Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

Sunken Cities Part 3: Thonis-Heracleion, the City of Commerce and Ceremony - TPM 24

In this episode, we’ll explore the rediscovery and legacy of Thonis-Heracleion, a sacred port city that was lost beneath the Mediterranean Sea for over 1200 years. During its peak, the city stood as both a major checkpoint for foreign merchants entering Egypt and a spiritual center tied to the worship of Amun, Khonsu, Osiris, Aphrodite, and many more Egyptian and Greek deities.

In this episode, we’ll explore the rediscovery and legacy of Thonis-Heracleion, a sacred port city that was lost beneath the Mediterranean Sea for over 1200 years. During its peak, the city stood as both a major checkpoint for foreign merchants entering Egypt and a spiritual center tied to the worship of Amun, Khonsu, Osiris, Aphrodite, and many more Egyptian and Greek deities.

Rituals connected the site to Canopus through the Osirian Mysteries, and I'll share details about the archaeological evidence of these rites, including a sacred barge that carried the statue of Osiris between the two cities. As with its neighbor Canopus, Thonis-Heracleion became closely associated with a Greek mythical hero. According to Herodotus, this was where Heracles (Hercules) set foot in Egypt for the first time and Heracles became syncretized with Khonsu over time.

Listen now to explore how the rediscovery of Thonis-Heracleion has helped reshape our understanding of Egypt’s sacred coastline during the Late Period and Ptolemaic Dynasty.

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Legend of the Bog (2009) - Screens 113

It’s October, and as is tradition, we’re reviewing scary Halloween movies this month! First up is Legend of the Bog (2009), a movie with just enough Vinnie Jones in it to justify putting him on the cover. You’ve seen mummies; you’ve seen zombies; but what about a resurrected Iron Age bog body? Plus: a special guest appearance from a Sp0okY Gh0st!

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Remembering Jane Goodall with Primatologist Carson Black - Ethno 25

Remembering Jane Goodall with Primatologist Carson Black

In this deeply heartfelt episode, David speaks with Primatologist, Biological Anthropologist, and Conservationist, Carson Black, who has spent her academic career studying chimpanzees in Senegal and howler monkeys in Costa Rica.

Together, they reflect on the life and legacy of Jane Goodall, the “living Darwin of the modern era,” and how her groundbreaking work continues to shape the way we understand both chimpanzees and ourselves.

Carson shares vivid stories from the field—bucket showers under the Milky Way, mischievous chimps throwing rocks, and the humbling power of seeing the world from their perspective. The two also discuss the history of primatology, the pioneering “Trimates” (Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas), and the role of indigenous knowledge in modern science.

This episode serves as both a tribute to Jane Goodall and a reminder that anthropology isn’t just about the past—it’s about the relationships that continue to define what it means to be human.

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Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

Recreating Rock Art with Stephen Townley Bassett - Rock Art 152

In this episode, Alan is joined by Stephen Townley Bassett, a forensic artist dedicated to preserving and recreating San rock art with striking accuracy. Using natural materials like ochre, charcoal, and egg shell, Stephen reconstructs ancient paintings in the same way they were originally made—millimeter by millimeter.

With decades of field experience across Southern Africa, his work highlights the intersection of art, archaeology, and conservation, offering a powerful visual record of a fragile cultural legacy under threat.

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Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

Field Notes: The Bare Bones - ABC 07

It’s time to dig up some old bones! In this episode, Ash and Judith have left Tilly in her sickbed to sift through the bones of history to explore the theme of The Bare Bones! They discuss how this theme is so important within the field of archaeology and medieval life, as well as their own person anecdotes on death, happy skeletons and medieval memes!

Monthly Book: Mort by Terry Pratchett

Books Mentioned

  • The Kingmaker’s Daughter by Philippa Gregory

  • The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

  • Medieval Children by Nicholas Orme

  • All That Remains by Sue Black

  • Medieval Death: ritual and representation by Paul Binski

  • Wigmore Castle, north Herefordshire: excavations 1996 and 1998, Stephanie Rátkai

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Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

I Read “Sex is a Spectrum” and I’m Not Convinced - Pseudo 172

I noticed some heated online arguments in the anthropology world about human sexuality, where several noted anthropologists recommended the book “Sex is a Spectrum” by Agustin Fuentes, so I read it. What I learned: Unfortunately, pseudoscience exists in other realms beyond pseudoarchaeology.

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Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

Pasts and Crafts: Book binding with Alexandra Sebire (part 1) - Tea Break 38

In today’s tea-break, Matilda wants to learn more about books, and takes a closer look at the development of notebooks and the traditional craft of book binding. Joining her on her tea-break is Alexandra Sebire, founder of Solemniko stationary. Together they discuss the tools and know-how required for book binding, as well as the trials of running a small business, and how even the smallest act of help can make a difference in the world.

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  • Email: matilda@thearchaeologiststeacup.com

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Mental Health - Trowel 54

And My Trowel podcast logo

In this slightly different episode, Ash and Tilly discuss the different ways that mental health is both affected by and perceived within archaeology and fantasy fiction. Tune in to hear their discussion on the importance of community, managing expectations, and how many archaeology-related puns they can stuff into a 30-minute episode.

