November has been intense, so we weren’t able to finish The Lost City of the Monkey God this month. But don’t worry—we’ve got something special for you instead! In this episode, we share our recent conference trip to Colonial Williamsburg. Both of us visited this historic interpretive town as kids, but this time, we approached it with the eyes of an archaeologist and an interpreter. How does it hold up? Is it still worth a visit? Tune in to hear our thoughts! ____ #ArchaeologyBooksForFun #Coloni...
Dec 01, 2024•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, we dive into part two of "The Lost City of the Monkey God". The team assembles and embarks on an expedition to the jungles of the Mosquitia region in Honduras to "discover" a "lost" city. Facing swarms of hungry insects and encounters with deadly snakes, they set out to confirm the site they identified using LiDAR. Last time, we had a few critiques. Will the book redeem itself? Tune in to find out! ___ "The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story" by Douglas Preston Want to su...
Nov 01, 2024•2 hr 44 min•Transcript available on Metacast A new episode, a new book! In "The Lost City of the Monkey God", daring adventurers use cutting-edge technology to brave the wild and dangerous jungles of Honduras in search of a city lost for centuries! At least, that's how the book presents itself. However, the story has sparked critiques from archaeologists, anthropologists, and native Hondurans. Will we be swept away by this thrilling tale of daring-do? Or will we uncover the flaws in both the book and the project it's based on? Tune in to f...
Oct 05, 2024•2 hr 34 min•Transcript available on Metacast David Drake was a skilled potter and an enslaved man, known for the poetry he courageously inscribed on his pots at great personal risk. Join us for a very special one-off episode as we discuss the children's book "Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave" and celebrate this remarkable individual. Next up, we'll be starting the book "The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story". Don't miss it! #podcast #archaeology #history #archaeologybooksforfun #slavery #pottery...
Sep 01, 2024•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast For the final episode of "Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries" we explore how inventive ancient people were and we throw a little cold water on dowsing and psychics in archaeology. Looking ahead, our next episode will be a one-off with the fabulous kid's book "Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave". David Drake was a remarkable person who, despite the great danger, wrote poetry on the sides of his pots! Tune in for fascinating stories and insightful discussions! #Archaeology #Arc...
Aug 01, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, we dive into the peopling of the Americas, Vikings in North America, and the legend of Atlantis! Plus, we finally discuss the controversial idea that aliens helped ancient civilizations build some of the world's greatest structures. Our thoughts on the matter may surprise you (but probably won't). #Archaeology #ArchaeologyBooksForFun #Vikings #Atlantis #AncientAliens #HistoryHoax #ScienceVsPseudoscience
Jul 01, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode we kick off our discussion of "Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology." Join us as we delve into the intriguing world of scientific inquiry versus pseudoscience. We'll explore the myths surrounding a supposed race of ancient giants, uncover the story behind the Cardiff Giant hoax, and unravel the infamous Piltdown Man fraud. Get ready for a journey through some of the most bizarre and fascinating cases in archaeology. Tune in to learn...
Jun 01, 2024•2 hr 44 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast We are very excited for this one! In this special episode, we sit down with the talented Mary Anna Evans, author of "Artifacts: A Faye Longchamp Mystery." Join us as we delve into her fascinating writing process, her meticulous research, and how she so masterfully represents archaeology in her work. Don't miss this chance to get an insider's look at Mary Anna's inspirations and storytelling secrets. We know you'll enjoy getting to know her as much as we did! #archaeolog...
May 24, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Join us for the thrilling finale of "Artifacts: A Faye Longchamp Mystery"! In this last episode, stakes are high as Faye faces a heart-stopping dilemma. Will Faye reveal her illegal activities and go to prison to stop a killer? Who is the killer? Will Joyeuse be saved? What the heck is a palmetto? All these questions will be answered! Don’t miss our exclusive interview with Mary Anna Evans, author of "Artifacts", coming later this month. It’s a treat for all mystery aficionad...
May 01, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Brace yourself for a rollercoaster of twists and turns as we navigate both real and fictional landscapes in the captivating backdrop of the Florida Panhandle. With a missing body, and the discovery of two more, this episode promises to keep you on the edge of your seat! Don't forget to cast your vote in our poll to help us choose our next adventure. The options are: "Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology" "Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death...
