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PODCAST

The Dirt Podcast

The Dirt Podcast

Join Anna and Amber; friends, archaeologists, and big nerds, for an exploration of the lives of people in the past.

education social sciences

All Episodes

49:29

View to a Kilwa: The Medieval Swahili Coast

The Dirt Podcast ·

2022/12/04

This week, while Anna and Amber's actual selves will be on the West Coast, the show heads for the East Coast-- of Africa, that is! Take a whirlwind tour of the Swahili coast and the economic and cultural exchanges over land and sea it has enjoyed for more than a thousand years, before zooming in on the very powerful, and very cool, medieval sultanate of Kilwa Kisawani. To learn more:Making History: An archaeologist unearths the history of the Swahili States (Bryn Mawr Alumnae Bulletin)East Africa:

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46:01

Oh, Curses!

The Dirt Podcast ·

2022/12/04

Halloween may be over, but Anna and Amber are keeping it spooky as they discuss curses and their consequences this week. Anna shares some tactics for recovering stolen tunics at Aquae Sulis (Bath, England), and what perils awaited medieval Javanese wrongdoers. Meanwhile, Amber looks at a ritual executioner from Australia, his highly collectible shoes, his supernatural counterpart, and the very real deaths that result from his work.To learn more about today’s subject, check out: The Curse of King

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57:53

Beware the Boogeypeople!

The Dirt Podcast ·

2022/12/04

This week, Anna and Amber hunker down around the campfire to talk about things that go bump in the night, and encounter some common themes from around the world. Amber fangirls over a baby-snatching Mesopotamian demon and stumbles upon a familiar monster in Native American myth, while Anna offers some DIY advice for combating medieval witches.To learn more about these (and other!) boogeypeople, check out: The Epic of Atraḥasis (Livius)Heffron, Yağmur. “Revisiting ‘Noise’ (rigmu) in Atra-ḫasīs in

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56:53

Cladh Hallan: An Episode in...Several Parts!

The Dirt Podcast ·

2022/12/04

This week, Anna introduces us to Bronze Age Britain and Amber tells us about the very, very unexpected discoveries at Cladh Hallan, Scotland. For maximum spookiness, don't read ahead: it's a real rollercoaster of a story about Bronze Age life, and death, and... after-death? Get ready, everyone. This one's nightmare fuel. To learn more (and see photos!), check out:Must FarmLatest archaeological finds at Must Farm provide a vivid picture of everyday life in the Bronze Age (University of

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48:06

Forensic Anthropology with Dr. Jonathan Bethard

The Dirt Podcast ·

2022/12/04

We talk to REAL LIVE FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGIST Dr. Jon Bethard (University of South Florida) about his career path from bassoons to bioarchaeology, the many duties of a coroner, life in Transylvanian villages, vampires (maybe), and his important work helping to identify victims of political conflicts and natural disasters all over the world. Learn more about Dr. Bethard and his work at:University of South Florida Faculty ProfileThe Bioarchaeology of Inka Resettlement Practices: Insight from Biological

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47:54

Welcome to Cliff Palace: Ancestral Puebloans

The Dirt Podcast ·

2022/12/04

This week we round out this month's coverage of indigenous Latin America with a look at the Ancestral Puebloans of the American Southwest. We couldn't fit 10,000 years of human experience and complexity into a single episode, so instead we highlight some architectural and engineering achievements, petroglyphs, and some of the mythological beings represented in them. Plus, the origins of the word "adobe" and a lengthy consideration of why the cultural appropriation of Kokopelli looms so large in our

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41:54

The Tarahumara (Rarámuri) Runners

The Dirt Podcast ·

2022/12/04

This week Anna and Amber run through the history of the Rarámuri of Chihuahua, Mexico. It's more than just sandals and beer, folks! Plus, a rundown of some of the biomechanics of ultramarathon running, and a theory for how Homo sapiens successfully overran Europe.If you’d like to learn more about this week’s topic, why not start with:“The Tarahumaras,” from GEOG 571: Cultural Intelligence, Applied Geography, and Homeland Security (Penn State)The Sacred Corn Beer of the Tarahumara (NPR)Tarahumara

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01:00:28

Aztecs are not Inca are not Maya

The Dirt Podcast ·

2022/12/04

It’s Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month here in the United States! This week, we attempt to help you (and ourselves) be less wrong about the most famous early Latin American cultures. Amber provides a crash course on Aztec, Inca, and Maya history and the thorny issues of contemporary indigenous cultural identity, while Anna chimes in with fun facts and Very Cool Things about each group! To learn more, check out:I’m Latino. I’m Hispanic. And they’re different, so I drew a comic to explain. (Terry

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47:23

Meow and Then: Cats Through the Ages

The Dirt Podcast ·

2022/12/04

It wouldn't be the internet if there weren't cats, so this week is the purr-fect op-paw-tunity to talk about Felis catus. Apologies (a-paw-logies? No? Ok, we'll stop) in advance, there's an odd crackling in the final minutes, but don't let that stop you from learning all about the history of kitties, their domestication, and some of their silly antics from the past several millennia.If you're still itching for more information, check out these sources:Domestic Cat(National Geographic)Cats

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55:48

Barkaeology: A Brief History of Dogs

The Dirt Podcast ·

2022/12/04

What better time to discuss the domestication and use of Canis familiaris than here in the dog days of summer? Anna and Amber discuss recent research tracing how wolves evolved into the pups we know and love, the earliest dogs known in the archaeological record, the evolution of our relationship with them, and some Very Good Boys and Girls throughout history. Plus, medieval pet name suggestions, Amber chokes up about the Odyssey (typical), waggy little flop-eared foxes, and Anna’s Movie Minute takes