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Books Mentioned

  • Blackthorn and Grim (Juliet Marillier)

  • Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea (Rebecca Thorne)

  • Witches Guide to Magical Innkeeping (Sangu Mandanna)

  • Rewitched (Lucy Jane Wood)

  • Lord of the Rings (J. R. R. Tolkien)

  • A Song of Ice and Fire (George R. R. Martin)

  • Sword of Truth series (Terry Goodkind)

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Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

Digging Differently: Native Presence in Archaeology with Chance and Tyrel Part 2 - Plains 28

This episode continues my conversation with Tyrel Iron Eyes (Standing Rock Sioux Tribe) and Chance Ward (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe). We turn to the stories and lessons from the field—where archaeology is practiced on the ground and in real time. Tyrel and Chance reflect on the growing presence of Native archaeologists, the ways Tribally informed practices are reshaping fieldwork, and how their own experiences demonstrate the importance of centering Native voices in research.

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Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

Are CRM companies too cheap? - Getting reimbursements - CRMArch 319

CRM Archaeology Podcast Icon

When it is okay to ask for a reimbursement for using your own equipment in the field? Today the hosts discuss the complexities of getting reimbursed for using your own vehicle, getting food allowance, and what the company is required to provide. We will also talk about the difficulties of navigating university reimbursement processes that comes with running an archaeological field school.

Links

  • This video shows what it’s like to wait for a reimbursement from a university: Moving Through Time

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Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

Sunken Cities Part 2: The Ancient Mysteries of Canopus - Ep 23

In this episode of Ethnocynology with David Ian Howe, I sit down with my good friend and former graduate school cohort member Cassidee Thornhill, Collections Manager at the University of Wyoming Archaeological Repository.

Cassidee’s research dives into the early contact era in Wyoming, focusing on the arrival and spread of horses before and during European colonization. We discuss her fascinating thesis work on the Black’s Fork River site, where a young foal was found buried alongside three coyote skulls—an extraordinary archaeological discovery that sheds light on early human–horse relationships on the Plains.

Topics we cover include:

  • The Black’s Fork horse burial and its cultural significance

  • Early radiocarbon dates showing horses in Wyoming decades before the Pueblo Revolt

  • Evidence of early veterinary care and human–horse bonds

  • How horses transformed Native economies, sovereignty, and resistance

  • Genetic research linking early horses in the Americas to Spanish (and later British) stock

  • The broader story of how horses reshaped Indigenous life across the Plains

Cassidee also shares her perspective on whether horses or dogs have been more influential in human history—a big question we love to ask on this show.

This episode is the extended interview version you won’t find on YouTube—perfect for listeners who want the full deep dive into Cassidee’s groundbreaking work.

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Works Cited

  • Abdel-Rahman, R. 2018. Recent Underwater Excavations at Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus. Annales Du Service Des Antiquités de l’Égypte (ASAE) 92:233–258.

  • Buraselis, K., M. Stefanou, and D. J. Thompson. 2013. The Ptolemies, the Sea and the Nile. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

  • Egypt Museum. Canopus & Heracleion: Sunkencities.

  • Fraser, P. M. 1972. Ptolemaic Alexandria. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

  • Goddio, F., and A. Masson-Berghoff. 2016. Sunken Cities: Egypt’s Lost Worlds. Thames & Hudson / British Museum, London.

  • Goddio, Franck. Projects: Sunken Civilizations: Canopus.

  • Lavan, L., and M. Mulryan (editors). 2011. The Archaeology of Late Antique Paganism. Brill, Leiden.

  • MacDonald, W. L., and J. A. Pinto. 1995. Hadrian’s Villa and Its Legacy. Yale University Press, New Haven.

  • Marriner, N., C. Morhange, and C. Flaux. 2017. Geoarchaeology of the Canopic Region: A Reconstruction of the Holocene Palaeo-Landscapes. Méditerranée 128:51–64.

  • PAThs-ERC. East Canopus: Sacri Lapides Aegypti.

  • Sidebotham, S. E. 2011. Berenike and the Ancient Maritime Spice Route. University of California Press, Berkeley.

  • Sidebotham, S. E. 2019. Ports of the Red Sea and the Nile Delta: Trade and Cultural Exchange. In The Cambridge Companion to the Roman Economy, edited by W. Scheidel. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

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Re-imaging Libyan Rock Art with visual artist Shefa Salem al-Baraesi - Rock Art 151

In this episode, Alan is joined by visual artist Shefa Salem al‑Baraesi, a Benghazi‑based creator whose oil paintings re‑imagine Libya’s archaeological heritage—like the inverted‑figure boat scene from the Acacus cave art—and ancient rituals such as the Kaska dance. Through her realistic, large‑scale works, Shefa transforms written history and myth into evocative visual narratives that resonate with everyday Libyans. Her exhibitions, I Am Libya and Ethnolibya, bring these ancestral images forward as a living, shared national memory.

