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This Week in the Ancient Near East

thisweekintheancientneareast

The podcast that takes archaeology exactly as seriously as it deserves.

history

All Episodes

55:11

Apocalypse When? A Very Special This Week in the...

This Week in the Ancient Near East ·

2022/12/27

Ancient Apocalypse on Netflix has been watched like 25 million times and archaeologists are up in arms. It’s worlds in collision! It’s an unsolved mystery! But really, what’s the big deal? Is crazy talk about a vanished civilization dangerous or ludicrous? Our contestants disagree amusingly on many issues. THAT’S WHY THEY SHOULD HAVE A NETFLIX SERIES!With a special guest appearance by Simon McCorkingdale, as Manimal!

52:26

The Lice Combs of Lachish, Or, Bless This Beard and...

This Week in the Ancient Near East ·

2022/12/13

An ivory lice comb found at Iron Age Lachish is actually from the Middle Bronze Age and contains the first complete Canaanite sentence. It talks about lice. Didn’t see that coming. So obviously we argue about hair care products and the connection between literacy and nearsightedness.

47:54

Born on the (Mesopotamian) Bayou, or Welcome to...

This Week in the Ancient Near East ·

2022/11/29

New data shows that cities in southern Mesopotamia were often islands in the stream divided by canals with lots of open spaces. What does it mean for early urban life if you have to take a gondola to work? Did kids learn to swim at Sumerian YMCAs? Who knew that urbanism was such a splash?

49:20

A 25th Dynasty Egyptian Cheese Fit for the Afterlife,...

This Week in the Ancient Near East ·

2022/11/15

The discovery of cheese in a 25th Dynasty Egyptian tomb made us realize, everybody loves cheese. But what is cheese, really? And whether a spreadable chevre or a squeaky halloumi, how did people even survive it before pasteurization? Our panelists stand proudly with the cheese.

46:01

The Little Iron Age Papyrus That Could, Go from...

This Week in the Ancient Near East ·

2022/11/01

A little smidgeon of a papyrus has returned from Montana to Jerusalem. Does it date to the Iron Age? Is it real? Does it contain the word Ishmael? How did it get to Montana? Our contestants are confused, as usual. Maybe more than usual, which is saying a lot.

53:53

The Uncomfortable Ivory Decorated Chairs of Iron Age...

This Week in the Ancient Near East ·

2022/10/18

The find of ivory decorations for furniture in Iron Age Jerusalem raises many questions. Where does the furniture come from and why does it look so uncomfortable? Were these diplomatic gifts or local knockoffs? Were there really elephants wandering around Syria in this period? Isn’t that what we should really be talking about?

49:02

The Archaeological Puzzle of Playing in the Past, Or,...

This Week in the Ancient Near East ·

2022/10/04

A recent article on a button-like toy has us wondering, what are toys anyway and what are they for? Were there actually children in the past? And what is playing, really? No, really, what is playing? And that’s where things started getting sticky for us.

45:49

Sticky Fingers in the Valley of the Kings, or Howard...

This Week in the Ancient Near East ·

2022/09/20

The upcoming 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tut’s tomb has us talking about the discoverer, Howard Carter, who seems to have had sticky fingers and a propensity to fudge the story of his find. Ethics? Morals? Does it matter? Look at all that nice stuff!

43:20

Introducing Opium, the Late Bronze Age Miracle Cure!...

This Week in the Ancient Near East ·

2022/09/06

New research shows that certain Late Bronze Age pots from Cyprus really did contain opium, which isn’t too surprising since they’re shaped like opium poppies. What’s going on? What was all this opium for? Was everyone in the past on drugs? Sure looks that way.

57:55

Cult of the Head or Cult of the Dead? Or, Human...

This Week in the Ancient Near East ·

2022/08/23

A new article on Neolithic skulls raises questions, like just how did all those skulls get separated from the bodies? Were there human sacrifices in the Neolithic or were there “ancestor cults,” whatever those were? Our contestants must dodge the ick factor to get to the Truth.

