Tea-Break Archaeology

In this month’s Tea-break Time Travel Training, Matilda is looking at yet another scientific dating technique used in archaeology: Thermoluminescence Dating! What is thermoluminescence? How you can use it to date ancient pottery? How does it compare to previous dating methods covered on the podcast? And are dreams made of atoms? Listen in to find out! Transcripts For rough transcripts of this epis...

Matilda is joined this week by Raven Todd DaSilva (who you might recognise as the face behind the very popular “Dig It With Raven” YouTube channel), to talk about the colossal stone heads of the Olmec Culture. Why were these huge heads made? What do they have to do with rubber? And why hasn’t Raven posted a video on her channel for a year? Find out the answers to these questions and more by tuning...

It's time for the next installment of Tea-break Time Travel Training and this month we're showing the trees some love and looking into the details of dendrochronology! It seems like a simple concept but how much do you really know about tree rings? How do they form? How can we use them to date a site that's thousands of years old? And what does all this have to do with solar flares? Tune in to fin...

What’s the link between two dirt balls, a bundle of five silver arm-rings, and a golden bird pin? They were all found in the Galloway Hoard! This month, Matilda is joined by Dr Adrián Maldonado, a medieval archaeologist who is currently researching this unique and fascinating find. Tune in to find out the difference between medieval history and medieval archaeology, why people buried things in the...

It’s time for the first episode of our Tea-break Time Travel training series, where we cover all of those essential theoretical and methodological backgrounds that every time traveller needs to have under their belt. This month, we’re kicking things off with one of the most popular archaeological dating methods: radiocarbon dating. But what exactly is radiocarbon dating? How do you do it? And why...

Meet Tilly, the amazing host of Tea-Break Time Travel, and co-host of the And My Trowel podcasts. She is also the woman behind the @‌the_archaeologists_teacup Instagram account, and all the APN social media! Today we chat with her about her all podcasts, as well as her areas of expertise: microwear analysis and experimental archaeology. Finally, she lends her expert opinion on a recent news articl...

Can you believe that Tea-break Time Travel has now been running for two whole years? For this very special 25th episode, Matilda does a bit of time travelling of her own, looking back at what’s happened in the podcast so far, and also sharing the future of the series. Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/teabreak/25 Links BBC article on the possibility...

Not all that glitters is gold… Sometimes it’s silver! In today’s episode, Matilda is joined by Egyptologist and Jewelery Historian Sigrid van Roode, to talk all about that most magical of materials: silver. Together, they discuss all the questions about silver that you didn’t even know you had: Why did people used to regularly cut up silver bracelets? What did political issues in central Asia have...

This year is the 25th anniversary of the 1999 classic starring Brendan Fraser - yes, we’re talking about The Mummy - and to celebrate, Matilda is joined today by object conservator Jessica van Dam to talk all about mummies! How old is the oldest mummy? Why were some mummies wrapped in red bandages? Were there mummies found in the pyramids? And what exactly is an object conservator? Find out the an...

It’s time to come out of the dark ages this month with one of the most famous British archaeological sites: Sutton Hoo. This episode, Matilda is joined by Natasha Billson, a professional archaeologist and presenter, to chat all about the amazing Sutton Hoo helmet. Why is this object so important to our understanding of the past? What does it have to do with Sri Lankan garnets? And how can archaeol...

After chatting with Danny all about the tools and techniques used in ancient tattooing, it’s time to talk about the tattoos themselves! For that, Matilda enlisted the help of professional archaeologist Aaron Deter-Wolf, who specialises in the study of ancient tattoos all around the world. But how exactly can you identify tattoos on badly preserved skin? Why were people tattooing in the past? And h...

There are so many things that don’t survive the thousands of years between the past and present, and so many crafts and skills that are very difficult to identify from a material point of view. Luckily, we have expert artists who can help us out! This month, Matilda is joined by professional tattoo artist Daniel Riday, who will be chatting all about the tools and techniques used in ancient tattooi...

