children The Residential School System https...
Jun 13, 2021•46 min•Ep. 127
This week we have 3 stories of Archaeology in the news. First, the oldest petroglyphs in Scotland, and also the only animal shapes, were discovered by an amateur archaeologist. Second, we discuss new developments in lithic dating using OSL. And finally, a large scale environmental survey on an Air Force base is announced in Wyoming. Links 'An incredible discovery': Prehistoric animal carvings found in Scotland for first time Oldest human traces from the southern Tibetan Plateau in a new light Di...
Jun 06, 2021•40 min•Ep. 126
We have three articles for you today. The first is about current climate models and how they don't take archaeological information into consideration. For example, how many acres of food were grown per person in 1500 Europe verses China? Next we look at why pig and fish remains were in abundance in some ancient Judean settlements? Weren't they supposed to be Kosher? Finally, a paper that's still just an abstract suggests that coin makers in ancient Greece and Rome found it hard to make bronze di...
May 30, 2021•38 min•Ep. 125
This week on The Archaeology Show, we discuss three exciting Archaeology Articles and News stories. First, two obsidian flakes from central Oregon have been found in an early Holocene settlement in Lake Huron. Second, an extensive cemetery in Poland gives the Wielbark civilization its name. And finally, researchers in Arizona have programmed a computer to sort pottery sherds faster and more consistently than humans can. Links Central Oregon obsidian from a submerged early Holocene archaeological...
May 23, 2021•51 min•Ep. 124
This week on The Archaeology show, we discuss 3 recently published Archaeology Articles and stories in the news. First, Neanderthals are back in the news, again! It seems like there is something new about Neanderthals, and this time it is the discovery of 9 individuals with gnawed bones found in an Italian cave. Second, new research uses chemistry to identify beer and wine residue in ancient Sicilian jars. And finally, new research looking at the diet composition of ancient humans, as compared w...
May 16, 2021•39 min•Ep. 123
This week we discuss three interesting archaeology stories in the news. First, new dating techniques are used to date Laos' field of jars. Then, we discuss the oldest known homo sapien burial found in Africa. Finally, excavations of mustatils in Saudi Arabia shed some light on what these structures were used for. Links Archaeologists finally uncovered some of the mystery behind Laos’s Plain of Jars Dating the megalithic culture of laos: Radiocarbon, optically stimulated luminescence and U/Pb zir...
May 09, 2021•42 min•Ep. 122
On today’s episode Chris and Rachel discuss a recent visit to the historical monuments in Philadelphia, PA and Gettysburg. In the last segment they talk about the recent discovery of a grind stone in Orkney, Scotland and what it means for our understanding of the Neolithic in that area. Links Archaeological Investigation of the Carriage House, Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Archaeological Investigations at the Tower Stairhall, Independence National Historical P...
May 02, 2021•48 min•Ep. 121
This week, on the archaeology show, we take a look at a couple new(ish) discoveries that have been in the news this week. First, an extremely well preserved city in Luxor Egypt has been discovered and dated to the reign of Amenhotep III. Next, LiDAR helps researchers discover a new monument in Tikal that appears to be influenced by the people of Teotihuacan, the future conquerers of Tikal. And finally, archaeologists in Maryland believe they have found the home of Ben Ross, Harriet Tubman's fath...
Apr 26, 2021•47 min•Ep. 120
This is a special episode of The Archaeology Show hosted by Tristan Boyle. Recently it was announced that a Benin Bronze, a statue head of an "Oba" or king, would be returned from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland to Nigeria. Head of Special Collections, Neil Curtis describes the process of repatriating the item as well as what that means for other items in the collection. Recently a number of books have been published that talk about the punitive expedition of 1897, where the British razed...
Apr 18, 2021•34 min•Ep. 119
We recently had the opportunity to visit Chichen Itza in Yucatán, Mexico. It was an incredible experience, but, being archaeologists, we of course came away with more questions than were answered! In this episode we give a brief overview Mayan civilization, including Chichen Itza, and then talk about our experience on an incredibly touristy tour! The take away is, do a little research ahead of time (like listening to this podcast!) to help prepare yourself before visiting the site! Links Chichen...
Apr 11, 2021•57 min•Ep. 118
In this week’s archaeology news, we discuss three articles that captured our attention! The first is all about the ancient Dahka fabric, how it was produced, and how that knowledge has been lost to time. The second is an article about a Bohemian grave in the Czech Republic with unique grave goods. And the final story is about an ancient bone tool found in Australia. Links The Legendary Fabric that No One Knows How to Make (BBC) Gold and precious gems unearthed in a 5th-century grave in Bohemia (...
