ArchaeoEd Podcast

In 1997, Ed was part of the excavations that discovered the tomb of Copan's first ruler - Yax K'uk' Mo'.  Join him as he tells the story in his usual humorous style. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at https://www.may...

There were multiple militaristic civilizations in the ancient Americas.  In this episode, Ed talks about their rise to power and weapons of choice.   Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at https://www.mayan-calendar.com Bars and Dots, Maya...

Linda Schele was the most influential Mayanist of her time - some would say of all time.  Ed had the good fortune to be counted among her graduate students.  In this episode, he'll tell you some stories from his time with her.  Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar -...

All over the ancient Americas, from Chile to Alaska, the Milky Way was seen as the path to the otherworld.  Join Ed as he explains his evidence for that assertion.    Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at https://www.mayan-calendar.com Bar...

Teotihuacan was the most important city in all of ancient Mesoamerican history.  Despite almost 200 years of archaeology there, there's a whole lot we don't understand.  Join Ed for a discussion of what we know - and still don't know - about Teotihuacan. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://arch...

Day of the Dead is a captivating and globally celebrated holiday. Accompany Ed on a journey through its rich origins, his personal encounters with this vibrant tradition in Latin America, and discover how you too can participate in its wonderful traditions. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/su...

When it comes to lost ancient cities that everyone wants to find, El Dorado runs a close 2nd to Atlantis.  Did it really exist?  Join Ed as he tries to unravel 500 years of stories and expedition accounts.   Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calen...

Ever wonder how Ed became an archaeologist?  Well here's the story.  The year was 1990 and the place was Copan, Honduras.  A field school experience for the record books! Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at https://www.mayan-calenda...

Fact - Peru's first pyramids are earlier than Egypt's  Not only did they start earlier, they were built for centuries longer.  Join Ed as the explains Peru's first  civilizations from 3500-200 BCE. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan...

3500 years ago, Poverty Point was a thriving city of over 5000 people in the bayous of northern Louisiana.  Despite not having agriculture or even ceramics, those people built North America's 2nd largest pyramid-mound. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar - see the...

The final chapter of the Palenque Mapping Project, Season 1.  More snakes, more temples, and a robbery at gun point!  I got by with a little help from my friends. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at https://www.mayan-calendar.com Bars an...

The continued story of how I mapped Palenque - still in 1998, field season 1 of 3.  In this episode - forest fires, mangos, and skinny dipping. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at https://www.mayan-calendar.com Bars and Dots, Maya date c...

From 1998 to 2000, I led the Palenque Mapping Project.  In this episode I'll share the behind the scenes story of how I got the job and the strange things that happened while making the map. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at https...

The Wari were a civilization of 100's of 1000's of people living in the Andes between 500 and 1000 CE.  Never heard of them?  You're not alone.  In this episode, I'll tell you about them and explain why I believe they were the inspiration for the later Inca Empire. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now availab...

Mississippian civilization honored its dead by laying them to rest in pyramidal burial mounds.  But why?  What did it mean to them and where did they get the idea to do it?  In this episode, we'll discuss that tradition - including its origins and evolution.   Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoe...

In the centuries before Columbus, millions of people lived in what's now the eastern United States.  Today, we call that Mississippian Civilization.  In this episode, I'll discuss what we think we know about their religion. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar...

For most people, Indiana Jones is the archetypal archaeologist.  But is he?  Indie is a lot of things, but a good archaeologist isn't one of them!  Join Dr. Ed as he separates fact from fiction.  Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at...

About 4000 years ago, the civilizations of Mesoamerica created the world's first team sport - older by centuries than any other.  It was played with a big rubber ball, in a stone-built ball court, and enjoyed from the Chihuahua Desert to the rainforests of Honduras. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://ar...

In this episode I'll ask the age old question - who's a good dog?   Dogs were man's best friend in Americas for 1000's of years, from Alaska to the tip of Chile.  They were pets, cargo haulers, hunting companions, guides to the afterlife, and at times, food.  Join me as I discuss what I know about dogs in the ancient Americas. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!...

Ancient Americans consumed a number of plants that Western society now view as "drugs".  But to the ancients, they weren't just plants.  They had spirits that could give them strength and aid them to reach an altered state of consciousness through which to interact with the supernatural otherworld. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoe...

The Olmecs are widely considered Mesoamerica's "mother culture".  In this episode I'll talk about that amazing civilization's achievements and how recent discoveries may change what we think we know about them. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calenda...

Moises Morales was a legend in Mexico.  His contributions to our knowledge and the protection of the Maya ruins of Palenque are unparalleled.  In this episode, I'll tell you some stories about my dear friend Moi. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 M...

The 260 day calendar of Mesoamerica is its oldest and most enduring measurement of time.  In this episode I'll explain how it works, what it means to modern Maya people, and how the Dresden Codex contains important links between the past and present uses of the sacred Tzolk'in calendar. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch...

The Mogollon are a little known ancient civilization of  the American Southwest.  But you probably know them and just don't know you know them, you know?  And if you really don't know them, they're worth knowing. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar - see...

The Moche were an amazingly advanced civilization who lived along Peru's northern coast from about 100 to 750 CE.  In this episode, I'll explain how I believe that they were monotheistic, worshipping a creator deity I call the Fanged Deity. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/...