Apr 01, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Transcript available on Metacast We take a break from looting, the black market, and murder by starting a new mystery novel about... looting, the black market, and murder. What a refreshing change! This time, however, we're reading our first fiction novel about archaeologists and murder mysteries that takes place right in our local area in the Florida Panhandle. We're already really enjoying this one! "Artifacts" is the first of a series of novels called the "Faye Longchamp Mysteries" and is written ...
Mar 01, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Transcript available on Metacast As a special episode follow-up interview to "Stealing History" we're joined by archaeologist Dr. Andres Garzon-Oechsle! Andres has a unique perspective on the issue of site looting in his home country Ecuador. He has also personally visited the Lords of Sipán museum in Peru. Tune in to hear all about it! YouTube: https://youtu.be/ns21PoYH-Ko Follow us on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/174409671-archaeology-books-for-fun Links: Scripps Center for Marine Archaeology -...
Feb 22, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is it, the conclusion to Stealing History! It's been a pretty wild ride with grave robbing, FBI stings, and murder. This time the tale gets a bit more hopeful with on the ground efforts to protect sites and, at last, the opening of the Sipán museum. We also take issue with some of the author's proposals to fight the antiquities black market. There's a lot going on in this one! "Stealing History: Tomb Raiders, Smugglers, and the Looting of the Ancient World" by Roger At...
Feb 01, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast As we take a break from Stealing History, we use this time to discuss some archaeology news, review the podcast over the last 14 episodes, and talk a little about what exactly it is that we do. Do you have a favorite book that we covered? Let us know! We will be back next month with the concluding episode on Stealing History. See you then! Articles discussed: German Authorities Repatriate 75 Artifacts to Mexico https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/11/29/germany-repatriates-75-archaeological-arte...
Jan 01, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, we finally get to see the conclusion of the FBI sting operation. Additionally, we will delve into the significant role that many museums play in contributing to the black market trade of antiquities. Next time, we will provide a recap of our favorite books and episodes. If you have a favorite of your own, let us know! "Stealing History: Tomb Raiders, Smugglers, and the Looting of the Ancient World" by Roger Atwood. #archaeology #Sipan #Sipán #HuacaRajada #Peru #MocheCu...
Dec 01, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast This episode has a little bit of everything you could want from a crime drama! Smuggling rings, FBI stings, informants, double crosses, and foul play. This time we focus on some of the artifacts that were stolen from the ancient Moche culture tomb/temple site Huaca Rajada located in Sipán, Peru and efforts to recover them. Stealing History: Tomb Raiders, Smugglers, and the Looting of the Ancient World by Roger Atwood. #archaeology #Sipan #Sipán #HuacaRajada #Peru #MocheCulture #looting #blackmar...
Nov 01, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast Starting a new book, we dive into the seedy underworld of the black market antiquities trade. We take a look at the people who do the looting of ancient sites and what drives them as well as the distributors who buy from them. This book mostly focuses on the ancient Moche culture tomb/temple site Huaca Rajada located in Sipán, Peru. Though not a happy story, we are enjoying the narrative style of this book in particular. Stealing History: Tomb Raiders, Smugglers, and the Looting of the Ancient W...
Oct 25, 2023•2 hr 54 min•Transcript available on Metacast Finishing up this book, we take a close look at how historical archaeology can tell us a lot about African American history. We start off with what an excavation taught us about the lives of the residents of the Parting Ways site in Massachusetts. Then we take discuss what archaeology teaches us about African American architecture, foodways, and ceramics. Next Book "Stealing History: Tomb Raiders, Smugglers, and the Looting of the Ancient World" by Roger Atwood. The summary for the boo...
Sep 09, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Winged death head grave markers, architecture, and forks! We look at how changes in gravestone art and architecture, and to a lesser degree, furniture, tools, and table utensils all reflect cultural changes happening in New England in the 17th and 18th centuries. "In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early American Life" by James Deetz is a remarkable book because it is informative, yet a very pleasant read from a time when most writing on archaeology was anything but. A websit...
