Seven Ages Audio Journal

In this episode, the Seven Ages team catches up for a bit of Egyptological discussion in our introduction portion of the show, before shifting our attention over to Jason Pentrail and Chase Pipes of the Chasing History Youtube channel, who continue their journey to mound-building cultural sites throughout the Southeastern United States. At their most recent stop, the team toured the stunning Mississippian site of Moundville, Alabama. Jason and Chase are joined by friend and colleague Lash LaRoux as they sit down to speak with Faculty Curator Dr. Elliot Blair. 

Dr. Elliott Blair is an anthropological archaeologist whose research focuses on the early colonial and Late Mississippian periods in the American Southeast. Much of his research focuses on population aggregation and identity at Mission Santa Catalina de Guale, a 16th and 17th-century Spanish mission located on St. Catherine's Island, Georgia. Drawing upon practice-based approaches to the archaeology of colonialism and exploring identity through situated learning theory, he examines the persistence of social identities as diverse populations formed new communities under the pressures of missionization. In his work, he uses social network analysis to explore the structure of past social relationships at multiple scales.

We are also joined by Moundville Education and Outreach Coordinator Lindsey Gordon who shares all of Moundville's outstanding programs and cultural relationships with us. 

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In this episode, the Seven Ages team is joined once again by Chase Pipes of the Chasing History Radio podcast and Youtube channel in a visit to the captivating site known as Poverty Point, the third stop on our mound builders tour. 

Poverty Point, Louisiana is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the oldest mound sites in North America. The archaeological record at Poverty Point shows that its story goes back at least 3000 years. While no written record of Poverty Points inhabitants remains, we know that the site was of significant ceremonial importance and was a hub for various regional activities including trade, production of goods, and the creation of site-specific artifacts such as the Poverty Point Objects (PPOs), a unique cooking stone found in great abundance at the site. 

Seven Ages host Jason Pentrail welcomes Poverty Point site manager and expert interpreter Mark Brink to the show. Mark discusses the history, progression, and eventual decline of Poverty Point. 

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In this episode of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, the team welcomes Dr. Clark Werneke. Dr. Wernecke is the Executive Director for the Gault School of Archaeological Research and brings a unique blend of scholarship and experience to the school with degrees in history, business, and anthropology. He has considerable experience in business and has specialized in the management of large archaeological projects. Dr. Wernecke has worked in the Middle East, Mesoamerica, the American Southeast, and the Southwest. In addition to his work with the GSAR, he is currently working on archaeological data from the Mexican War and early Texas architecture.

The Gault Site has been known by archaeologists for at least 78 years. In 1929, the first anthropologist at the University of Texas, J.E. Pearce, had a crew excavating at the site for eight weeks. Though primarily interested in the Archaic burnt-rock midden showing on the surface Pearce's crew managed to excavate a handful of Paleoindian artifacts including Clovis cultural materials more than 2 years before the discoveries at Blackwater Draw. Since that time the Gault site has proven to be a significant archaeological zone spanning all twenty-two known indigenous cultures and time periods from Texas. 

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In this episode, the Seven Ages team is joined by Chase Pipes of the Chasing History Youtube channel and podcast, as they continue the spring road trip and record live from the Spiro Mounds site in Oklahoma. Jason Pentrail, James Waldo, and Chase Pipes are joined by archaeologist and Spiro Archaeological Park Director Dennis Peterson. Dennis provides the team with a detailed explanation of the history of the Mississippian culture and excavations that have taken place over the years at the famed Spiro Mounds site. 

Dennis Peterson has been the manager at Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center for 30 years. In May of 1985, he came to the site when it was still a part of the State Park system under the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department (transferred over to the Oklahoma Historical Society in 1991) and started interpreting the site to the public. He was involved in the excavations under the Oklahoma Archeological Survey and Oklahoma University from 1979 to 1982 and worked with the site and other locations in Oklahoma through the Survey from 1982 to 1985. 

Spiro Mounds is one of the most important cultural and economic centers in the Mississippian world. It boasts one of the richest art and artifact collections in North America and is considered an international cultural treasure. Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center preserves 150 acres of the site along the Arkansas River. The center offers interpretive exhibits, an introductory slide program, and a small gift shop. Visitors can explore nearly two miles of interpreted trails, including a one-half-mile nature trail. 

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In this episode, the Seven Ages team is joined by Chase Pipes of the Chasing History Youtube channel and podcast, as they travel and record live from the Pinson Mounds site in Eastern Tennessee. Jason Pentrail and Chase Pipes are joined by Tennessee State Park Ranger Dedra Irwin, who explains all the details of this truly unique woodland-era mound complex.

Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park covers over 1,200 acres and contains at least 15 Native American mounds. In addition to Sauls Mound, the group includes Oxier Mound, the Twin Mounds, and Mound 31. Archaeological evidence suggests the mounds were both burial and ceremonial in purpose. Pinson Mounds is a national historic landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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This edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal Podcast begins with a discussion of the latest research concerning the peopling of the Americas. Next, the team catches up from all over North and South America as the Seven Ages and Chasing History Spring road trip wraps up.

We are then joined by Kent State University professor Dr. Metin Eren for an in-depth discussion on the efficacy of the Clovis projectile point in killing proboscideans. Eren, who holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Southern Methodist University, as well as an M.A. inExperimental Archaeology from the University of Exeter, an M.A. in Anthropology, from Southern Methodist University, and an A.B. in Anthropology from Harvard College, shares an academic perspective with the team about the world of experimental archaeology, and what we can learn from this ever-advancing discipline.

How can modern science be applied toward a deeper understanding not only of the Clovis projectile point, but also of the many other practices held by ancient Americans, and early people elsewhere around the world? The Seven Ages Research Associates dig into these, and many other questions with Dr. Eren on this special edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal.

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Our sponsor: The Smokey Mountain Relic Room 

The Kent State Experimental Archaeology Lab Kent State Lab

Metin Eren on Google Scholar

Hunter-Gatherer Behavior: Human Response During the Younger Dryas (Edited by Metin Eren)

In this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we discuss the latest news from the world of archaeology including the future of space archaeology as well as the discovery of the famed Shackelton ship The Endurance. 

We are then joined by Austin J. Bell for an in-depth discussion on the famous and mysterious Key Marco Cat. Bell is the curator of collections for the Marco Island Historical Society and a consulting scholar at the Penn Museum. Austin discusses the details of this enigmatic artifact in his newest book The Nine Lives of Florida's Famous Key Marco Cat, available at the University Press of Florida.

