The Archaeology Show

For some reason we have a Brazilian-themed show today…we start with the recovered skeletal remains of a teenager with a debilitating disease with an intricate bead bracelet. Then we look at an impossibly old site with jewelry made by very ancient Brazilians. Finally, we look at the discovery of a ship scuttled by a truly terrible person during the slave trade years. Links Segment 1: Skeleton of Di...

We’ve got three news stories for you today. First we go to England and find out just how big a “giant hand axe” is. Then we learn about textiles and jewelry from an Iron Age cremation burial. Finally, we’re honing in on the oldest human sites in North America with some new dates from a site in Oregon. Links Segment 1 Giant Hand Axes Discovered in England Point to Prehistoric Humans' 'Strength and...

We’ve got a few really interesting news articles for this week. First, a priest found what he called the “backdoor to hell” in Mexico in the 1600s and sealed it off. Archaeologists may have found it. The we look at a Dutch henge complex that could have been use to monitor the solstices. Finally, we learn about a possible Age of Bamboo in the Philippines 39,000 years ago. Links Archaeologists Found...

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was just released so you know we had to review it! We start with an overview of the movie plot, and then we spend some time looking at how historically accurate the artifacts, people, and events were. We rank the movie on a scale of 1-10 as well as all the IJ movies in order of best to worst, what’s your ranking?? Here’s ours: Rachel: Dial of Destiny 8/10; IJ...

On this week’s news episode we first cover some cool bird bone flutes that were used up to 12,000 years ago as calls for birds of prey. We then go to Greece where the archaeological record has been pushed back a quarter million years to about 700,000 years ago by the presence of stone tools. Finally, we talk about some ancient ovens that were used consistently for over 5000 years by native America...

Chris, one of the hosts, is a lefty. He’s always had to deal with what that means. But, why are 85% of humans right-handed while only a disproportionate few are left-handed? It’s not fair! But, it is evolutionary. On today’s episode we talk about how we know when handedness in humans likely developed and why it was the right side that became dominant. Segment two features an interview for Lana Ruc...

This week we have 3 archaeology news articles. First, even more research points to animal digesta playing a crucial role in providing nutrition to prehistoric peoples. Once again, this also challenges the traditional idea that men were the hunters in hunter-gatherer societies. Then we head over to Barcelona were 9 Roman era burials were found below the city streets. And finally, a site with 37 sta...

On today’s show we have 3 news stories from the Middle East. The first story is about rock art “blueprints” for desert kites in Jordan. Then we move over to Jerusalem where researchers have tested the microbes left behind in ancient toilets and a stone receipt was found on the pilgrimage road between the gates of the city and the temple. We finish up with a short update about the archaeology proje...

We’ve got three stories about pretty well known places or events. The first contains a video and pictures representing over 700,000 images that were stitched together to form the most complete views of the Titanic, ever! We then go to Pompeii to discover that not everyone died as a result of the eruption of Vesuvius. Finally, we head down to Maya country to see a CRM project find a rare sculpture...

We saved the drama for, well, YOU this time! We start with an archaeologist that’s trying to build somewhat of an archaeology theme park in Guatemala and the local community isn’t having it. Then we go to Netflix’s latest blunder regarding a show about Cleopatra. Finally, if you find something in England with your metal detector you’d better report it or suffer the consequences. Links U.S. Archeol...

This week we have 3 news stories. First we head over to Puerto Rico where new analysis of human remains from a 4,000 year old site is helping redefine what we know about the early inhabitants of the island. Then we look at a 39,600 year old bone from Spain that may be a leather punch board. And finally, the Dry Tortugas National Park has found a lost underwater cemetery off the coast of Florida. L...

This week we have three interesting archaeology news stories. First up is the recent (re)discovery of a Roman era fortlet in Scotland. Then we head over to the Grand Canyon where the Glen Canyon dam is having an unanticipated effect on downstream cultural resources. And finally we discus how digesta, or the partially digested vegetation in a large mammal’s digestive tract may have been a food sour...

This week we are taking a deep dive into the origins, history and archaeology of wine. We’ll cover the surprising “birthplace” of wine with some of the oldest evidence of wine making we have so far. Then we look at ancient shipwrecks in the Mediterranean and how they contribute to our knowledge of wine trade routes in Rome and Greece. And then finally, the oldest known wine type that is still in p...

