The Archaeology Show

Archaeology Podcast Network

The Archaeology Show is produced by the Archaeology Podcast Network. It's hosted by archaeologist's Chris Webster and Rachel Roden. We will interview people from around the world in a variety of topics. Enjoy the ride.

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#340
September 14 · 50 min
Journal Club - September 2026 - Ghost DNA and Carved Turtles - Ep 340
This week we have the latest installment of the journal Club! Ash and Tilly from the And My Trowel podcast join us for a lively discussion about two recent news articles. Join us to learn about ghost DNA, turtle figurines (or not?), and all the ways Americans eat and drink tea and scones incorrectly!
#339
September 7 · 32 min
Ancient Inscriptions - Ep 339
In this episode of The Archaeology Show, we follow three discoveries that reveal how much ancient meaning can survive—and how much can still elude us. First, we look at rare Neolithic obsidian arrowheads from central Anatolia, etched with one-of-a-kind geometric designs that took real effort to carve, yet remain impossible to interpret. Then we head deep into Spain’s Cova de les Dones, where a hidden chamber holds 120 Latin inscriptions—evidence of an organized Roman cult centered on a mysteriou
#338
August 31 · 44 min
PROMO - 'Rock Art: An American Story' with Stephen Alvarez - Rock Art 171
Please enjoy this episode of The Rock Art Podcast this week! In this episode, Alan speaks with Stephen Alvarez about his new book, Rock Art: An American Story, exploring the enduring significance of rock art across North America. They discuss Indigenous perspectives, the sacredness of rock art sites, and how ancient imagery continues to connect people with place, culture, and history. The conversation also considers the challenges of interpreting and dating rock art, and the importance of respe
#338
August 17 · 43 min
The Mystery of Rongorongo, an Etruscan Well, and a Lost Convent - Ep 338
This week, we’re exploring three archaeology articles in the news this week. First, we head to Rapa Nui, where new research into the mysterious Rongorongo script could reshape our understanding of when and how writing developed on the island. Then, we examine an Etruscan ritual well filled with offerings to the goddess Uni—and later, human remains. Finally, we travel to Denmark, where plans for an underground parking garage led archaeologists to the unexpected discovery of a long-lost medieval c
#337
August 10 · 49 min
Journal Club: July 2026 - Ep 337
Join the APN crew for a monthly discussion of recent news articles. This month we look into two very different questions about archaeology and how we interpret the past. First, we dig into the growing role of AI and large language models in archaeological research, discussing hallucinations, data ownership, consent, open access, and why critical thinking is more important than ever. Then, we examine the case of a man who survived a severe facial injury roughly 100,000 years ago—and ask whether t
#336
August 3 · 44 min
Geoglyphs in Brazil, a Deadly Polish King's Tomb and a Fresco Reconstruction in Pompeii - Ep 336
This week we cover three new archaeology news stories! First up, a new LiDAR study in Brazil is revealing that the Amazonian ancient civilization of Aquiry may have been much larger than previously known. Then, a tomb in Poland that was opened in 1973 harbored a deadly fungus that caused the deaths of many of the researchers that worked on it, like a modern day Mummy’s Curse! And finally, archaeologists at Pompeii are reconstructing a ceiling mosaic piece by painstaking piece.
#335
July 27 · 40 min
Maya Astronomer Named, and Controversy Over Utah Monuments and Smithsonian Signage - Ep 335
In today’s archaeology news episode, we discuss three articles, starting with a discovery at the Maya city of Xiulán, Guatemala: a small room interpreted as a scribe/astronomer workspace with 11 hieroglyphs naming Sak Ton Wax (“white-chested fox”) and more than 50 mathematical “micro texts” tracking Venus and Mars as the author. We then cover a report that President Trump reduced Grand Staircase–Escalante and Bears Ears by nearly three million acres, opening lands to mining and ending the Bears
#334
July 13 · 40 min
Save Ancient Studies Alliance - Ep 334
On today’s episode Chris interviews Dr. David Danzig from the Save Ancient Studies Alliance. It’s a great website dedicated to education and outreach. They’ve got a conference coming up on July 19th and 20th for people listening in real time. It’s free and open to all. Check out the livestream options at the links below.
#333
June 29 · 40 min
Timelines: 1450 - Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu, and Constantinople - Ep 333
In this “Timelines: 1450” episode, we travel across continents and centuries to see what was happening at the same time in different places around the world: Angkor Wat in the jungles of Cambodia, Machu Picchu in the Andes, and Constantinople in Turkey. Join us as we uncover their origins, uses, and the mysteries that still surround these awe-inspiring sites.
#332
June 22 · 48 min
Presenting: Journal Club - Ep 332
Each month on the APN Discord channel the management of the APN will get together and discuss an article or two from recent archaeology and scientific journal publications. You can join live and free on the Discord and see our shining faces! We thought we’d use this show to present the audio from that first recording. We’re aiming for the first Monday of every month. Let us know what you think!