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• Our Sponsor: The Smokey Mountian Relic Room 
• The Nine Lives of Florida's Famous Key Marco Cat: University of Florida Press 
• Marco Island Historical Society 

In this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we lead off the discussion with news from around the world of archaeology, highlighting a 9,000-year-old shrine in Jordan and a new article from the Mammoth Trumpet Journal discussing perishable technologies with former SAAJ guests J.M. Advasio and Tom Dillehay. We then feature an in-depth interview with David Kilby of Texas State University and the Ancient Southwest Texas Project to discuss the Bonfire Shelter bison jump. David Kilby has a long history of archaeological work at famous sites such as Blackwater Draw, Murray Springs, Mockingbird Gap, Folsom, and the Rio Rancho Folsom site.  Follow the Seven Ages Research Associates online: Twitter

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• Our Sponsors: The Smokey Mountain Relic Room
• David Kilby | Texas State University

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we lead off the discussion with a memorial to the late Tennessee archaeologist David Dean. Remembering David's life and work with us is a friend of the program, Chase Pipes of the Smoky Mountain Relic Room, along with fellow Tennessee archaeologists Jay Franklin and Zoen McLachlan. 

Then for the remainder of the program, the team is joined by Bretton Giles and Shawn Lambert, who are the co-editors of a new anthology entitled New Methods and Theories for Analyzing Mississippian Imagery. Bretton T. Giles is an assistant research professor in sociology, anthropology, and social work at Kansas State University. Shawn P. Lambert is an assistant professor of anthropology and senior research associate with the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University.

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• Our Sponsors: The Smoky Mountain Relic Room
• THE BOOK: New Methods and Theories for Analyzing Mississippian Imagery

Approximately 3600 years ago, new evidence may indicate that a cosmic airburst leveled the ancient city of Tall el-Hammam, a Middle-Bronze-Age site in the southern Jordan Valley northeast of the Dead Sea. 

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we are joined by returning guests Malcolm Lecompte, Christopher R. Moore, and for his first appearance, Timothy Witwer for an in-depth discussion about their paper, "A Tunguska sized airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam a Middle Bronze Age city in the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea." 

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• Our Sponsors: The Smoky Mountain Relic Room
• THE PAPER: A Tunguska sized airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam a Middle Bronze Age city in the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea.
• MORE FROM MOORE: A giant space rock demolished an ancient Middle Eastern city and everyone in it – possibly inspiring the Biblical story of Sodom

In this episode of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we continue our series on the enigmatic site of Göbekli Tepe in Anatolia, Turkey, as we are joined by Martin Sweatman, Ph.D., author of the book Prehistory Decoded and a number of research publications related to Göbekli Tepe.

Sweatman's academic background is in statistical mechanics, the physical theory that links the properties of particles to the properties of matter. He heads a  research group is mainly interested in theoretical aspects of classical statistical mechanics, as well as the design of new kinds of advanced material or engineering process. Typically, this involves developing or using Monte Carlo molecular simulation or classical density functional theory methods.

However, Sweatman's study of the rock carvings at Göbekli Tepe have brought statistics into the study of this ancient site, which expands the possibilities as far as their meaning to the ancient hands who carved them. 

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• Our Sponsors: The Smoky Mountain Relic Room
• Martin Sweatman, Ph.D. Website
• Prehistory Decoded (Paperback) - Martin Sweatman
• Episode Art: "Vulture Stone, Gobekli Tepe, Sanliurfa, South-east Anatolia, Turkey (CC 2.0/Wikimedia Commons)

Göbekli Tepe is arguably one of the most captivating archaeological sites in anywhere in the world, not just for its age, but for its artisanship. The location is perhaps best known not just for its age, but for the iconic pillar structures that are a mainstay of the site. In this special edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we look at this enigmatic ancient site, and what its discovery has meant for Archaeology in the 21st century. 

Joining us to discuss her work at the site is Sarah Kielt Costello, Associate Professor of Art History and Director of the Humanities Program at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. She earned her Ph.D. in anthropology from the State University of New York, Binghamton and her M.A. in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology at Bryn Mawr College. Her research areas include Mesopotamian and Cypriot prehistory and museum and heritage studies. She is a co-editor of several volumes, and her work is also published in the journals Cambridge Archaeological Journal and Antiquity.

Dr. Costello has excavated in Cyprus, Turkey, Israel, and Greece and in 2013 participated as a Fulbright Fellow in the Summer Session at the American School of Classical Studies. In 2021, she was awarded a University Faculty Fellowship in recognition of exemplary teaching, research, and service to UHCL. We discuss her work at Göbekli Tepe on this edition of the podcast, and what can be derived about the ways of life in the ancient world from the study of this site's captivating art and monumental structures.

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• Our Sponsors: The Smoky Mountain Relic Room
• Sarah K. Costello at the University of Houston Clear Lake
• Object Biographies: Collaborative Approaches to Ancient Mediterranean Art (Menil Collection, 2021)
• Seals and Sealings in the Ancient World (Cambridge University Press, 2018)
• Routledge Companion to Ecstatic Experience in the Ancient World
• Episode Art: "Göbeklitepe Şanlıurfa" by Beytullah else (CC 4.0/Wikimedia Commons)

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, the team focuses on one of the earliest and greatest mysteries in early American History: the famous Lost Colony of Roanoke. Joining us to discuss this historical mystery is Phillip Evans of The First Colony Foundation, a North Carolina 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that, according to its website, is "dedicated to conducting archaeological and historical research, combined with public education and interpretation, relating to the story of America’s beginnings with the attempts by Sir Walter Raleigh to establish English colonies at Roanoke Island in the 1580s under his charter from Queen Elizabeth I." We discuss the Foundation's efforts to utilize archaeology in resolving the mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke. 

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• The First Colony Foundation Online
• Our Sponsors: The Smoky Mountain Relic Room

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we discuss the ancient Mississippian city of Cahokia, its mysterious collapse, and cultural significance in pre-Columbian North America. Joining us to discuss the riddle of Cahokia and its decline is Tim Pauketat,  the Illinois State Archaeologist and a professor of Anthropology and Medieval Studies at the University of Illinois.

Dr. Pauketat is the Director of the Illinois State Archaeological Survey, one of the largest archaeological research units in the United States. He was trained in global archaeology at the University of Michigan but has chosen to focus on the peoples and history of eastern North America and the Plains. Director Pauketat has published extensively on his research at the ancient city of Cahokia and other medieval-era sites along the Mississippi, having written or edited 16 books, including The Archaeology of Ancient North America, Medieval Mississippians, and Cahokia: Ancient America’s Great City. We discuss the ancient earthworks of the site, and what archaeology tells us about the mysterious rise and fall of this ancient American city. 

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• Timothy Pauketat at the University of Illinois
• Cahokia: Ancient America's Great City on the Mississippi
• Ancient Cahokia and the Mississippians (Case Studies in Early Societies)
• Our Sponsors: The Smoky Mountain Relic Room

"Cahokia" image in this episode's art by Michael Hampshire, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.

On this special edition of the podcast, we go in search of answers to one of American Archaeology's most enduring mysteries: the enigmatic Clovis people and their unique technology. Who were the hunters that designed the fluted projectile point, regarded by some as "America's first invention," and what happened to them and their technology at the end of the last ice age? Did they truly vanish, or does the rise and sudden disappearance of what archaeologists call Clovis represent something far more complex?