This week we cover three recent archaeology news stories. First up is a ball game carving found at Chichen Itza in Mexico. Then we head over to Egypt where mummy tags are used to reconstruct the ancient climate. And finally bridge construction in Ohio has prompted the excavation of a Hopewell Hamlet. Links Intact Ball Game Carving Discovered at Chichen Itza Play Ball! - About the game Reviving a 3...

On this news show we start with an update on the excavations and controversy surrounding the development of a new set of luxury high-rises in downtown Miami. We then see what the face of a 35,000 year old man from Egypt looks like. Finally, would it hurt to have gold wires woven in and around your teeth to keep them in place? A 17th-century Frenchwoman likely had some opinions about it. Links Batt...

This week we have 3 archaeology news stories! First up, 2,000 ram skulls have been discovered in Egypt’s temple of Ramses II. Then we cover the rent Sapiens article about whether prehistoric humans actually carried and used clubs. Then finally, a new technology is used to create a surprising climate profile at Paleolithic sites in Alaska. Links Over 2,000 ram skulls discovered in Egypt's temple of...

MEMBERS: There’s a bonus segment! This is our final episode in our overview of paleoanthropology and human evolution. It’s been a bumpy ride with a lot of species falling by the wayside, but, we’re down to the final few and we’ll see what happens to them! Don’t forget to check out the other episodes in this series and for members, there’s a special bonus segment for this episode in the Ad Free Dow...

In this second episode of our Paleoanthropology series we focus on the Paranthropus family of fossils. The are descended from the Australopithicenes and lived next to our early hominid ancestors, but, they are not directly on the line to humans. MEMBERS! Don’t forget to check the early downloads page for a bonus segment! Links Human Family Tree Human Evolution Interactive Timeline Contact Chris We...

In this second episode of our Paleoanthropology series we focus on the Australopithecus family of fossils. Links Human Family Tree Human Evolution Interactive Timeline Contact Chris Webster chris@archaeologypodcastnetwork.com Rachel Roden rachel@unraveleddesigns.com RachelUnraveled (Instagram) ArchPodNet APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet A...

We talk a lot about human origins, so we thought this would be a good time time to do an overview of paleoanthropology, and the human evolutionary tree. In this first episode of the series we start with some of the oldest human ancestors including Sahelanthropus tchadensis and Ardipithecus ramidus. Links Human Family Tree Human Evolution Interactive Timeline Contact Chris Webster chris@archaeology...

It’s a news episode again! This week we talk about a shipwreck from the 1800s that washed up on the shore in Massachusetts in the US. Then we head over to the other side of the world and see what was so important it had to be written on a comb. And finally, we look at some experimental archaeology that cracked some skulls with ancient stone tools. Links Wreck of ship lost to storm 139 years ago wa...

Chris is sick this week and needs to let his voice rest so we are playing a really awesome episode of Archaeotech with Chris and his co-host Paul Zimmerman. Recently an article came out in CNN featuring the work that the team Paul is part of is doing in Iraq, so it was the perfect opportunity to talk about that article and play the episode that they recorded a couple months ago about how they use...

On today’s news episode we start with another Maya Kingdom found just sitting under some bushes in the jungle. OK, it’s a LOT of bushes. Then we move over to the UK and learn more about a skeleton that’s been in the University of Sheffield’s collection since the early 2000’s. Finally we talk about why the people of Miami keep letting developers dig up and pave over their most important cultural re...

There's some "mind-blowing" news in archaeology this week! We start with early hominids in Ethiopia using tools 500,000 years earlier than anything thought. Then we move to a possible 20,000 year old writing system in rock art. Finally, the oldest mummy ever found in Egypt was covered in gold! What else will they find there? Links Archaeologists Discover 1.2 Million-Year-Old 'Workshop' in Mind-Blo...

We’re in Lake Havasu City, AZ this week so naturally we’re talking about the London Bridge! Did you know that one of the three stone versions of the bridge to exist in the last 1500 years is here in Arizona? We talk about this history of the bridge and what led to this version being moved to an Arizona tourist town that was literally built around it. Links The London Bridge London Bridge History R...