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Phineas and Ferb - Screens 112

Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher are precocious STEM-minded stepbrothers trying to make the most of their 104 days of summer vacation. On today’s episode we’re reviewing five episodes of this popular Disney Channel series, featuring Egyptian movie mummies, dinosaur time-travel capers, cartoon cave people, and a “corn colossus”, whatever that means.

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Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

Horses (Part 2) | Horses in Early Contact North America with Cassidee Thornhill - Ethno 24

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In this episode of Ethnocynology with David Ian Howe, I sit down with my good friend and former graduate school cohort member Cassidee Thornhill, Collections Manager at the University of Wyoming Archaeological Repository.

Cassidee’s research dives into the early contact era in Wyoming, focusing on the arrival and spread of horses before and during European colonization. We discuss her fascinating thesis work on the Black’s Fork River site, where a young foal was found buried alongside three coyote skulls—an extraordinary archaeological discovery that sheds light on early human–horse relationships on the Plains.

Topics we cover include:

  • The Black’s Fork horse burial and its cultural significance

  • Early radiocarbon dates showing horses in Wyoming decades before the Pueblo Revolt

  • Evidence of early veterinary care and human–horse bonds

  • How horses transformed Native economies, sovereignty, and resistance

  • Genetic research linking early horses in the Americas to Spanish (and later British) stock

  • The broader story of how horses reshaped Indigenous life across the Plains

Cassidee also shares her perspective on whether horses or dogs have been more influential in human history—a big question we love to ask on this show.

This episode is the extended interview version you won’t find on YouTube—perfect for listeners who want the full deep dive into Cassidee’s groundbreaking work.

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Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

Book Worms: Melodies of Memories - ABC 06

t’s part two of a discussion from our Archaeo Book Club admins talking about the current monthly theme of “Melodies of Memories”. This episode, Tilly, Ash, and Judith chat about how the theme is represented in fiction and popular non-fiction, especially in relation to depictions of the past. Listen in to hear all about the complexity of organs, why music might be limited by a lack of diversity in traditional publishing, and some personalised reading recommendations from our hosts.

Monthly Book: The Instrumentalist (Harriet Constable)

Other books mentioned:

  • Fair Helen (Andrew Greig)

  • Crystal Singer series (Anne McCaffrey)

  • A Little Trickerie (Rosanna Pike)

  • Songs Below Water (Bethany C. Morrow)

  • The Journey through Wales (Gerald of Wales)

  • Blood Orange (Karina Halle)

  • A Terribly Nasty Business (Julia Seales)

  • The Hobbit (J.R.R.Tolkien)

  • Appassionata Novel (Jilly Cooper)

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Inside the Nervous System - ADHD 22

In this episode George takes us inside our own nervous system. For hundreds of millions of years our ancestors have survived unimaginable challenges and these countless events shaped our evolution. To cope with the volatile climates we faced, our body’s evolved through survival and today we are carrying around the same software…and it’s all still trying to keep us alive.

By learning to communicate within our own bodies (via nervous system regulation) we can make end the internal conflict and feel safe, all the time.

Hopefully nervous system regulation becomes the new norm and we can finally step into that space age.

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Your Story by MusicbyAden | https://soundcloud.com/musicbyaden
Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/
Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

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Peopling of the New World - Pseudo 171

It’s time to talk about the hardest question in all of archaeology! This is something I get asked about a lot, plus there is a pseudoarchaeological component to this (130 thousand year old sites in the New World?). Prepare yourself for the deeply unsatisfying yet super interesting tale of the first people to enter the New World.

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The Archaeology of Notebooks - Tea-break 37

I hope that you have a writing utensil handy, because you’ll want to make some notes for this one! In this episode, Matilda takes a dive into the origins and archaeology of the simple notebook. But what actually is a notebook? What materials have they been made from throughout history? And did an ancient Egyptian king really predict AI? Listen in to find out!

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  • Email: matilda@thearchaeologiststeacup.com

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The Stones are Speaking: Gault Site Documentary - TAS 316

The Gault site is world famous for it’s Clovis and pre-Clovis occupations. It’s also famous for the dedication of the principal archaeologist, Michael Collins. In the new documentary, “The Stones are Speaking”, Writer/Producer/Director Olive Talley tells the story of the Gault site and the story of Michael Collins and his efforts to preserve the site. We also talk to the Director of Photography, Kenneth Garrett. Kenneth is a National Geographic photographer and has known and worked with Michael Collins on other pieces since the beginning of the Gault site’s journey.

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The Conference Saga - Trowel 53

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It’s conference season! To prepare for an upcoming meeting of the Extremely Obvious and Regular Society of Wizards, Ash and Tilly discuss their conference experiences and all that these events entail. How would you put a stake in a vampire’s ramblings? Stop a werewolf from mooning over the buffet table? Prevent a debate between wizards from becoming too heated? Listen in to find out!

Books mentioned:

  • Deep Secret (Diana Wynne Jones)

  • Shatterglass (Tamora Pierce)

  • Discovery of Witches (Deborah Harkness)

  • Discworld series (Terry Pratchett)

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