Our investigation of the Clovis enigma takes us back to the first decade of the 20th century with the discoveries at Folsom, New Mexico, followed by those at Blackwater Draw, which effectively put Clovis on the map. We then examine archaeological perspectives on the Clovis people, including who they were, how and when they arrived in the Americas, and what makes their highly specialized technology so significant. Finally, we also explore the lingering shadow of "pre-Clovis" sites that predate the appearance of these distinctive fluted lithic points. 

Our exploration of the Clovis enigma leaves us with more questions than answers, and stands testament to why archaeologists remain fascinated with this enigmatic cultural manifestation, their technology, and their lasting imprint on the world of the Ancient Americas. 

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• Carolina Bays and Ice Age Carolinas - NASA Earth Observatory
• Randy Daniel’s Book: Time, Typology, and Point Traditions in North Carolina Archaeology: Formative Cultures Reconsidered (Archaeology of the American South: New Directions and Perspectives)
• Our Sponsors: The Smoky Mountain Relic Room

On this special "After Dark" edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, the gents join for an after-hours gathering in the Cross-Tyme Pub, as we explore the more esoteric side of archaeology and humanity's past. With that, our focus during this discussion has to do with the archaeology of magic.

We are joined by Dr. C. Riley Augé, the University of Montana’s Anthropological Collections Facility curator and instructor of many archaeology and cultural anthropology courses, such as “Myth, Ritual, and Religion.” She specializes in the anthropological and archaeological study of belief systems where her research and national and international publications emphasize the emotive and sensorial aspects of ritual behaviors and religious and magical beliefs. She was awarded the Society for Historical Archaeology 2016 Kathleen Kirk Gilmore Dissertation Award for her work on gendered magic, which is the basis for her book The Archaeology of Magic: Gender and Domestic Protection in Seventeenth-Century New England.

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• C. Riley Auge: University of Montana
• The Archaeology of Magic: Gender and Domestic Protection in Seventeenth-Century New England

On this special holiday edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, after the team recaps some of the top archaeological stories of 2020, we are then joined by guests Andy Hemmings and Jim Dunbar, for a discussion of archaeological work being conducted along Florida's waterways. 

Andy Hemmings grew up in Minnesota around the Twin Cities. In 1991 he graduated from the University of Arizona with a BA in Anthropology, and after doing contract archaeology for a time, he worked in the Navajo Nation Historic Preservation Department before heading to graduate school at the University of Florida. Hemmings received his Anthropology Masters in 1999, and Ph.D. in 2004 from the University of Florida, followed by a Post-doctoral Fellowship with the Gault Project at the University of Texas.

Jim Dunbar is an archaeologist with a research focus on Paleoindian (and pre-Clovis) populations, primarily in Florida. He was an employee with the Bureau of Archaeological Research and is now engaged full-time in archaeological research. He has an extensive publication record and completed his Ph.D. in Anthropology in 2012. His research includes the excavations at Wakulla Springs (funded by National Geographic), as well as the Norden site, Page-Ladson on the Aucilla River, and dozens of other sites. And, as we have heard, he has probably seen more Paleoindian sites than anyone in Florida.

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• NEWS: The Top 10 Archaeological discoveries 2020
• JUDITH JESCH ONLINE: University of Nottingham Bio Page

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, the team is joined for a wide-reaching discussion about ancient Scandinavia, Viking culture, and ancient texts by Professor Judith Jesch. 

Jesch was educated at the Universities of Pennsylvania (USA), as well as Durham, where she received her BA in English Language and Medieval Literature, and Oslo, Norway, as part of the Leverhulme Study Abroad Studentship. Finally, she received her Ph.D. in Scandinavian Studies in London at UCL. Before coming to Nottingham in 1985, Jesch worked as a Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin at Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main (Germany). "During my time at Nottingham," she tells us, "I have been Head of the School of English Studies (2001-4), and was promoted to Professor of Viking Studies in 2002." The team enjoys quite a deep discussion on Viking Studies, runology, and much more with Professor Jesch on this holiday edition of the podcast.

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• NEWS: Archaeologists in Norway find rare Viking ship burial using GPR
• JUDITH JESCH ONLINE: University of Nottingham Bio Page

On this special Legacy Series edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we celebrate International Archaeology Month with one of the most influential American archaeologists today: J.M. Adovasio, who led cutting edge excavations at Pennsylvania's Meadowcroft Rockshelter for several successive seasons beginning in the early 1970s. 

J. M. Adovasio received his undergraduate degree in Anthropology from the University of Arizona in 1965 and Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Utah in 1970. Since that time, he has served as a Post Doctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution (1972 – 1973) and as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh (1973 – 1990). Adovasio is generally considered to be the world’s leading authority in the arena of perishable artifact analysis. Since 1970, he has published books, book chapters, manuscripts, and technical papers numbering more than 400. These notably include The Invisible Sex (with Olga Soffer and Jake Page). He is also the author of Strangers in a New Land: What Archaeology Reveals About the First Americans, which is one of the most visually appealing and, arguably, simply one of the finest books on Paleoindian archaeology in the Americas.

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• NEWS: How the Vampire Got His Fangs: An incisive history of a Halloween snarl
• J.M. ADOVASIO: James Adovasio - Archaeological Institute of America
• The Invisible Sex: Uncovering the True Roles of Women in Prehistory
• The First Americans: In Pursuit of Archaeology's Greatest Mystery
• Strangers in a New Land: What Archaeology Reveals About the First Americans

On this edition of the program, Jason, James and Micah lead off with some discussion about recent discoveries in archaeology, which included a trove of Islamic coins that were unearthed during a salvage dig by archaeologists in Israel. We are then joined by a friend of the program, Doug Sain, Ph.D, a professional archaeologist who has overseen fieldwork throughout the southeastern United States, and who spent years working with lithic materials retrieved from the controversial Topper archaeological site in South Carolina. 

Douglas Sain obtained his doctorate at the University of Tennessee, specializing in lithic technology and Paleoindian Archaeology. He received his Master’s degree in Anthropology from Eastern New Mexico University and his Bachelor of Science degree from Appalachian State University. His thesis research documents Clovis blade technology and Technological organization at the Topper Site (38AL23) in Allendale County South Carolina. Beginning in 2005, he worked as a site supervisor at the Topper site in Allendale County, South Carolina, and with Dr. Al Goodyear, has published on Clovis blade technology in the Central Savannah River Valley of South Carolina. His dissertation research focused on Paleoindian lithic technology and the pre-Clovis component at the Topper Site.