52:36

The Archaeology of Finger Licking Goodness, or, Why...

This Week in the Ancient Near East ·

2022/08/09

New data that show the chicken was domesticated vastly later than previously thought have shattered the poultry paradigm. Moreover, chickens were elite pets for centuries before someone decided to toss them in a pot. The myths of the archaic bird die hard in this fast moving and delicious episode.

55:55

The Mystery of King Tut’s Sky Iron Knife, or, How...

This Week in the Ancient Near East ·

2022/07/26

A new analysis has shown King Tut’s knife was made of sky iron, that’s right, iron from the sky, you know, like from a meteor, the kind from outer space. What’s so special about iron anyway and what’s the deal with diplomacy and gift giving in the Late Bronze Age? And why are we talking about bellbottoms and personal computers?

34:36

The Secret Aramean or Maybe Assyrian Underground Cult...

This Week in the Ancient Near East ·

2022/07/12

The underground cult site at Başbük in southeastern Turkey has us wondering, why depict Aramean deities in an Assyrian style? Is this an Iron Age cult site or a rich guy’s rec room? Or is it both? Mukīn-abūa of Tušhan, you sly dog.

45:56

Feeding Spice Caravans in the Negev, or Midnight at...

This Week in the Ancient Near East ·

2022/06/27

The discovery of oysters and crabs at Nabatean and Roman caravan sites in the Negev has us thinking, what’s going on here? What do we learn about trade and traders from food remains? Have we been too focused on the exports and not enough on the imports? One thing is for sure, you gotta eat.

01:01:35

The Archaeology of Big Giant Stone Heads, Sardinian...

This Week in the Ancient Near East ·

2022/06/09

The giant stone sculptures of boxers found in a first millennium BCE Sardinian cemetery have our contestants puzzled. Are these protective deities or just slightly oversized sports heroes? And why does every culture around the world first pile stones and then carve them? Didn’t they have anything better to do with their time?

59:37

Eau de l’antiquité, or, The Past is a Stinky Country

This Week in the Ancient Near East ·

2022/05/24

New research has begun to reconstruct the smell of ancient perfumes from Egyptian tombs. But rich folks always try to smell better. The bigger question is what did the past smell like as whole? Our contestants detect zesty notes of burning dung and a cloying variety of herbs and spices.

58:19

Take the Last Boat to Carthage and I’ll Meet You at...

This Week in the Ancient Near East ·

2022/05/10

A Phoenician cemetery in Spain has us talking about, well, the Phoenicians. Who were they, where did they come from, and why do we even call them Phoenicians in the first place? Isn’t that sort of ‘othering’? And where does famed character actor Michael J. Pollard fit in?

47:57

A ‘Dark Age’ Shipwreck Mystery, or When Your Cargo...

This Week in the Ancient Near East ·

2022/04/26

A Late Byzantine/Early Islamic shipwreck off the coast of Israel has us donning our Speedos once again. Wasn’t this tramp steamer aware of the momentous political and social changes taking place on land? Who cares when you’ve got walnuts and broken glass to deliver!

53:13

Even More Strange and Wonderful Finds from Iron Age...

This Week in the Ancient Near East ·

2022/04/12

Wine flavored with vanilla? Why would any self respecting Jerusalemite touch the stuff except to show off? Anyway, it pairs well with other weird stuff found in Iron Age Jerusalem like shark fossils, dried fish, and writing so why not?

55:39

Har Adir, Where the Iron Age Air is Clear, or How to...

This Week in the Ancient Near East ·

2022/03/30

The early Iron Age site of Har Adir in the mountains of the Upper Galilee is back in the news. Was this an 11th century fortress of a local polity or a bird watching sanctuary? How can we tell the difference? What is a polity anyway? One thing’s for sure, don’t get us started about ‘Dark Ages.’

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