Tea-Break Archaeology

Join Jessica and Matilda as they dive into the first installment of a mini series on the everyday archaeology of cutlery, starting with knives! But what exactly is a knife, and how can we recognise it in the archaeological and historic records? Together, our hosts discuss the difference between swords and knives, the benefits of flint while travelling, and why iron and copper hate each other. Tran...

It’s time for a new era of Tea-break Archaeology, as we introduce the new co-host, Jessica van Dam! Together, Jessica and Matilda discuss their backgrounds in archaeology and conservation, and how their experience led them to specialise in historic and prehistoric objects. Listen in to hear them chat about blacksmithing versus crochet, Korean multi-purpose knives from the 1800s, and misaligned dri...

Have you ever wondered how far back modern skin-care recipes can be traced? It turns out, pretty far! Join Matilda and guest Katie Chin-Quee in the second part of their discussion all about ancient skin care. This episode, Katie shares some of the experimental archaeology that she has conducted with different ancient recipes, and why some ingredients are best left in the past! Transcripts For roug...

In this episode, take a step back from the hustle and bustle of daily life to practice a little bit of self care and join Matilda and her guest Katie Chin-Quee in this latest exploration of the archaeology of everyday things. Katie shares the many twists and turns of the path that led her to a career in archaeology, and how she became involved with the particular topic of ancient skin-care. Togeth...

It’s time for part two of Matilda’s discussion with Jessica van Dam all about the archaeology of knitting! This time, the two discuss the social history of knitting and how it is perceived in the modern world, as well as the importance of maintaining crafting traditions and physical communities. Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/teabreak/52 Links Je...

Following on in the same theme as the last few episodes, Matilda chats with guest Jessica van Dam all about the crafting practice and archaeology of knitting. Tune in as they discuss different knitting techniques and approaches, share insights into the oldest physical and written evidence for knitting, and come up with a brand new experimental archaeology project focused on knitting needles! Trans...

It’s time for part two of Matilda’s chat with textile archaeologist Ronja Lau! After discussing the background to Ronja’s current work in the Duerrnberg salt mines, the two delve deeper (pun intended) into the most interesting and surprising results of the project. Spoiler alert: it turns out that Iron Age Duerrnbergians enjoyed the look of a purple pin-striped suit! Transcripts For rough transcri...

It’s time to venture into the mines! But make sure you are well dressed… This episode, Matilda chats with textile archaeologist Ronja Lau all about her work looking at Iron Age clothing from the Duerrnberg salt mines. Tune in to hear all about the history of textile archaeology, the importance of salt in preserving clothes, and why you should support archaeological research! Transcripts For rough...

As the seasons change, it’s time to swap out your wardrobes for those clothes that have been stuffed at the back of the shelf or in a box in the attic. And to celebrate this activity, Matilda dives this episode into the archaeology of clothing! But what actually is clothing? What is the oldest evidence we have for the creation of clothing? And what is the link between a bog, an artic tundra, and a...

It’s time for part two of Matilda’s chat with ex-gladiatrix Svenja Fabian all about the topic of gladiatorial training! But how exactly would gladiators have trained in the past? Could anyone have become a gladiator? And what’s the ancient Roman equivalent of a sport’s bra? Listen in to find out the answers and much more! Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodn...

Let’s get down to business, to talk about gladiatorial training! In this episode, Matilda is joined by Svenja Fabian, who is a retired gladiatrix, or female gladiatorial re-enactor. Svenja’s shares her experiences in this particular field of re-enactment, and helps to bust some myths about gladiators in ancient Rome. But what actually is a gladiator? Did women really fight in gladiatorial battles?...

Following the popularity of the previously coined “Tea-break Time Travel Training”, Matilda focuses in this episode on a commonly used method in archaeological research: Experimental Archaeology. Listen in to hear what experimental is, its origins and development, its strengths and weaknesses, and how it all started for Matilda with an afternoon of throwing prehistoric spears in a public park in A...