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• NEWS: Early Islamic gold coins unearthed by archaeologists in Israel
• PAPERS BY DOUG SAIN, Ph.D.
• Clovis Blade Technology at the Topper Site (38AL23): Assessing Lithic Attribute Variation and Regional Patterns of Technological Organization
• Pre Clovis at Topper (38AL23): Evaluating the Role of Human versus Natural Agency in the Formation of Lithic Deposits from a Pleistocene Terrace in the American Southeast

On this edition of the program we lead off with a discussion about new findings in a Texas cave which researchers think may challenge theories about an ancient climate change event in Paleoindian America. Then later in the program, we are joined by Dr. David Carballo of Boston University, who discusses his new book Collision of Worlds: A Deep History of the Fall of Aztec Mexico and the Forging of New Spain (Oxford University Press). In his book, Dr. Carballo looks at the fall of the Aztec Empire before the Spanish, and the way this pivotal turning point in America set the stage for a more globalized world.

David is a specialist in Mesoamerican archaeology, focusing particularly on the prehispanic civilizations of central Mexico. Currently, ongoing projects at the ancient city of Teotihuacan include the Proyecto Arqueológico Tlajinga, Teotihuacan (PATT), and the Proyecto Plaza de las Columnas. The first seeks to understand urbanization, neighborhood organization, and the daily life of commoners through excavations and geophysical prospection within a southern district of the city. The second is focused on palace compounds and is aimed at understanding the city’s political economy.

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• Dr. David Carballo's page at Boston University's website
• Academia.edu Webpage
• Collision of Worlds: A Deep History of the Fall of Aztec Mexico and the Forging of New Spain

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we are joined by Bettina Arnold, who discusses the archaeological practices that occurred during the National Socialist regime in Nazi Germany, and their efforts to use the past as propaganda. 

Arnold obtained her BA in Archaeology from Yale University and her MA and PhD degrees in Anthropology from Harvard University. She is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she served as the Co-Director of the Center for Celtic Studies from 2000-2009 and Coordinator of the Museum Studies Graduate Program from 1996-2012. Her area of expertise is the pre-Roman European Iron Age, but in the course of her career she has participated in archaeological projects ranging from the Middle Bronze Age through the early medieval period in western Europe. Since 1999 she has co-directed the “Landscape of Ancestors” research project in southwest-Germany focused on the burial record of the early Iron Age Heuneburg hillfort and its environs.

Among other projects, she has been involved in the study of socio-political history of archaeology and museum collecting, especially their involvement in identity construction in 19th and 20th century nationalist and ethnic movements in Europe and the United States.

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• Occoquan Paleotechnics LLC
• Dr. Bettina Arnold's page at the University of Milwaukee
• "The past as propaganda: totalitarian archaeology in Nazi Germany"

Music featured in this episode:

• "Horizons" Scott Buckley (YouTube)
• "Phoenix" Lahar (YouTube)

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we are proud to present the first in our Legacy Series, featuring Tom D. Dillehay, Ph.D. These special podcasts will examine the life, careers, and work of some of the world’s most prominent and influential modern archaeologists.

Dr. Dillehay is the Rebecca Webb Wilson University Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, Religion, and Culture and Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and Latin American Studies in the Department of Anthropology, Professor Extraordinaire and Honorary Doctorate at the Universidad Austral de Chile, International Professor in the Programa de Estudios Andinos in the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Peru, Lima, and adjunct faculty at the Universidad Catolica de Temuco, Universidad de Tarapaca, Universidad San Sebastian in Chile and the Universidad Nacional de Trujillo in Peru. Professor Dillehay has carried out numerous archaeological and anthropological projects in Peru, Chile, Argentina and other South American countries and in the United States.

Professor Dillehay has published twenty-two books and more than three hundred refereed journal articles and book chapters. He currently directs several interdisciplinary projects focused on long-term human and environmental interaction on the north coast of Peru and on the political and cultural identity of the Mapuche people in Chile. Professor Dillehay has received numerous international and national awards for his research, books and teaching. Professor Dillehay is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 

This episode will explore the incredibly important archaeological site of Monte Verde, Chile. The research conducted at this site by Dr. Dillehay and associates reveals some of the earliest and most important information concerning the peopling of the Americas.

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• Occoquan Paleotechnics LLC
• Tom Dillehay's page at Vanderbilt University
• Tom Dillehay’s TEDx talk, “Touching Deep Native American History”

Music featured in this episode:

• "Quiet Storm" Audio Library (YouTube)
• "Budda" Audio Library (YouTube)

On this edition of the podcast, we are joined first by Michael Frank of Occoquan Paleotechnics LLC, who we are proud to welcome to the Seven Ages family as a sponsor of the program. After a degree in Anthropology and Archaeology Field School, Michael worked conserving archaeological artifacts in the vast collections of the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History. Heavily influenced during his time there by pioneering archaeologists Dr. Dennis Stanford and Dr. Pegi Jodry, Michael’s specialty is analyzing and demonstrating the correct stages of how paleo objects were made by primitive peoples.

Then for the remainder of the program, we are joined by Andrew M. T. Moore, an honorary President of the Archaeological Institute of America. Since 1960, Dr. Moore has participated in archaeological surveys, excavations, and field research in England, Italy, Malta, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, and Syria. His earlier research concentrated on the advent of agriculture and sedentary life in western Asia, especially in Syria, which was the focus of a recent paper he co-authored which was published in the journal Nature titled "Evidence of Cosmic Impact at Abu Hureyra, Syria at the Younger Dryas Onset (~12.8 ka): High-temperature melting at >2200 °C." In it, Moore and his colleagues present new evidence that strengthens the case for a cosmic impact that occurred around the time of the Younger Dryas 12,700 years ago.

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• Occoquan Paleotechnics LLC
• Andrew M.T. Moore at the Archaeological Institute of America
• Evidence of Cosmic Impact at Abu Hureyra, Syria at the Younger Dryas Onset (~12.8 ka): High-temperature melting at >2200 °C

Music featured in this episode:

• "Modern Middle East" Vlog Music (YouTube)

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we are proud to present an international sampling of two content-rich media productions. First, we are joined by Rupert Soskin and Michael Bott of The Prehistory Guys podcast and film production company. 

These intrepid gentlemen comb the British countryside examining, researching and filming the United Kingdom’s many megalithic sites, creating film documentaries about each location and building on their research through a well-produced podcast. 

We are then joined by Raven Todd DaSilva of the Dig it with Raven video blog and YouTube channel. According to her website, “I started this video blog as a passion project to make learning about Archaeology, Art Conservation, and History accessible and exciting for everyone.”

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• The Prehistory Guys
• Dig it with Raven

Music featured in this episode:

• "Middle East Beat" Soul Prod (YouTube)
• "Lucid Dreaming" Till (YouTube)

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, in addition to news and archaeology updates, we are joined by Ryan Gill, an expert in the recreation of primitive weapons and archaeological consultant in ancient hunting methods and tools.

According to his website, "Professional primitive weapons/tools builder, Ryan Gill has been digging deep to resurrect tools and techniques to Entertain, Educate, and Inspire generations on stone age hunting. Not only has he taken dozens of animals with his hand made equipment, but he also has built a business around his journey to be able to continue to share it with as many people as possible while also supporting his craft and family. Ryan has also breached into the world of academics and is now a professional consultant and builder for the Anthropology department at Texas A&M University."

