The Past Macabre

Join Egyptologist Stephanie Rice as she delves into topics such as the elaborate tombs built to immortalize the dead, ancient guardians of the afterlife, and the tales of heroes who defied and often triumphed over deities of death. The Past Macabre explores the diverse ways in which cultures throughout history have sought to understand, confront, and transcend death.

The Hungry Ghost Festival: From Ancient China to Modern Celebrations Around the World - TPM 21
Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

The Hungry Ghost Festival: From Ancient China to Modern Celebrations Around the World - TPM 21

Many different cultures from China and Southeast Asia honor the dead on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month during the Hungry Ghost Festival, also known as Zhongyuan in Daoism and Yulanpen or Ullambana in Mahayana Buddhism. In this episode, we’ll trace the origins of ancestor worship to ancient Shang Dynasty Oracle Bones, or “Dragon Bones,” which were used to inscribe petitions to ancestral spirits and hold the earliest evidence of Chinese writing.

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The Wag Festival: Ancient Egypt's Summertime Celebration for the Dead - TPM 20
Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

The Wag Festival: Ancient Egypt's Summertime Celebration for the Dead - TPM 20

The Wag Festival is one of the oldest named celebrations in Ancient Egypt, a summertime rite honoring both the death of Osiris and the memory of departed loved ones. Each year, the living gathered to share feasts with the dead with offerings of bread, beer, and beef to sustain them in the afterlife. In this episode, we’ll explore the festival’s connection to the Osiris Myth and uncover its traces in the archaeological record, from tomb reliefs and inscribed stone offering tables to the very first Pyramid Texts in the tomb of Unas. Along the way, you’ll hear about some of the specific foods and offerings that graced these ancient tables.

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Murray Cook on Stirling's Archaeology: From the Last of the Free Caledonians to the Scottish Wars of Independence and the World Wars - Ep 19
Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

Murray Cook on Stirling's Archaeology: From the Last of the Free Caledonians to the Scottish Wars of Independence and the World Wars - Ep 19

Dr. Murray Cook is an archaeologist, author, co-founder and co-director of a field school, and Honorable Research Fellow at Stirling University. His research focuses on the area around Stirling, Scotland and its expansive history.

There are Neolithic stone circles, Bronze Age burials, late Iron Age sites that offer a glimpse of life just before the Romans arrived, and artifacts that mark the Roman presence itself.

Stirling Castle, built in the 12th century, became the most used royal residence in Scotland for centuries. It is the site where William Wallace defeated the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge, and where Robert the Bruce claimed victory at the Battle of Bannockburn during the First War of Scottish Independence. The royals of the House of Stewart lived here for generations, including Mary, Queen of Scots. Nearby lie medieval and historic cemeteries with burials of both the famous and the infamous.

In this episode, Dr. Cook discusses his research that spans all of Stirling’s history, the benefits of slowing archaeological research down to focus on a single area, the importance of telling the stories of humanity’s shared past, and the vital role of public outreach in securing the future of archaeology.

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Welcome to The Past Macabre! Where we dive into humanity’s enduring obsession with death—and what lies beyond it!