Things We Threw Away Podcast

Episode 12 - Rabbit Holes and Hare Tales

In this episode of Things We Threw Away, we follow rabbits and hares - and somehow also the bunny - through archaeology, history, and folklore to uncover how these animals became familiar with humans and thereby also loaded with meaning. At the beginning we start with a presumable simple question: what is a rabbit, a bunny and a hare? Followed by what is the difference between a rabbit and a hare? From skeletal remains and burrowing behaviour to domestication and hunting practices, we explore how biology, zoology, archaeology and other disciplines help us figuring out these animals and their complex interaction with humans through time. In that connection, we take a closer look at the different roles of rabbits and hares as food, fur resources, and symbolic animals, and trace how they appear in mythology, seasonal traditions, and cultural beliefs across different periods and places. Finally, we follow one of the most familiar rabbit traditions of all: the Easter bunny. Where did it come from, and how did rabbits become tied to eggs, spring, and morality? Join us as we hop down the rabbit hole of archaeology, folklore, and the long entangled history between humans and hares. Further References * Encyclopaedia Britannica. n.d. What’s the difference between rabbits and hares? Available at: https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-rabbits-and-hares [https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-rabbits-and-hares] (accessed 03 March 2026). * Irving-Pease, E.K., Frantz, L.A.F., Sykes, N., Callou, C. & Larson, G. 2018. Rabbits and the specious origins of domestication. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 33(3): 149–152. * Ohio Thoughts. 2015. Rabbits: natural and cultural history. Available at: https://ohiothoughtsblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/rabbits-natural-and-cultural-history.html [https://ohiothoughtsblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/rabbits-natural-and-cultural-history.html] (accessed 03 March 2026). * University of Oxford. 2018. The history of domestication: a rabbit’s tale. Available at: https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2018-02-14-history-domestication-rabbit%E2%80%99s-tale-0 [https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2018-02-14-history-domestication-rabbit%E2%80%99s-tale-0] (accessed 03 March 2026). * Wikipedia. n.d. Lagomorpha. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagomorpha [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagomorpha] (accessed 03 March 2026). Credits * Intro and outro music: “Meeting for Two – Background Music for Video Vlog (Hip Hop version, 43s)” via Pixabay Music [https://pixabay.com/nl/music/beats-meeting-for-two-background-music-for-video-vlog-hip-hop-version-43sec-222254/] by White_Records * Research behind the script: Jona Schlegel and Stefanie Ulrich * Editing and post-production: Jona Schlegel * Cover art: Stefanie Ulrich Things We Threw Away – Where to Find the Podcast * TWTA on Substack [https://substack.com/@thingswethrewaway] – Updates, transcripts, and reflections from the project * TWTA on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3ll0iPXhoaSiv4YgqygWWG] – Listen and follow via Spotify * TWTA on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/things-we-threw-away-podcast/id1830278873] – Available through the Apple Podcasts directory * TWTA on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/twtapodcast] – Visual updates, behind the scenes, and illustrated content * TWTA on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/twtapodcast.bsky.social] – Public discussions, reflections, and cross-links Projects by the team members Jona Schlegel * Follow on Instagram (@archaeoink) [https://www.instagram.com/archaeoink/]: Visual science communication through illustration, websites and archaeology * jonaschlegel.com [https://jonaschlegel.com/]: Portfolio and background on archaeological communication, coding, and design * archaeoink.com [https://www.archaeoink.com/]: Illustrated archaeology, blog posts, newsletter, and research-based visual storytelling * pastforwardhub.com [https://pastforwardhub.com/]: A platform for (freelance) archaeologists who want to create a more sustainable career, be visible, and connect with others Stefanie Ulrich * Follow on Instagram (@thepublicarchaeologist) [https://www.instagram.com/thepublicarchaeologist/]: Photography of archaeological objects, and material encounters with a special focus on ancient Rome This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thingswethrewaway.substack.com/subscribe [https://thingswethrewaway.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Episode 11 - Glass Biographies: Making, Using, Breaking, Dumping and Reusing