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• Sea level fingerprinting detects source of the Younger Dryas climate event
• Data could yield big discoveries in archaeology of the Inca Empire
• ‘Antique’ explosive found in downtown Charleston basement
• Hunt Primitive: Gill's Primitive Archery Page

Music featured in this episode:

• "After Thought" Density&Time  (YouTube)

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, after news pertaining to the surprising results of DNA studies in West Africa and a Japanese experiment in search of answers about ancient seafaring, we turn our attention to one of the greatest controversies in modern science that unites the fields of archaeology, geology, and climate science: the Younger Dryas impact hypothesis. Joining us to discuss it are two leading experts on the topic--a geoarchaeologist and a planetary scientist--who offer their perspectives on the latest developments in support of this hotly debated theory.

Christopher R. Moore, PhD, is a geoarchaeologist and Special Projects Director with the Savannah River Archaeological Research Program. His research interests include site formation processes and geochronology of stratified sites in the southeastern Coastal Plain, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, early hunter-gatherer adaptations, lithic technology, and immunological blood residue analysis of stone tools.

Chris is also the lead researcher of the White Pond Human Paleoecology Project and has authored and coauthored numerous papers on the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis including one documenting the presence of widespread Platinum anomalies at the Younger Dryas Boundary (YDB) as well as a recent paper on White Pond (near Elgin, SC) supporting the YD impact hypothesis.

Malcolm Lecompte is a planetary scientist and remote sensing specialist. He holds a B.S. with Honors in Physics from the University of Wyoming and an MS in Astro-geophysics from the University of Colorado in Boulder. He received his Ph.D. in Astrophysical, Planetary and Atmospheric Sciences in 1984.

Lecompte also became affiliated with the Naval Aviation reserve in 1980, and before ending his military flight career in 1991, compiled over 1,000 hours of military aircrew and private pilot time, officially retiring from the Naval Reserve as a Commander in 1998 after 23 years of active service.

From 2004 until 2009, after a post-doctoral appointment at the Harvard College Observatory and Smithsonian Center Astrophysics (as well as a period managing DoD sponsored R&D projects), Lecompte held a faculty position as an Associate Professor and Research Director at Elizabeth City State University’s Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing Education and Research.

Now retired, LeCompte has since devoted himself to investigating earth impacts during the late Pleistocene and Holocene epochs by asteroid and comets. He is currently working in collaboration with colleagues at ECSU and other research organizations.

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• 'Ghost' DNA In West Africans Complicates Story Of Human Origins
• Early Modern Humans Could Sail, Archaeologists Confirm

Music featured in this episode:

• "Horizon" MONIN  (YouTube)
• "Eva" – 失望した (Youtube)

On this first edition of the audio journal for 2020, the Seven Ages gang gathers in the Cross-Time Pub for a cold pint as Micah recaps recent independent research he undertook in Portugal and the Azores over the holidays. Unique clues in the history of Portugal and its adjacent islands dating back to the Age of Discovery suggests that there may indeed be more to the history of the Azores than once thought, and archaeological discoveries currently underway may soon lend even more credence to the idea. 

We are then joined by Jarrod Burks, Ph.D., Director of Archaeological Geophysics at Ohio Valley Archaeology, Inc. and a member of the Heartland Earthwork Conservancy. As Dr. Burks argues, "there is no question now, geophysics works for locating archaeological features in countless settings and one of my primary goals is to show this to the archaeological community--as well as the public." through his professional work as an archaeologist, Burks employs geophysics is in the search for prehistoric earthworks throughout the Middle Ohio Valley. "I have surveyed dozens of sites and have located many new enclosures and drastically altered the maps of most sites," he says. "There is much yet to learn about these earthwork sites and geophysics is a great tool to advance our knowledge about the past." 

Jarrod discusses what new technologies are revealing at many of Ohio's most famous archaeological sites, which include the Great Serpent Mound and other earthworks from the Buckeye State. 

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• Campus archaeological facility dedicated to former Cherokee village 
• Ohio Valley Archaeology Inc.
• Heartland Earthworks Conservancy

Music featured in this episode:

• "Orion" - Getsix (YouTube)
• "Maximum Potential" - Amadeus (Youtube)

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we look at how the recent Amazonian wildfires are damaging not just the environment, but also putting archaeological discoveries that lay hidden within the jungle at risk. Many in the archaeological community are troubled by attitudes in the current Brazilian presidential administration, and how the shifting of blame in order to protect industrial interests further complicates the jobs of archaeologists in the region.

Then later in the program, we feature an interview with author Tom Poland, a writer and researcher who has authored more than a dozen books, his most recent of which involves the enigmatic Carolina Bays. We also share some audio from Micah and Jason's recent trip to Tennessee, where we spoke with avocational archaeologist David Dean, who has been involved with education and archaeology in his home state for a number of decades. Then rounding out the program, Micah and Jason sit down for a lengthy fireside chat with their friend and colleague Chase Pipes of the "Chasing History" YouTube channel, and owner of the Smoky Mountain Relic Room in Sevierville, Tennessee. Chase shares his passion for history with us, and discusses many of his areas of interest and efforts to educate and inspire young people to become more involved with the study of our past.

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• Brazil’s Leader Falsely Blames Leonardo DiCaprio for Amazon Fires
• Archaeologists fear Bolsonaro agenda will kill Amazon civilisation research
• Huge Amazon Wildfires Endanger Our History As Well As Our Air, Archaeologists Say
• Tom Poland Official Website
• Chasing History with Chase Pipes

Music featured in this episode:

• "Ranger" - Chew Chew (YouTube)
• "Broke in Summer" - Salon Helga (Youtube)

On this edition of the podcast, Micah and James are flying solo as Jason is on "daddy duty" as he welcomes in the newest member of the Pentrail family. We discuss the latest news pertaining to the famous Antikythera shipwreck, which continues to teach us new things about the past, as well as the new results published by Dr. Christopher Moore about the White Pond archaeological site in South Carolina, where platinum anomalies associated with the Younger Dryas period were recently found. 

Then joining us for a lengthy discussion about Alaskan archaeology and the Upward Sun River site is Dr. Benjamin Potter, who has worked in Alaskan archaeology since 1995, receiving his Ph.D. in 2005 at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He has extensive field and laboratory experience in both CRM and academic archaeology and has worked for federal agencies (1997), private industry (1998-2006), and UAF (2005-present). His geographic interests include Subarctic and Arctic regions, particularly Interior Alaska. His research interests include intersite variability, site structure, and organization, with a research program focusing broadly on the relationships among site structure, settlement, economy and technology among high latitude prehistoric hunter-gatherers. Dr. Potter joins us to discuss ancient migration routes used by the first Americans, and the significance of the Upward Sun River site, at which he has overseen archaeological excavations. 

