The Archaeology Podcast Network Feed

Archaeologists read a lot but most of what we read does not change way we view and practice archaeology. On today's show, our hosts talk about the books that shaped our careers. Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot! Connect with James on Twitter: @paleoimaging Interested in sponsoring this s...

On this episode of A Life in Ruins podcast, we have back on one of our favorite guests Dr. David S. Anderson. We start out with a huge announcement (listen to this episode, we will not spoil it here). We then hit the when, where, what and why of the Maya. Dr. Anderson explains how we know that the Maya city-states "collapsed" and also talks about issues with the ideas around the word "Collapse". W...

There have been many foundational people in archaeology and the life and achievements of one are now fully coming to light with a new book from Oxford University Press. "The First Black Archaeologist: A Life of John Wesley Gilbert" (Oxford University Press 2022), written by Dr. John W. I. Lee is a fascinating tale of an archaeologist that paved the way for so many that came after him. Join us as w...

An important component of scientific research is reproducibility. In other scientific fields like medicine, protocols (step-by-step instructions) help ensure that another lab or another researcher can test our results. Lately, protocols for various technical aspects of archaeological research have been published, so Chris and Paul discuss the value of these publications. Interested in learning abo...

First used to describe religious movements that emerged in Melanesia following contact with Allied military personnel in World War II, cargo cults are sects and ritualized behaviors intended to summon outsiders (and their stuff) back and bring about a new age. We’ll explore theories for why they come about, discuss some examples of cargo cults in the traditional definition, and consider what paral...

In this episode, Carlton interviews Dr. Anna Goldfield from The Dirt Podcast to talk about Dr. Goldfield's inspiration in becoming a zooarchaeologist, how the The Dirt Podcast started, and the importance of experimental archaeology. This a fun and interested one on one conversation between two seasoned podcast hosts. Definitely check out The Dirt Podcast if you haven't already! If you have left a...

As with most times archaeology is represented in fiction there are some major inconsistencies in this movie. However, it's a fun comedy and at least you won't be bored watching it. We discuss what they got right and what they got wrong about archaeology, anthropology, and lost cities. There's even a bonus segment with a real lost city! Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar tec...

For this 82nd episode we interview Stephen Bryne, professional archaeologist and a student of rock art. Stephen talks about his adventures studying Chumash rock art as well as his recent studies with his extensive field trips to some of the largest prehistoric paintings in the world: the rock art of the Sierra de San Francisco in Baja California Mexico. Interested in learning about how to use X-Ra...

We’ve had plenty of instances on the show (in the main feed and especially in Old News) of archaeological research bearing out information that existed already in the historical and oral traditions of Indigenous groups. We’ll discuss some examples of this, and we’ll also examine the relationship of Indigenous science and knowledge with the Western systems that actively invalidate and exclude them....

MEMBERS - Check the ad-free page for a bonus segment! The incredible discovery in March 2022 of Ernest Shackleton's Endurance on the Antarctic sea floor leads to a discussion about the exciting future of underwater archaeology in CRM. Underwater archaeologist, Bill Burns, joins us to shed light on the incredible recent discovery of the Endurance and how it was made possible by new technology, arch...

On today’s podcast, Jessica hosts the crew of the Digging to the Other Side Podcast. We talk about what got them all interested in archaeology, how the podcast was created, what topics they cover, and why it is important to have a podcast on archaeology and related topics across the Americas through the perspectives of Asian hyphenated archaeologists. Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays...

On this episode, we recap our recent adventures in Colorado. We start out by going nowhere and continue doing that for the rest of the episode. Highlights of the episode include Carlton talks about his new true crime podcast, the intersection of family groups and experimental archaeology. Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked Pal...

We've got a few articles that are all over the place - literally - this week. The first is about a re-analysis of what was thought was an ancient harbor in Italy. Turns out there's more to it. Next we talk about, well, the prehistoric world in general as it pertains the role of women. As with everything, there's more to that story and it's way more complex than early researchers would have liked....

We love it when archaeologists look at other technologies that on first glance are not appropriate for archaeology. However, they're willing to give it a try and report on the results! The researches in the article we discuss used an indoor positioning system (IPS) to map an outdoor site in Israel. Their results are encouraging for this emerging technology. Interested in learning about how to use...

This week, Amber's under the weather, so Anna goes solo with special guest Dr. Naomi Martisius. Naomi tells us how she deciphers clues about human behavior by looking at tiny tiny VERY tiny portions of animal bone surfaces under a microscope. We’ll get into her undergraduate discovery that re-wrote a part of prehistory (no, really), and her work on the extremely cool bone artifacts and ornaments f...

BONUS Hello, friends! We’re moving our episode schedule slightly—episodes will now be coming out on Wednesdays!! But in the meantime—This is a shortened version of a much longer chat that's available to our Patreon members (link below to join and support the show)! Anna and Amber chat about some changes in their personal lives, plus some updates to The Dirt. We also FINALLY answer our own intervie...

On this episode of A Life In Ruins podcast, David interviews his former advisor Dr. Todd Surovell. Todd served as an advisor to David and was a committee member for David and Connor‘s MA theses. David begins interviewing Todd about what archaeology means to him, and a discussion of his early life. The conversation later turns into how Todd found his way into anthropology, and his work in graduate...

This week we have a timelines episode focused on 2200 BCE. At that time, Stonehenge as we know it today was just completed in the UK. Conversely, the Akkadian empire began to fall in Mesopotamia, and the impressive Old Kingdom in Egypt also came to an end. Join us for a discussion about what was happening in 3 world powers in year 2200 BCE! Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and simila...

MEMBERS! Check your member pages for a bonus fourth segment! You're in the field and a cell tower is down. No communication! Or, you get an alert about a tornado warning, lightning near by, hurricane on approach. What do you do? What should your company do? What are, or should be, policies related to disaster preparedness? We talk about this and more on this week's episode of the CRM Arch Podcast....

Welcome to episode two of a miniseries focusing on the zooarchaeology of various world regions. This episode is centred around African zooarchaeology, focusing on the natural history and anatomy of the most prominent wild and domesticated species. Find out more about African Giant Rats, how loud Guinea fowls can be and what a zebrinny is. Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar...

Settle in for a HEFTY episode, folks! This week, Amber and Anna examine the world of the Neo-Assyrian empire. This means some substantial time spent context-setting, thanks to the complex nature of early Mesopotamian politics, religion, warfare, and state propaganda. Then we look further at that carefully crafted state propaganda and its influence on Assyriology. THEN we get into a bit of archaeol...

2022 marks the 100 year anniversary of the discovery of Tutankamun's tomb, and in celebration Dr Daniela Rosenow and Oxford Professor Richard Parkinson have helped create a museum exhibit that tells the story of its discovery and excavation. This unique approach highlights the people that did the excavation rather than the artifacts themselves for a unique approach to one of the most famous Egypti...

Today we visit with Donald Liponi, noted author and rock art scholar. He shares his research on his next book and the most contemporary scientific understanding of shamanism, altered states of consciousness, and rock art. Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot! Connect with James on Twitter: @...

Paul's back and fresh off his trip to Irag! We've been talking about the technical approach to the fieldwork and survey for a few months now and Paul's here to tell us how it went. There's a some great lessons learned in this episode and some great archaeology. Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James...

On a listener-sponsored episode, Anna and Amber tackle the archaeology and historical context of maroon communities. These are societies formed by self-liberated Africans during the period when the slave trade was a huge part of the world economy. We discuss some archaeological case studies, and then really think long and hard about what it means to reconstruct these lives, and who has historicall...