Inspired by our visit to the special exhibition “Ancient Glass” at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam, we decided that for our 11th episode, we wanted to learn more about glass. Naturally occurring glass, such as volcanic glass or obsidian, was used as early as the Stone Age. But what about man-made glass? One question that came up was: What is glass, and how is it made? Making Glass: from Sand to Object To make glass, three main things are needed: the vitrier, the flux and the stabiliser. The vitrier provides the body and is usually silica (sand). The flux is needed to lower the melting temperature of the silica, which means temperatures need to be high, but not as high as inside a volcano. Ancient glassmakers used sodic plant ash or mineral natron. The stabiliser is in the name. It makes the glass durable so it does not dissolve in water. The classic one is lime. Origin of glassmaking Glassmaking, following the ingredients mentioned above, goes back to Mesopotamia more than 3600 years ago. There is evidence that glass technology started in India as early as 1730 BC. Most likely, Phoenician traders brought perfume vessels that were core-formed during the Iron Age to the rest of the Mediterranean. During the Hellenistic period, mosaic glass became popular, where small pieces are put into creative designs and patterns and are then fused together. There are different ways of making glass: 1. Casting: placing the liquid glass in an open mould; 2. Core forming: a core of mud is covered with glass, and after the glass has dried, the core is removed; 3. Glassblowing. Glassmaking recipe There are several cuneiform tablets which provide us with recipes on how to make glass. One such example is a tablet which is now in the British Museum. It came to the museum in 1929. The clay tablet with Akkadian writing is perfectly preserved. It’s 8.25cm x 5.23cm. According to an article from 1936 (see below), the tablet was found in Tell Umar /Tall ‘Umar, which was confirmed by a “trustworthy vendor”. The site is located in today’s Iraq. In 1936, the tablet contained the “earliest record known of the actual formulae for the making of glazes.” This specific recipe refers to making red glass. Allegedly, written in some kind of code, his specific recipe refers to making red glass. “Written in a slightly obscure style so as to be understood only by skilled craftsmen” (British Museum website) and “the writer, guarding his secrets with true professional jealousy [...] has purposely disguised his meaning by artifices of writing which amount to a form of cryptography” (Gadd & Campbell Thompson, 87). How accurate this assumption is is doubtful, as we modern readers are able to decipher it. A short excerpt of the translation (taken from Gadd & Campbell Thompson): (1) To a mina of zukû-glass (thou shalt add) 10 shekels of lead (2) 15 shekels of copper, half (a shekel) of saltpetre, half (a shekel) of lime: (3) thou shalt put (it) down into the kiln, (and) shalt take out ‘copper of lead’ (4) To a mina of zukû-glass (thou shalt add) 1/6th (mina = 10 shekels) of lead (5) 14 (shekels) of copper, 2 shekels of lime, a shekel of saltpetre: (6) thou shalt put (it) down into the kiln, (and) shalt take out “Akkadian copper” Mina and shekels are measurements; one mina is roughly 500g, and 1 shekel is ca. 8.3g. While the last lines of the tablet seem to provide a date, referring to the reign of Gulkishar, the Sixth Sealand Dynasty King who lived in the 16th century BC, it seems more likely that the recipe was written down in clay between the 14th and 16th century BC (Oppenheim and Thavapalan). Glassblowing The consensus seems to be that glassblowing originated in Syria in the areas of “Sidon, Aleppo, Hama, and Palmyra in the 1st century BC” (Britannica), from where the vessels for everyday and luxury use were exported into the known world. The process has not changed much over time: “the molten glass is gathered on the end of a hollow pipe, inflated to a bubble and formed into a vessel by blowing, swinging, or rolling on a smooth stone or iron surface.” In 2023, UNESCO added the “knowledge, craft and skills of handmade glass production on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.” Adding glassblowing to this list will help to preserve it for future generations. Here, experimental archaeology plays an important role: The Borg Furnace Project (Glasofenprojekt Römische Villa Borg) is one example. Types of Glass Medieval Glass Myths and Crown Glass A longstanding, popular story during the Middle Ages was that medieval window glass is thicker at the bottom because glass slowly flows like a liquid under gravity. According to the tale, the panes were originally uniform, but over the centuries, the glass supposedly ‘poured downward’, creating the thicker lower edge that can still be observed in many old buildings and cathedrals (see middle image). However, the variation in thickness has a different explanation. First, the glassblower created a hollow sphere of molten glass. The sphere was then reheated and spun rapidly, causing centrifugal forces to flatten it into a circular disk and thereby creating the “bull’s eye” or so-called crown glass. The production process was first described in detail by Johannes Mathesius in 1562 in his “sermon of glassmaking.” When glaziers then installed the panes in a window frame, they typically placed the thicker edge downward. This made the pane more stable and reduced the risk of breakage. At first, the plates were placed in even rows (bottom image) as it can be seen in the painting by Jan van Eyck, Annunciation from 1436/37. Later, the plates were staggered (see upper image). This type of glass window was used in Europe since the 14th century, with the centre being in Normandy “where a few glassblowers monopolized the trade and enjoyed a kind of aristocratic status.” The earliest document mentioning this type of glass is from 1330: Philipp V of France grants permission to Philippe de Cacqueray, Sieur de Saint Immes, to erect a building for making this type of glass. Crown glass from Masada Crown glass was already known in antiquity, as the example from Masada will show. Masada