In the early first millennium BCE, the city of Hasanlu was destroyed in a single, terrible day. Excavations reveal murdered civilians and a citadel engulfed in fire, but who was responsible for destroying this town on the road to everywhere in Iron Age Western Asia? This week, Anna and Amber tell Hasanlu's story, and of the academic drama that followed its excavation (and continues to this day).
Read MoreThis week, Anna gets out her box of slides from her recent trip to Bulgaria. We discuss some of the deep history (and prehistory) of Bulgaria, as well as some mythology and folk traditions. Then, we have a chat about some of our favorite ways to experience different communities and cultures when we travel.
Read MoreAnna and Amber are joined by forensic archaeologist Kimberlee Moran to talk about the unique story of the First Baptist Church cemetery in Philadelphia, PA. Our story this week has twists, turns, and more information about preserved brains than you might think possible!
Read MoreWe're back! Anna and Amber are marching to a very special beat this week, as we talk about sound-induced trances and other ways in which people achieved altered states in the past. Tune in, turn on, and join us!
Read MoreThis week is a little different! As we head into a brief holiday break, we want to show our fellow archaeologists some love. We took to Twitter, and in this episode we share some fieldwork stories from you, our listeners! Amber and Anna also share their own field experiences.
Read MoreTime to throw the devil horns and apply superfluous umlauts to vöwëls, because this week The Dirt is totally metal! Metallurgy, that is. How and when did humans first use metals, and what can we learn about them? Some come straight from the ground, others from far, far away, some from a combination of raw materials, and some? Some come FROM OUTER SPACE.
Read MoreThis week, Anna and Amber get philosophical as they look for clues into how people through time and space have answered the question: when it comes to deserving help, who counts? What does care look like? What does charity look like?
Read MoreThis week Anna and Amber told you we’re going to the park, but really it’s a trip to the v-e-t in an episode all about evidence for animal care and veterinary medicine in the archaeological record. Learn how archaeologists assess animal welfare from bone analysis, ancient Egyptian animal medicine, a snapshot of life on a medieval French farm, and more, including 2nd millennium BCE pro tips on how to get your horse absolutely jacked.
Read MoreIt’s the second half of our two-episode series on Japan! This week, Amber and Anna explore some of the traditions and material culture surrounding Japanese food. We research rice, sample sake, banter about bento, and MAYBE MAKE THE BEST SERIES OF PUNS EVER HEARD ON THE SHOW.
Read MoreThis week, it’s a sponsored episode (thanks Elizabeth!) and part one in a two-part series on ancient Japan. This week—the Jomon, prehistoric Japanese hunter-gatherers, and their descendants, the Ainu indigenous people. Also, some bears.
Read MoreThis week, Anna and Amber decided to clean up their act and take a look at the history of bathing and hygiene. We’re dipping our toes into Roman baths, sweating through Finnish and Russian saunas, discussing the shrewd marketing behind the “Halitosis Effect,” and more. Plus, what even IS soap, anyway?
Read MoreSpooktober winds to a close once again, and we end with a mystery. Bundle up and join Anna and Amber at Roopkund Lake, where bones scatter the shore and speculation and science meet. Who were the people whose skeletal remains keep appearing in a remote lake in northern India? How did they get there? How might we find out?
Read MoreCome along for a look at the anthropology of “evil,” some of the psychological designations that true crime podcasts might neglect, some wildly speculative thoughts about the roots of human evil, and how scores on “psychopath tests” vary across societies. Plus, the earliest cold case murder, Machiavelli on Machiavellianism, and unfortunately, the entirely unwelcome reappearance of the Evil Neanderthal theory.
Read MoreThis week, head south to the misty, mysterious island of Chiloé, Chile, where Amber tells Anna a story of a powerful cult of warlocks that held the island in their grip in the late 19th century CE. But, as in all good horror stories, the true villain is possibly something else entirely. Sit down for a hearty meal of the spookiest spaghetti and explore indigenous Mapuche governance, colonization, and whether the ghost stories of Chiloé might be more meaningful than they seem.
Read MoreIt's here! Spooktober is here! Your (g)hosts kick off the month with an exploration of things that go bump in the woods, and discuss what anthropology has to say about Bigfoot. Turns out, a whole lot. There’s skepticism, mild skepticism, and then there's theory that may finally break Anna altogether.
Read MoreThis week, Anna and Amber welcome Very Special Guest Ken Feder (Central Connecticut State This week, Anna and Amber welcome Very Special Guest Ken Feder (Central Connecticut State University) to talk all things archaeological and pseudoarchaeological. Amber and Anna ask Ken about teaching strategies! Hot takes from critics! The real impact of archaeological research on living communities! The proper way to say 'Thames!' And more! Plus, why you should buy all of Ken’s books.
Read MoreThis week, Anna and Amber sing you a little tune about musical instruments in the archaeological record, and the ways that we can access ancient music today. From the discoveries of the earliest known flutes, to jamming out with Homer, to some mind-blowing takes on sound and silence, consider it our first movement in this composition.
Read MoreSnuggle on down in your jimjams with a mug of your favorite warm beverage, as Anna tells Amber a bedtime story about a great moment in archaeological discovery. This week, we travel back to 17th century Sweden, where a professor named Olof Rudbeck changed the world with his research.
Read MoreThis week, Anna and Amber tackle some questions submitted from you, the listener! It's a lightning round of stories about ghost puppers, citizen archaeology, glimpses of what happens behind closed doors, Stone Age musicians, and much more!
Read MoreAnna and Amber talk about animal bones and what you can learn from them about domestication! Learn about how selective breeding affects animals' bodies (and also learn that Amber is very afraid of pigs). We also take a detour into Spookytown with some bizarre Iron age animal burials, and top it off with a lovely story about a kitten.
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