You thought that last month was a short trip back in time, but this month is an even shorter trip as we travel to the Edo period of Japan with special guest Tehya Nakamura - otherwise known as TK and host of the podcast “For the Love of History” - to chat all about netsuke. But what are netsuke? How do you wear them? What do they have to do with big sleeves and pockets? And what is the link betwee...

In this month’s episode we take a very short trip back in time, because we’re looking at the Bayeux Tapestry. Joining me is professional embroiderer and textile archaeologist Dr Alexandra Makin, and together we chat about the story and context of this intriguing object. Who made the tapestry and why? How does it compare to other embroidery of the time? And can I persuade Alex to get off the fence...

In this month’s tea-break, Matilda is joined by Andrew Meirion Jones, Professor of Archaeology at Stockholm University and one of several researchers who have attempted to unravel the mystery of the elusive Scottish Carved Stone Balls. If you’re looking for a definitive answer, then this isn’t the episode for you (or the podcast really!), but tune in if you’re interested in hearing about the diffe...

I hope that you have something appropriate to wear, because this month Matilda chats to textile archaeologist Ronja Lau all about that most essential of tools - the mighty sewing needle. Have you ever wondered what the earliest needles would have been made from? How colourful the past really was? The significance of a ring covered in horse hair? Then put on your glad rags and listen in to this mon...

Make sure your seatbelt is securely tightened, because this month we're travelling back in time our furthest yet! Matilda is joined by fire expert Femke Reidsma, to talk all about how this essential tool was made and used by our ancient human ancestors. How can you recognise an ancient hearth? Why is it so important to study the first use of fire? When was the first portable lighter? And what exac...

In this fourteenth episode of Tea-Break Time Travel, Matilda talks all about torcs with expert archaeologist Dr Tess Machling. You might be familiar with these twisted pieces of jewellery, but do you know what they were used for? Who made them? How they developed over time? If the answer is “no”, then don’t worry you’re not alone! But listen in to this episode to hear all about the current theorie...

You may know what a Bell Beaker is, but why is it shaped the way it is and who were the people who made and used them? Find out in this month’s episode, where Matilda talks with expert potter Graham Taylor all about this popular and far-reaching object type. Have you ever wondered why people started making beakers? Who was involved in spreading them throughout Europe? How to create that authentic...

In this episode Matilda chats to musician and metalsmith Samuel Meric; a specialist in the reconstruction of the carnyx - a Celtic brass instrument best known for being blasted across ancient battlefields. But how does the carnyx actually work? And how would they have been played? Tune in to hear all about souvenirs of the earliest European gap year, prehistoric cauldrons and the stories they tell...

If you want to discover some definitive answers to the mysteries of archaeology, then this might not be the episode for you (or the podcast series to be honest!). But if you want to hear theories of the start of metallurgy, discussions over Neolithic perceptions of death, insights into early hominin technology, or excellent advice on knapping, then you will want to hear this. Matilda chats with ar...

When is a drum not a drum? When it's a Folkton Drum! In this episode Matilda chats with photographer, videographer, and archaeological replica-maker Emma Jones all about these fascinating objects. How much do we really know about the people who created these drums? What insights can we gain from replicating them ourselves? Why are children always forgotten? And if you think you have difficulty mak...

This month boasts a very exciting episode as Matilda travels back to ancient Egypt with Egyptologist Dr Colleen Darnell, to look at the fascinating world of stelae and discuss the famous golden couple of Egypt: Akhenaten and Nefertiti. What happens when you send someone illiterate to score out words? How many different types of stelae are there? Who was Nefertiti? Join in with this month's trip ba...

In this episode of Tea-break Time Travel, Matilda chatted with archaeologist Pir Hoebe all about his research looking at flint blade technology. The theme of the episode, as the title suggests, is preparation. How do you prepare a flint nodule to create a flint blade? How do you prepare for your own research into prehistoric technologies? How do you prepare for a PhD? To learn all these things and...

This month Matilda delved into the fascinating subject of wood, and more specifically talked with archaeologist Christopher Wakefield about the wooden wheels and other finds discovered at the beautifully preserved site of Must Farm. Points discussed include why furniture might have wooden wheels, how wheels developed over time, and the issues of working with wooden finds from prehistory. Links Off...