Yale classicist Kirk Freudenburg discusses the epic poems of the ancient world. From the Iliad to the Aeneid.By Sebastian Wetherbee

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Gino Caspari, an Explorers Club fellow and expert in the archaeology of the ancient Eurasian Steppe. Gino uses satellite imagery, LiDAR, and other forms of remote sensing paired with ambitious field surveys to discover new ancient sites. Check him out on Instagram @ginocaspari…

Art historian Dr. Wei-Cheng Lin and I discuss the arrival of Buddhism in ancient and early medieval China. We track the emergence of a major sacred site called Mount Wutai, discuss the symbolism of the mountains in Chinese history, and much more.By Sebastian Wetherbee

Dr. Morag Kersel and I discuss the ethics of archaeology, including the challenges posed by looting, the illegal antiquities trade, and the curation crisis. We focus on these issues in Israel, Jordan, and Palestine, through the lens of Dr. Kersel's archaeological and ethnographic research.By Sebastian Wetherbee

In this episode, Dr. Bauer tells me about his work studying a remote outpost of the Wari Empire, an enigmatic civilization that preceded the Inca in Andean prehistory. We discuss imperial expansion, social hierarchy, burials, and more.By Sebastian Wetherbee

In this episode, David Paradis joins me to discuss the legacies of early medieval feuding and honor cultures. We examine how those forces shaped England, and Europe more broadly, across the middle ages.By Sebastian Wetherbee

In this episode, Dr. Adrian Chase takes us on a deep dive into the process of mapping and understanding ancient Maya cities, how the Maya shaped the natural world around them, and how studying ancient urbanism can enrich our understanding of modern cities.By Sebastian Wetherbee

A fascinating conversation on one of the lesser-known regions in the ancient Mediterranean. Dr. Kearns talks about her fieldwork studying archaic Cyprus. We talk about the rural landscapes of the Iron Age world, and why it's important to look beyond palaces and temples to the countryside, where most of the ancients lived their lives.…

A discussion on squeezing every possible bit of data from ancient bones. Learn how archaeologists analyze bone artifacts using cutting-edge paleoproteomics, spatial and statistical analyses, experimental archaeology, and more!By Sebastian Wetherbee

How did civilization emerge on the Peruvian coast? Who were the Manchay? How did Amazonian civilization influence the coast, and what role did Shamanism play in Andean prehistory?By Sebastian Wetherbee

Dr. Jackson Crawford joins me to discuss ethics and beliefs in the viking world, through the lens of Hávamál, a collection of Old Norse poetry written from the perspective of Odin. The conversation meanders through topics including violence, relations between the sexes, magic and runes, honor, and reputation.…

In this episode, I speak with Evelynn Combs and Gerad Smith about the history of metalworking - particularly copper - in ancient Alaska. We talk about their experiments trying to reconstruct Dene methods of copper working, and I learn some of the meanings behind this traditional craft.By Sebastian Wetherbee

In this episode, Dr. Gerad Smith tells me about the archaeology of the indigenous Dene people of the Alaskan interior. He works heavily with Dene elders, informants, and professionals from a variety of organizations. He also incorporates linguistics, mythology, and ethnography into his studies to better understand the things he digs up.…

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Justin Cramb, an expert in the archaeology of prehistoric Polynesia.By Sebastian Wetherbee

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Robert Kelly, an expert in prehistoric archaeology and the study of ancient hunter-gatherers. The topic of the day is his book, The Fifth Beginning: What Six Million Years of Human History Can Tell Us About Our Future.By Sebastian Wetherbee

In this episode Dr. Todd Surovell lays out the case for the Overkill Hypothesis: the claim that ice age hunters triggered a wave of megafaunal extinctions as they entered the New World.By Sebastian Wetherbee

In this episode I speak with Dr. Catherine Steidl. Dr. Steidl is a Scholar in residence at the Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization, at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Having earned her PhD from Brown University’s institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World in 2018, she is an expert in the archaeology of the ancient mediterr…

Wyoming State Archaeologist Spencer Pelton tells me about his research on how anatomically modern humans colonized the globe. We also talk about paleoindian archaeology, ancient ochre mines, ethnography in Mongolia, cave archaeology, and more.By Sebastian Wetherbee

In this episode I speak with Dr. James Johnson, an archaeologist and expert in the ancient western Eurasian steppe. Tune in next time for more interviews on archaeology, ancient history, and prehistory.By Sebastian Wetherbee

In this episode, I speak with my friend Molly Herron. She specializes in the archaeology of pleistocene North America, and is interested in the relationship between ancient humans and megafauna. We discuss her research identifying ivory at mammoth kill/scavenge sites, and her ongoing reexamination of the Colby Mammoth Site.…