Aug 02, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast With a new Indiana Jones movie just released, what archaeologist could resist the temptation to talk about it? We discuss why we love Indiana Jones, our problems with it, and generally gush about how much we enjoyed this movie. We plan to release the next episode of "In Small Things Forgotten" on the first of August as usual. #archaeology #indianajones #indianajonesandthedialofdestiny
Jul 22, 2023•30 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast This time we take a look the beginnings of historical archaeology in the U.S., ceramics and what they tell us about the past, and several New England archaeological sites. "In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early American Life" by James Deetz is a remarkable book because it is informative, yet a very pleasant read from a time when most writing on archaeology was anything but. Website on the Flowerdew Hundred Excavations Captain Basil Hall Chamber Pot Article #archaeology #hi...
Jul 01, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Topping out at 30,000 residents, Cahokia was the largest city of the Mississippian Culture and is located in the same place as current day St. Louis. One of its defining features today is the massive earthen mounds, many that still exist today. Much of this city's story is lost, but archaeology and oral traditions can help us learn a surprising amount. This wraps up our reading of "Book: Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age" by Annalee Newitz. Next week we will read ...
Jun 03, 2023•2 hr 44 min•Transcript available on Metacast The ancient city of Angkor in Cambodia held almost one million people at its peak. Though it was never lost, it ended its time as a major city due to political upheaval and climate disasters. Sound familiar? Book: Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age, by Annalee Newitz #archaeology #Angkor
May 01, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Did you know that the ancient Roman city of Pompeii was a bustling tourist town before it was destroyed by a volcano? This was a community that was at the heart of Rome in a lot of ways and it reflects a lot of their advancements and changing social structures. Its loss was so traumatic to that only a single written record of the catastrophe exists today. Book: Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age, by Annalee Newitz Article referenced in the podcast: https://www.heritagedaily.com/...
Apr 01, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Join us as we start a new book looking at four ancient cities, how they developed and, ultimately, why they died. We start of by taking a look at the world's oldest "city" Çatalhöyük! We get a chance to dispel some common myths about the city, see how the community operated, how people had to figure out how to live around so many strangers, and we get a detailed peek at what life might have been like for a woman who lived 9,000 years ago! The book: Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban...
Mar 01, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Transcript available on Metacast After a holiday hiatus we are ready to return and finish up "Captain Kidd's Lost Ship: The Wreck of the Quedagh Merchant" by Frederick H. Hanselmann. This half of the book features the archaeological investigations into the shipwreck itself as well as its development as a Living Museum in the Sea. For our next episode we will go back about 9,000 years ago and read about the ancient city Çatalhöyü! This will take us through Part One in the book " Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Ag...
Feb 01, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Transcript available on Metacast This time we dive into the world of underwater archaeology and pirates with "Captain Kidd's Lost Ship: The Wreck for the Quedagh Merchant" by Frederick H. Hanselmann. In this episode we talk about how it's okay to skip theory chapters in archaeology books, we look at some of the big picture events in the world during Kidd's time, and finally we discuss Kidd's career and downfall. For our next podcast we will finish the book and get into the archaeology of the Quedagh Merchant and we will look at...
Dec 01, 2022•2 hr 32 min•Transcript available on Metacast For this episode, we finish "The Dig" by John Preston. This is an historical fiction book featuring the events and people involved in the discovery and excavation of the Sutton Hoo site in England in 1938 which changed our understanding of the "Dark Ages." In this episode we learn more about the site as the excavation comes under new management and Basil Brown getting pushed aside. We also are introduced to a young Peggy Piggott (a real archaeologist) starting a career in a field that was ...
Nov 02, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast For our very first episode we are talking about the book "The Dig" by John Preston. This is an historical fiction book featuring the events and people involved in the discovery and excavation of the Sutton Hoo site in England which changed our understanding of the "Dark Ages." An adaptation of this story was recently released for streaming on Netflix.
Oct 03, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Archaeology Books for Fun is a podcast about reading archaeology-related books that anyone can enjoy. This short episode will introduce the hosts, Tristan Harrenstein and Barbara Clark, the Florida Public Archaeology Network, and explain what the podcast is about. Florida Public Archaeology Network You can also find us on Facebook , Instagram , and YouTube ....
Sep 12, 2022•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