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53:15

Dicky Three-Sticks (The Burial of Richard III)

The Dirt Podcast ·

2022/12/04

If you thought we were experts, well, that's about to change. This week, Anna and Amber wade out into the great unknown-to-them of British history and discuss Richard III and the events that led to the excavation of his remains from a parking lot in Leicester, England. Plus, the secret to Richard III's perfectly aligned teeth, other rulers whose final resting places remain a mystery, and the curse of Tamerlane's tomb (but also, his great eyebrows). BONUS: The premiere of the "Amber Googles It" theme

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57:13

Back to School Special: Archaeological Hoaxes

The Dirt Podcast ·

2022/12/04

This week, we fake it til we make it, tackling four archaeological hoaxes. Even when things aren't what they seem...they aren't what they seem. What's the deal with that stone giant in some guy's field? How can that mummified Persian princess be neither Persian nor a princess? Did someone stumble upon the final resting place of Jesus' little brother? Did Vikings inhabit Oklahoma in the 11th century? No. No, they did not.If you want to read more about these hoaxes and maybe-hoaxes, check out:Bogus

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48:16

Mythconceptions

The Dirt Podcast ·

2022/12/04

This week we're pushing our "um, actually" glasses up the bridge of our nose and busting some myths about archaeology. Was 30 the new 80 in the Paleolithic? Would someone from the Middle Ages be too short to ride a rollercoaster? Carbon dating is pretty precise, right? Can we tell if a skeleton is a lady? All this and more!To learn more about this week's topic, check out:The idea ancient people didn’t live until old age is a myth(Quartz)Life Span of Early Man Same as Neanderthals’(New York

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41:14

Don't Call Them Hobbits (Homo floresiensis)

The Dirt Podcast ·

2022/12/04

Vacation season is here, and Anna and Amber are island-bound: To the site of Liang Bua, Indonesia! Join them as they get to know Homo floresiensis, our diminutive extinct cousins in Flores, and discuss their place on our complicated, ever evolving human family tree. Plus, local lore about small, hairy cave-dwellers said to steal food and/or children, and a brief moment of Hobbit (TM) Drama.To learn more about this episode's topic, check out:Bibliography and 3D tour of Liang Bua Cave'Hobbits' on

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47:17

The Paleo Diet: Low-Carb No More

The Dirt Podcast ·

2022/12/04

Sink your teeth into this nutrient-dense episode, in which we discuss the recent discovery of bread(-like substances) in the Eastern Mediterranean from more than 14,000 years ago, and learn more about what one might actually have eaten in the Paleolithic. Plus, Anna tells us what we can learn from stuff stuck in your teeth, and we speculate wildly about Iberian vegan Neanderthals.For a deeper dive into this week's topic, check out:Arranz-Otaegui, Amaia, et al. "Archaeobotanical evidence reveals the

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58:35

An Inkling of Tattoo History

The Dirt Podcast ·

2022/12/04

We POKE AROUND the subject of tattoos. What are the oldest ones? What do they mean? How were they made? This one gets under our skin.To learn more about tattoos and tattooing through the ages:Siberian Princess reveals her 2,500 year old tattoos(The Siberian Times)Inside the World’s Only Surviving Tattoo Shop For Medieval Pilgrims(Atlas Obscura)Algeria's Tattoos: Myths and Truths(Pulitzer Center)Inked Heritage: Berber Women’s Tattoos In Algeria(HuffPo)Vegetius'De re militariCan Tattoos Be

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36:56

Makin' Tracks: Ancient Footprints

The Dirt Podcast ·

2022/12/04

We're steppin' out to talk about some of the oldest human footprints ever found in North America, Europe, and Africa. We encounter a giant sloth hunt, and Amber and Anna have a series of existential crises as we dive deeper and deeper into the depths of time. Worry not, though: despite a strange audio glitch that suggests otherwise, Anna is not recording from beyond the grave. #notallslothsTo learn more about this week's topic, check out:The oldest footprints in North America are right where native

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41:01

Genius With a Neck Beard (Champollion and Heiroglyphs)

The Dirt Podcast ·

2022/12/04

Bienvenue, and welcome to Le Dirt! This week, we discuss the discovery and translation of the Rosetta Stone. We brush off our best French accents, geek out over dead languages, and realize that we are very, very bad at pop culture references.To learn more about the this week's episode, check out:Digitized versions of Champollion’s work (in French)Précis(1824)http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k117252fGrammaire egyptienne(1836)https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k1047536sRobinson, Andrew

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48:48

The Back of History's Fridge

The Dirt Podcast ·

2022/12/04

It's...maybe the most infamous episode of The Dirt! Strap on the barf bags, folks, because today we're talking about bog butter, ancient beekeeping, and where Classical poets thought baby bees come from. Plus, Amber shares a cautionary tale about licking things on an excavation. And hey--never put archaeology in your mouth.To learn more about this week's topic, check out:Carson, Rachel D. (2015).The Honey Bee and Apian Imagery in Classical LiteraturePoole, Federico. (2001). 'Cumin, Set Milk, Honey':

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18:08

It Ain't No Monkey: The Taung Child

The Dirt Podcast ·

2022/12/04

After a curious coincidence in 1924, the world's weirdest paperweight was revealed to be the fossilized remains of one of our earliest ancestors.To learn more about today's topic, check out:Lee R. Berger, & Ronald J. Clarke. (1996). The load of the Taung child. Nature, 379(6568), 778-779.Berger, L.R., Clarke, R.J., 1995. Eagle involvement of the Taung child fauna. Journal of Human Evolution 29, 275-299.Dart, Raymond A. (1925), "Australopithecus africanus: The Man-Ape of South Africa", Nature,

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179 results

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