To celebrate 10 years of the APN, Matilda joined the #APN10 live event on 24th November 2024 to record a very special episode called “Tea-break 20 Questions”! Spoiler alert - get used to seeing this format pop up a bit more regularly for live events because it was a lot of fun! Joining the episode were Emma Jones (of Ancient Craft UK / Prehistoric Jewellery) and Raven Todd DaSilva (of Dig It With...

To celebrate 10 years of the APN, Matilda joined the #APN10 live event on 24th November 2024 to record a very special episode called “Tea-break 20 Questions”! Spoiler alert - get used to seeing this format pop up a bit more regularly for future live events because it was a lot of fun! Joining the episode were Emma Jones (of Ancient Craft UK / Prehistoric Jewellery) and Raven Todd DaSilva (of Dig I...

In this episode Matilda is diving far back into the earliest depths of human history to discuss when we first developed our love of stuff. From chimpanzee termite-fishing to complex flint-knapping technology, she explores how technological traditions developed alongside our own human evolution. Tune in to hear all about core preparation, mode classifications, and why we might soon need a capuchin...

It’s part 2 of Matilda’s chat with expert paleographer Dr Lisa Fagin Davis, as we dive deeper into the fascinating research that has been done on the Voynich Manuscript. Tune in to learn about the exciting results revealed through multi-spectral imaging, how you too can start researching a mysterious object, and what the link is between Voynich and the Avengers! Transcripts For rough transcripts o...

This episode, Matilda dives into the world of medieval manuscripts, accompanied by an expert in manuscript studies and palaeography: Dr Lisa Fagin Davis. Together, they discuss one of the most studied and yet most mysterious of medieval objects - the Voynich Manuscript. So much intrigue surrounds this extremely well-travelled manuscript, but what do we actually know about it? How does one study it...

It’s part two of Matilda’s tea-break with Alexandra Sebire as the two chat about the traditional craft of book binding. In this episode, we dive a little deeper into the history and development of book binding, and Alexandra shares more about the different projects she’s working in, and why you don’t always have to take the traditional path. Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to...

In today’s tea-break, Matilda wants to learn more about books, and takes a closer look at the development of notebooks and the traditional craft of book binding. Joining her on her tea-break is Alexandra Sebire, founder of Solemniko stationary. Together they discuss the tools and know-how required for book binding, as well as the trials of running a small business, and how even the smallest act of...

I hope that you have a writing utensil handy, because you’ll want to make some notes for this one! In this episode, Matilda takes a dive into the origins and archaeology of the simple notebook. But what actually is a notebook? What materials have they been made from throughout history? And did an ancient Egyptian king really predict AI? Listen in to find out! Transcripts For rough transcripts of t...

The kettle is boiled, the tea is stewing, and we’re ready to go! That’s right, Dr Matilda Siebrecht is back to join you onTranscript your tea-break, this time with a slightly new focus and a different name: Tea-break Archaeology. Listen in to hear all about Matilda’s research background, why she got into podcasting, and how she’s been inspired by “cosy archaeology”. Transcripts For rough transcrip...

This episode is a little different to usual, as Matilda discusses her background in archaeology and how she got to where she is today, as well as her inspiration for starting the podcast and how her experience has been for the last two years. Most importantly, she ends with the announcement that due to personal and professional priorities, Tea-break Time Travel will be taking a break, to launch wi...

The board is set as Matilda chats with Dr Alice Blackwell from National Museums Scotland all about the beautiful and iconic Lewis chess pieces. They’re one of the most recognisable objects at the museum, but how much do we actually know about them? Who made them and played with them? How similar was medieval chess to our modern version? And what does a modern whiskey distillery have to do with ear...

It’s time for the last in our series on dating methods for Tea-break Time Travel Training, and this time Matilda discusses the most common for of relative dating - stratigraphy. But what exactly is stratigraphy? Why are there so many rules and principles to something that seems extremely self-explanatory? And what does any of this have to do with dusty shelves? Listen it to find out! Transcripts F...

This month we’re getting elite as Matilda chats all about chieftain burials with archaeologist, curator, editor, and model Dr Sasja van der Vaart-Verschoof (also known on her online platforms as The Overdressed Archaeologist). Well, they’re talking about one chieftain burial in particular - that found in Oss in the Netherlands - and they’re especially talking about why the burial included a large...