#331
June 8 · 44 min
Did Archaeologists Find a Lost Incan City? - Ep 331
This week we cover three archaeology stories in the news recently. First, ancient and unusual rock art in the Caucuses. Then we head over to Spain where researchers have excavated several graves at a monastery, including the queen who founded it. And finally, Natianal Geographic's June cover story is all about a long lost Incan city that may (or may not!) have been identified in Peru.
#330
May 25 · 43 min
Monte Verde Dethroned? - Ep 330
In episode 330 of The Archeology Show, we discuss the latest controversy over the site of Monte Verde in southern Chile, long considered a cornerstone pre-Clovis site dated to about 14,500 BP. We summarize a March 2026 study led by Todd Surovell arguing the key occupation layer is much younger (about 8,200–4,200 years ago) based on geological and stratigraphic analyses, including an 11,000-year-old tephra layer allegedly beneath deposits, claims of redeposited older wood from erosion and floodin
#329
May 18 · 57 min
Is Destroying Archaeology for the Border Wall OK? Ep 329
Today we bring you three stories from the news. The first is about an overcrowded cemetery in Colorado and it brings into question other cemeteries that date back over 100 years and the accuracy of records. Next we head to Scotland where a man-made island has been shown to have much more interesting architecture than previously though - and it’s much older than researches believed. Finally, we talk about the archaeology being destroyed by Trump’s border wall with Mexico.
#328
May 4 · 57 min
Early Hominin Structures, Pompeii Discoveries, and the Band of Holes in Peru - Ep 328
In this week’s episode, we cover three archaeology news stories. First up, a Nature-backed report on unusually old woodworking from Kalambo Falls, where waterlogged conditions preserved a wedge, digging stick, and notched logs dated by luminescence to about 476,000 years ago, suggesting advanced planning and challenging simple “Stone Age” assumptions. We then discuss a Pompeii discovery of two skeletons outside the city walls near Porta Stabia, including a man apparently shielding his head with
#327
April 27 · 52 min
Unraveling Ancient DNA: Neanderthals, Natural Selection, and Burial Mysteries - Ep 327
In our latest episode, we unravel fascinating stories of ancient DNA in the news! Uncover the touching story of Anglo-Saxon siblings buried together over 1400 years ago. Then we look at groundbreaking research revealing how natural selection shaped more genes than we ever imagined. Finally, join our exploration of the mysterious origins of Neanderthals!
#326
April 13 · 27 min
From Pharaohs to Crosses: Egypt’s Hidden Worlds - Ep 326
Three discoveries, one shifting landscape: a mysterious buried structure beneath the ancient city of Buto, the newly identified tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose II near the Valley of the Kings, and the remains of a massive Coptic monastery at Al-Qalaye. We dig into what the finds reveal about Egypt’s long arc—from dynastic power to Christian communities—and how modern tools are changing what archaeologists can see.
#325
March 30 · 49 min
PROMO - BREAKING NEWS - Monte Verde is no longer a pre-Clovis site, with Dr. Todd Surovell - Ethno 33
For decades, Monte Verde in southern Chile has been one of the most famous archaeological sites in the Americas. The site was widely accepted as 14,500 years old, making it one of the strongest pieces of evidence for human presence in the Americas before Clovis. But what if that interpretation was wrong? In this special episode, I sit down with Dr. Todd Surovell, professor of anthropology at the University of Wyoming, to discuss new research that re-examines Monte Verde using modern geoarchaeo
#325
March 23 · 31 min
Treasures, Seated Skeletons, and Egyptian Receipts - Ep 325
This week on The Archaeology Show, we tour three very different windows into the ancient world: a 5,000-year-old tomb packed with remarkable treasures, a surprising discovery of upright-buried skeletons beneath a French school, and tens of thousands of Egyptian notes and receipts that capture everyday life in vivid detail. We unpack what these finds reveal about status and burial ritual, how archaeologists interpret unusual body positions, and what “boring” paperwork can tell us about work, mone
#324
March 16 · 43 min
Blackened Teeth, Jaw Surgery, and Ancient Knitting - Ep 324
This week we are back with some News stories! First, we discuss evidence from an Iron Age cemetery in northern Vietnam showing intentional, permanent tooth blackening dating back 2,000 years. Then, we cover a 2,500-year-old Pazyryk culture burial in southern Siberia where CT scans of a mummified woman’s skull suggest a severe jaw injury was stabilized with surgical sutures. And finally, we summarize Bronze Age textile finds from Anatolia dated roughly 1915–1745 BCE and later, including the earli
#323
February 23 · 37 min
Early Human Footprints, Ancient Clothing, and a 150-Year-Old Drink - Ep 323
From a 150-year-old alcohol bottle unearthed in Utah—where the “real treasure” might be what it once tasted like—to footprints in White Sands New Mexico which are more than 20,000 years old, this episode spans the surprisingly fragile side of archaeology. We also dig into a discovery being called the oldest clothing in human history, and what it can (and can’t) tell us about early humans, preservation, and the everyday technologies that rarely survive.

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