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• Dr. Ben Potter, University of Alaska Fairbanks
• Upward Sun River Site Frequently Asked Questions
• Leonardo da Vinci feud: The 'earlier' Mona Lisa mystery
• The Mona Lisa Foundation Website

Music featured in this episode:

• "Wanderlust" - Crastel (YouTube)
• "Eastern World" - OurMusicBox (YouTube)

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we lead off with a field report from a Southeastern festival, the focus of which had been the mythology of "wild men", before turning our attention to the more serious matter of a new study that seeks to find environmental DNA at the ancient Meadowcroft Rockshelter in Pennsylvania. 

One of the most intriguing aspects of archaeology has to do with unique discoveries that are made in unlikely places. These "out of place artifacts" are often controversial, and perhaps even more often dubious in nature. At other times, unexpected discoveries--such as Mesoamerican obsidian from Teotihuacan found during excavations at Spiro Mound, Oklahoma--do seem to point to a need for broader interpretations of certain archaeological concepts.

Hence, for this portion of the show we turn our attention to a few unique instances where curious items and other out of place artifacts have turned up that may raise new questions about the past, and in cases where hoaxes aren't most likely, may even challenge certain historical and archaeological paradigms. We present a critically-minded perspective on discoveries that include the Grave Creek Tablet, Easter Island's Rongorongo tablets, Roman coins found in various odd places, the Piri Reis Map, and other similar items and "odd bits" of history (see links below for a complete list of items discussed and additional resources). 

Then closing out the show, we are joined by Dan Newbanks in the final segment, who shares a lighthearted retrospective on one of America's most famous hoaxes: the Cardiff Giant. 

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• Archaeologists probe oldest, deepest part of Meadowcroft Rockshelter
• Out of Place Iron: North Carolina’s Mysterious Mica Mines 
• The T.F. Nelson Triangle, Caldwell County North Carolina
• Odd Texts and Tablets: The Grave Creek Stone
• The Cincinnati Tablet
• The Rongorongo Texts of Easter Island
• Curious Coins: The Carthaginian Coins of Corvo 
• Roman Antoniniani Found In Iceland
• Medieval Chinese Coins in Britain
• Blog post from archaeologist Caitlin Green, Cambridge University
• Mysterious Maps: The Piri Reis Map (Bad Archaeology)
• Charles Hapgood's "Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings"
• The Zahng-Zung map (Tibet)

Music featured in this episode:

• "Dream" - Elka (YouTube)
• "Native American" - Aries 4Rce BeatZ (YouTube)

On this episode of the podcast, we share news and listener emails, before being joined live from the field by the “Wildman” of cultural resources management Chris Young. Chris calls in to update us on his latest adventures and stories from the road as he travels to many of the most prominent archaeological areas in the nation. 

We are then joined by Emeritus Professor of Prehistory and Director of the Experimental Archaeology Masters Programme at the University of Exeter, Dr. Bruce Bradley. Dr. Bradley has extensive experience with stone-age technologies and experimental archaeology with a focus on the archaeology of the North American Southwest and Great Plains. Dr. Bradley’s research has included the Upper Palaeolithic of Russia and France and is currently focused on the early peopling of the Americas. 

We discuss his work as Co-Principle Investigator at the Gault site in central Texas along with the vitally important discoveries being unearthed at this pre-Clovis site. The conversation then moves to the highly controversial Solutrean hypothesis and the work of Dr. Bradley and his co-author of the book Across Atlantic Ice, the late Dr. Dennis Stanford.  

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• • Dr. Bruce Bradley at the University of Exeter
  • Bruce Bradley's Web Page
  • "Solutrean Hypothesis: Genetics, the mammoth in the Room."
  • Across Atlantic Ice: The Origin of America's Clovis Culture (Amazon)

Music featured in this episode:

• "Breached Skies"- CFM (YouTube)
• "Medieval Journey" - Audio Library (YouTube)

On this edition of the podcast, after news and listener emails, we are joined by archaeologist Dr. Jessi Halligan, an Assistant Professor of Anthropology, with specializations in geoarchaeology and underwater archaeology. Jessi joins us to discuss her participation with excavations at the famous Page-Ladson pre-Clovis site in Florida.

Jessi’s dissertation focused on the geoarchaeological context of submerged Paleoindian sites in the Aucilla River of Florida, focusing upon landscape reconstruction over the past 15,000 years and human usage of the area during this time. This research included underwater survey and excavation, terrestrial survey, coring, sediment analysis, and a bit of remote sensing. Since graduation, Dr. Halligan has been actively involved in new investigations at the Page-Ladson site along with several collaborators and conducted extensive underwater and terrestrial survey and site evaluations of the surrounding area, with plans for field schools involving both underwater and terrestrial components.

We discuss the pre-Clovis discoveries made by Jessi and her team at the Page-Ladson site, and then during our wrap-up we also feature an interview with John Ladson, after whom the site is named. John, who grew up near the site and has become a chronicler of the archaeological research carried out there over the decades, gives us additional details about the history and discoveries that have helped make Page-Ladson one of the most significant pre-Clovis sites in North America.

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• • The Dabbler’s Den on YouTube
  • Jessi Halligan at Florida State University
  • “Pre-Clovis occupation 14,550 years ago at the Page-Ladson site, Florida, and the peopling of the Americas”(Science Advances)

Music featured in this episode:

• “Roots Of Legend”– CFM (YouTube)
• Acoustic Folk Instrumental – Audio Library (YouTube)

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we begin on a culinary note as James Waldo leads us off with an update on his brewing of the “Seven Ages Irish Stout,” soon to be kept on tap at the Cross-Time Pub. We also touch on a few unusual appetizers from around the world, including Peruvian llama stew, and the archaeological mystery of why a man 1500 years ago felt compelled to consume an entire rattlesnake?

Then later in the program, we are joined by Professor Charles Ewen for a discussion about the archaeology of piracy, and a look at one of history’s most notorious figures: the legendary pirate Blackbeard. Born as Edward Teach, many questions remain about the life and legacy of Blackbeard, who was discussed in the co-edited anthology X Marks the Spot: The Archaeology of Piracy (New Perspectives on Maritime History and Nautical Archaeology), by by Prof. Russell K. Skowronek Charles R. Ewen, who joins us to discuss this significant work on the subject.

Dr. Ewen received his Ph.D. at the University of Florida in 1987 and immediately went to work for the Bureau of Archaeological Research in Tallahassee. After excavating Hernando de Soto’s winter encampment, he moved to Arkansas to run contracts for the Arkansas Archeological Survey for the next several years. He joined the faculty at East Carolina University in 1994 and is currently a full professor in the Department as well as Director of the Phelps Archaeology Laboratory.

According to Ewen’s biography, “My research interests focus mostly on historical archaeology (specifically the contact and colonial periods). However, like most archaeologists, circumstances have led me to work on nearly every kind of archaeology site, from prehistoric villages to Civil War fortifications and twentieth-century homesteads. While at ECU, I have directed several projects at Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens in New Bern, Ft. Macon State Park, Hope Plantation, Somerset Place, and a long-term archaeological study of Historic Bath, North Carolina.”