Mar 27, 2021•40 min•Ep. 117
This week in archaeology news we discuss three archaeology stories int he news. First up is an ancient hazelnut shell found in Scotland that has been radiocarbon dated to more than 10,000 years ago. Second, we discuss the growing evidence for Neandertal, Denisovan and early Homo Sapien collaborations and sharing of ideas that contributed to an explosion of creativity and art. Finally, Pompeii is back in the news! This time an intact ceremonial chariot was discovered, and we discuss this contribu...
Mar 21, 2021•44 min•Ep. 116
This week was packed full of interesting archaeology news stories, so join us for a discussion about the 3 that caught our eye! First up is a story about using x-ray microtomography to virtually unfold historical letters. Then, in segment 2 we cover a story about a burial site in Spain that indicates that the social and political rulers of the culture may have been women. Finally, we discuss an innovative new approach to studying Bogota's prehistoric irrigation system. Links Unlocking history th...
Mar 13, 2021•46 min•Ep. 115
For the last few months we’ve been talking about a new type of episode and here’s the first one: welcome to Timelines. This idea is all about taking an anchor event or time period that pretty much everyone has heard about and then looking at what was happening in other parts of the world at the same time. The idea is that sometimes these big anchor events can overshadow other really important things. Our first episode has the building of the pyramids at Giza in Egypt as the anchor. We also talk ...
Mar 06, 2021•56 min•Ep. 114
Welcome to another archaeology news episode! We have three stories to discuss this week. We start with what’s basically an ancient beer factory in Egypt. Then we travel to Stonehenge in England to talk about the origin of the inside circle of stones called the Bluestones. Finally, we look at an ancient Chinese City that archaeologists have spent many years excavation. We discuss these articles from the perspective of an archaeologist to show how a skeptical and scientific perspective can clear u...
Feb 27, 2021•53 min•Ep. 113
AnthroDay is a celebration of Anthropology that the American Anthropological Association hosts every year. On today's episode we talk to the Archaeology Chair of the AAA, Dr. Katie Sampek about what you can expect to see at the AnthroDay page on the AAA website and what the mission of AnthroDay is. We also talk about Dr. Sampek's research regarding historical archaeology, landscape archaeology, and her work at Harvard. Links American Anthropological Association Heritage, Tourism, and Race - Heri...
Feb 18, 2021•48 min•Ep. 112
With the recent release of The Dig, a Netflix film focused on the excavation of the incredible Anglo-Saxon burial ship at Sutton Hoo, we decided it was the perfect opportunity to take a closer look at this site! Sutton Hoo is extremely important and interesting for many reasons and we dive into those as well as review the movie. Did we like it? Join us and find out! We had so much to talk about that we couldn’t fit it all into the episode. Become an APN member to get access to the rest of the co...
Feb 13, 2021•58 min•Ep. 111
We’ve got three great articles to discuss on this week’s news episode. Check out the links below for more information. Links Royal Purple Dyed Textile https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/purple-dye-israel-bible-solomon-david-b1795242.html http://www.sci-news.com/archaeology/royal-purple-textile-09301.html Neanderthal/Homo Sapien Teeth https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/02/01/europe/neanderthal-interbreeding-teeth-scn/index.html https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S...
Feb 08, 2021•49 min•Ep. 110
Join us as we have a discussion about the Harry Potter Universe from an Anthropological and Archaeological perspective. The readers and watchers of Harry Potter are expected to believe that a magical world exists both completely separately but in the same space as the "real" world. Naturally, for these two nerds this brings up so many questions about how the two intersect, both currently, historically, and even prehistorically! Links Find your Hogwarts House! Contact Chris Webster chris@archaeol...
Jan 30, 2021•57 min•Ep. 109
This podcast was mentioned in a CNN article! Check out the link below. On this news episode we also talk about a 3000 year old city of the dead in Egypt, the takeover of the oldest city in the Americas in Peru, and how to identify historical beer cans. Links CNN: 'The Dig' and five other culture recommendations if you love ancient discoveries Ancient coffins, burial sites and a funeral temple discovered in Saqqara necropolis will 'rewrite history' https://www.livescience.com/queen-temple-book-of...
Jan 23, 2021•47 min•Ep. 108