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• • Archaeologists unearth more evidence that when a civilization drinks together, it stays together
  • Why did someone consume an entire rattlesnake 1500 years ago?
  • Llama Stew in Peru
  • Why you love coffee and beer

Music featured in this episode:

• Fresh Air – Zeeky Beats (YouTube)
• 8-Bit-Adventure– Can’t Stop (YouTube)

On this edition of the podcast, the team features a series of colorful interviews with several icons of southeastern archaeology, recorded live at the White Pond Lodge in rural South Carolina. The location is the site of a series of ongoing archaeological digs overseen by Christopher R. Moore, Ph.D., a geoarchaeologist and co-author of a number of notable papers in recent years supporting the Younger Dryas Impact hypothesis.

Some of the guests among the interviews featured in this episode, in addition to Christopher Moore, are geoscience educator Chris Cottrell of the YouTube Channel “The Dabbler’s Den,” archaeologist Chris Judge, Tariq Ghaffar of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Seven Ages listeners Dan Newbanks and Chris Corley, and Chris Young, a CRM archaeologist who has assisted at White Pond for many consecutive years.

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• Dennis Stanford, Smithsonian Archaeologist, passes away

Music featured in this episode:

• Hick Hop – Ganga Beats (YouTube)
• Deep Southern Dirt – ARC (YouTube)

O

n this edition of the podcast, we lead off with a discussion about a geological mystery, pertaining to quartz that appeared on a remote island where it shouldn’t belong; however, team geologist James Waldo explains why this isn’t the mystery the media has portrayed it as being. Then Jason touches on a recent headline involving how Mexico’s president recently sent a letter to Spain’s King Felipe VI, as well as Pope Francis, asking for apologies “for human rights abuses committed during the conquest of the region 500 years ago.” After weighing in on this controversial story, we look at the recent discovery of the first skull fragments from Denisovans at the famous Denisova Cave in the Bashelaksky Range of the Altai mountains, Siberia, Russia.

Then for the second half of the program, we are joined by Shane Miller, Ph.D., a prehistoric archaeologist whose primary research interests include the Ice Age colonization of the Americas and the origins of agriculture in eastern North America. In addition to southeastern archaeology, Dr. Miller has also worked at mammoth kill sites in Arizona, Sonora, and New Mexico, and has directed and participated in surveys in Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas. We talk with Dr. Miller about his ongoing excavations at the Swag site, a Paleoindian archaeological site in Allendale County, South Carolina, and other fascinating areas of interest in Southeastern Archaeology.

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• On a Remote Island, a Lost Part of the World Is Found
• Scientists Confirm The Discovery of The First Ever Denisovan Skull Fragments
• Mexico Demands an Apology from Spain for Columbian-era Atrocities

Music featured in this episode:

• Barretta Blues – Trip Hop (YouTube)
• Chillout – Psycho Mondo (YouTube)

O

n this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, after recounting some of the team’s recent travels we are joined by David Carballo, Associate Professor of Archaeology, Anthropology, and Latin American Studies at Boston University, who shares his knowledge of the ancient Mesoamerican city of Teotihuacán.

Located in Mexico’s highlands just miles away from modern-day Mexico City, Teotihuacán has long fascinated archaeologists, and it remains one of the most-visited archaeological ruin sites in the world.

Carballo is a specialist in Mesoamerican archaeology, focusing particularly on the prehispanic civilizations of central Mexico, and during our discussion, he shares some of the current ongoing projects underway at the ancient city of Teotihuacan, which includes the Proyecto Arqueológico Tlajinga, Teotihuacán (PATT), and the Proyecto Plaza de las Columnas. The first seeks to understand urbanization, neighborhood organization, and the daily life of commoners through excavations and geophysical prospection within a southern district of the city. The second is focused on palace compounds and is aimed at understanding the city’s political economy.

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• David Carballo’s Boston University Profile

Music featured in this episode:

• Further Away – TechnoAxe (YouTube)
• Latin Techno – Eric Taylor (YouTube)

On this edition of the program, in addition to recounting the group’s visit to the 45th Annual Conference on South Carolina Archaeology where we recently gave a lecture on “Archaeology 2.0: Anthropology and Outreach in the Internet Age,” we also cover a fascinating discovery of Mayan relics in a sealed cave beneath the famous Chichen Itza, which has revealed a number of unique new clues to the ancient Mayan ceremonial belief system.

Then later in the program, inspired in part by L. Sprague de Camp’s famous book, The Ancient Engineers, we take a look at many of the engineering monuments of the ancient world, which range from Gobekli Tepe and Stonehenge to the famous pyramids of Giza, and the history of their origins. We also look at the Parthenon in Ancient Greece, the Great Wall of China, and the massive mound sites built by Native Americans in the New World. Finally, we also look at the lost artistic feat that was the Statue of Zeus at the Temple of Olympia, which was listed among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by scholars long ago. 

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• Maya ritual cave ‘untouched’ for 1,000 years stuns archaeologists
• Gobekli Tepe: The World’s First Temple?
• How Did Egyptians Build the Pyramids? Ancient Ramp Find Deepens Mystery
• An Archaeologist Says He’s Figured Out The Secret of The Pyramids Alignment
• Unlocking the Mysteries of the Parthenon
• Statue of Zeus at the Temple of Olympia
• Great Wall of China (from the UNESCO website)

Music featured in this episode:

• Teller of the Tales – Kevin MacLeod (YouTube)
• CO.AG Music – Create the Future (YouTube)

In this second in a two-part series discussing the "American Holocaust" that befell Native Americans during the conquest of America by the Spanish, we are joined by Holocaust historian Samuel Zinner, Ph.D., and Native American attorney and activist Tara Houska.

On this second installment in a two-part series, we continue our discussion of American Holocaust: The Conquest of the New World, by David E. Stannard. Joining us for the first part of this discussion is Samuel Zinner, Ph.D., a scholar of ancient and modern history, literature and linguistics, and a Holocaust researcher. He contributed to German Scholars and Ethnic Cleansing 1920-1945 (Oxford/New York: Berghahn Books, 2004), which was awarded the American Library Association’s prestigious “Choice Outstanding Academic Book of the Year Award” for 2005. Zinner has also contributed articles to Holocaust and Genocide Studies (Oxford University Press), Religions/Adyan (Doha International Centre for Interfaith Dialogue), and other academic journals. His books and essays on ancient and modern history and literature have been published internationally in a variety of languages.

Then in the final portion of the podcast, we are joined by Tara Houska, of the Couchiching First Nation. Houska is a tribal attorney based in Washington, D.C., the National Campaigns Director of Honor the Earth, and a former advisor on Native American affairs to Bernie Sanders. She advocates on behalf of tribal nations at the local and federal levels on a range of issues impacting indigenous peoples.

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• American Holocaust: The Conquest of the New World: David E. Stannard
• Samuel Zinner, Ph.D.’s page at Academia.edu
• Tara Houska delivers a TEDx talk on The Standing Rock Protests

Music featured in this episode:

• Stefan Ruesche – Mystery forest (YouTube)
• Serobliss – Shamanic (YouTube)
• prod.sketchmyname – Astral Planes (YouTube)

Images featured with this podcast episode:

• Podcast Art: (Clockwise from top left) Miniconjou Sioux chief Spotted Elk, Sitting Bull, and burial of the dead after the massacre of Wounded Knee.
• Podcast Icon: Original art based on James Earle Fraser’s The End of the Trail

On this edition of the podcast, professor Daniele Bolleli joins us for the first in a two-part series discussing the "American Holocaust" that befell Native Americans during the conquest of America by the Spanish.

A note to our listeners: This edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal is the first in a two-part series which addresses the atrocities brought against indigenous Americans following the Spanish conquest of America, and their ongoing struggles throughout the centuries leading up to the present day. Due to the graphic nature of some of the historical events discussed herein, this podcast is intended for mature audiences, as some listeners may find this to be sensitive material. 

On this special first installment in a two-part series, we turn our attention to the dark side of American history, with a specific focus on the landmark book American Holocaust: The Conquest of the New World, by David E. Stannard, a Professor of American Studies at the University of Hawaii. In American Holocaust, Stannard “describes in horrific detail the mass destruction of entire New World societies that followed in the wake of European contact with the Western Hemisphere—destruction that lasted for more than four centuries, and that continues in many places even today.” Stannard offers a frightening–and at times a controversial–look at the less-often atrocities against indigenous Americans in post-Columbian America.

Joining us to discuss what Stannard’s book calls the “American Holocaust” is Professor Daniele Bolleli, host of the History on Fire and The Drunken Taoist podcasts. He is the author of several books on philosophy and martial arts, including the renowned On the Warrior’s Path. Daniele has appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience, and teaches at CSULB and Santa Monica College where he is an instructor on the arts, humanities, social sciences, and Native American history and culture.

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• American Holocaust: The Conquest of the New World: David E. Stannard
• Lecture by David Stannard, author of American Holocaust
• History on Fire and The Drunken Taoist online. 

Music featured in this episode:

• Ephemeral Rift – Native American Flute in D Minor
• Kevin MacLeod – “Firesong” (incompetech.com)

Images featured with this podcast episode:

• Podcast Art: Prints from Bartolomé de las Casas Regionum
• Podcast Icon: Original art based on James Earle Fraser’s The End of the Trail

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we look back at some of the archaeological work and discoveries that took place in the last twelve months, along with a few forecasts for future studies.

The post Seven Ages Audio Journal Episode Nineteen: A Year in Archaeology appeared first on Seven Ages.

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we turn our attention to the ancient wonders of Ireland, in an exploration of the country's famous Neolithic sites.  

The post Seven Ages Audio Journal Episode Eighteen: The Ancient Wonders of Ireland appeared first on Seven Ages.

On this edition of the podcast, we explore the ancient relationships between wolf and man, and how dogs have played a significant role in human cultures across the ages.

The post Seven Ages Audio Journal Episode Seventeen: Of Wolf And Man: Ethnocynology Across the Ages appeared first on Seven Ages.

On this episode, the team chronicles their recent trip throughout Georgia and Alabama to visit ancient Mississippian mounds and other archaeological sites.

The post Seven Ages Audio Journal Episode Sixteen: Mississippian Mounds of the Southeast appeared first on Seven Ages.

On this edition of the podcast, we discuss some of American history's most infamous and curious cases of cannibalism throughout the last several hundred years.

The post Seven Ages Audio Journal Episode Fifteen: Curious Cases of Cannibalism appeared first on Seven Ages.

On this edition of the podcast, we speak with archaeologist Aaron Deter-Wolf about ancient tattooing practices.

The post Seven Ages Audio Journal Episode Fourteen: In Search of Ancient Tattooing appeared first on Seven Ages.

This week's podcast discusses pseudo-archaeology, in a conversation with our guests Serra Head and Ken Feder of the Archaeology Fantasies Podcast. 

The post Seven Ages Audio Journal Episode Thirteen: Myths, Fantasies, and Pseudo-Archaeology appeared first on Seven Ages.

On this episode, we discuss the life of the ancient Egyptian ruler Hatshepsut with Egyptologist Dr. Kara Cooney, author of "The Woman Who Would Be King."

The post Seven Ages Audio Journal Episode Twelve: Hatshepsut, The Woman Who Would Be King appeared first on Seven Ages.

How early did humans arrive in North America, and what do discoveries at places like the Topper Site in Allendale County, South Carolina, teach us about southeastern archaeology and the ancient past? 

The post Seven Ages Audio Journal Episode Eleven: On The Front Line Of Southeastern Archaeology appeared first on Seven Ages.

On this episode, we speak with the cohosts of the Women in Archaeology podcast, discussing the role of women in professional anthropology today.

The post Seven Ages Audio Journal Episode Ten: Women in Archaeology appeared first on Seven Ages.

This week the Seven Ages Audio Journal looks at one of the most tumultuous periods of climate change in the ancient world, known as the Younger Dryas.

The post Seven Ages Audio Journal Episode Nine: Riddle of the Younger Dryas appeared first on Seven Ages.

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we remember the life and work of American physicist and seeker of the unusual William R. Corliss.

The post Seven Ages Audio Journal 008: The Anomalist: The Life of William R. Corliss appeared first on Seven Ages.

On this edition of the podcast, we discuss the mound building cultures of Wisconsin, and how nature, myth, and symbolism are represented in these impressive ancient structures.

The post Seven Ages Audio Journal 007: The Mound Builders of Wisconsin appeared first on Seven Ages.

On this edition of the podcast, the Seven Ages team talks with Chris Fischer of OCEARCH, an organization that provides research on great white sharks and other large apex predators.

The post Seven Ages Audio Journal 006: Sharks, Science and Conservation appeared first on Seven Ages.

On this edition of the program, we discuss recent discoveries that are changing what archaeologists think about the Maya and the reach of their civilization.

The post Seven Ages Audio Journal 005: Lost World of the Maya appeared first on Seven Ages.

On this edition of the Seven Ages audio journal, we discuss Ohio's ancient history and archaeology with Dr. Brad Lepper of the Ohio History Connection.

The post Seven Ages Audio Journal 004: Ancient Ohio in Focus appeared first on Seven Ages.

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we explore the history of ancient Egypt, and the intrigue it has held among scholars and explorers for centuries.

The post Seven Ages Audio Journal 003: The Allure of Egypt appeared first on Seven Ages.

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we look at how the late criminal Charles Manson and his unsettling mind became iconic in American culture.

The post Seven Ages Audio Journal 002: Murder By Proxy appeared first on Seven Ages.

On this first edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we discuss evidence of early human arrivals in the Americas, and discoveries at the Meadowcroft Rockshelter in Pennsylvania.

The post Seven Ages Audio Journal 001: The First Americans appeared first on Seven Ages.