was located on a flat-topped hill (450m) in the Judean Desert, west of the Dead Sea and 62km south of Jericho. The city was first occupied by the Hasmonean kings of Judea, who ruled from 140 BC to 37 BC. However, the city was rebuilt by King Herod the Great from 37 BC until Herod’s death in 4 BC, using material and craftsmanship from Rome. During the excavations in 1963 and 1965 by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Israel Exploration Society, 7 partly restorable round glass windows, blown with the crown glass technique, were uncovered in Masada. Four come from the large bath house, and the three from the entrance rooms. They vary in diameter (37cm to 43cm) and thickness (1.8mm to 3.7mm). The exact function of the crown glass windows is unknown because the ceilings in all the contexts did not survive. Most likely, there was an oculus somewhere in the caldarium, but it is not confirmed. Interestingly, it is not clear whether the glass was ordered to fit the windows or whether the window was built to fit the glass panel. Likely, the glass windows were not made in Masada because the “fabrication of such a quantity of melt requires special facilities”, which did not exist. But Herod was a client king of the Romans, and would therefore have had access to craftsmen and material from Rome. The glass shards found during the excavations are dated to the reign of Herod because there were no other major reconstructions in later periods of the city. This type of glass is very fragile, and the only reason it survived in Masada was because of an earthquake that buried them. (Hollow) Glass Vessels These are probably the objects we think of when thinking of glass. Glass objects can be anything from drinking glasses, vases, salad bowls, glass bottles or even bananas. Most of the objects on display in the Allard Pierson Glass exhibition are glass. We both brought one example of a glass object, but of course, there are many more to discover. Oldest dateable glass object? For a long time, the glass chalice was considered the oldest dateable glass object. However, with research continuing, there may be other objects that carry this title. Beads mentioning Queen Hatshepsut (1473-1458 BC) were discovered (Nicholson, p.11), which could be interpreted as the oldest dateable objects. Nevertheless, the chalice is a fascinating artefact. The chalice has the shape of a lotus. It is light blue with dark blue and yellow thread like decoration. It’s ca. 8cm tall and has a diameter of 6cm. The coloured rods are embedded in the body of the glass (are not a mosaic); the same goes for the cartouche with the pharaoh’s name. It was bought in 1825 by the English archaeologist and collector Edward Dodwell who lived in Rome at that point and had decided to expand his collection. Dodwell died in 1832 and the chalice “passed into the possession of Munich” (Newberry 154). But there are conflicting information when the item came to Munich. The Bavarikon website (see below) states that the object was bought in 1830 by Ludwig I and Nicholson (15) states that the chalice was part of the “Dodwell collection and was purchased in 1832, probably at Thebes.” The artefact is now in the Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst in Munich. The date of the object comes from the name of the pharaoh embedded on the surface. It refers to Thutmose III who lived frim 1481 to 1425 BC. This led egyptologists to the conclusion that the artefact is from around 1450 BC. Glass cicada During the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) in China, jade was used in funerary practices, especially in creating suits (see upper image above). The burial suits were primarily used for emperors, princes, and high-ranking aristocrats due to jade being an expensive material. They are made of thousand of small plaques, shaped to follow the human body. The plaques are commonly made from bephrite jade and they can be square, rectangular, triangular, trapezoid or rhomboid plaques. Tiny holes are then drilled into the corners, allowing them to be stitched together. Jade was used because it was believed that it would protect the body and prevent decay. The suit formed part of a ritual system aimed at achieving immoritatlity or transformation after death because it was thought to absorb natural energy and repel evil spirits. Jade was exremely valuable and scarce, so glass was sometimes used to imitate jade in funerary objects. One example are glass cicadas. They are called ‘imitation jade’ (仿玉) and could replicate the colour or appearance of jade. These substitutions indicate technological experimentation with glass during the Han Dynasty and attempts to replicate the symbolic value of jade when real jade was too expensive or not available. It is important to note that most complete burial suits that were discovered in archaeological excavations were made from jade, not glass. Glass imitations usually appear in smaller ritual objects. Recycling and Re-use Broken glass or glass cullet (broken scrap glass) was seen as valuable as the raw material and not just considered trash. In 1331 in Marseille, it was actually illegal to export broken glass because local workshops needed it to make the melting process easier and cheaper. There is evidence of re-melting, mixed recipes, and composite chemical signatures. Glass was widely traded for re-melting and mixing. One such evidence of trade can be seen in the image above. It shows raw blue glass indigos from a shipwreck. The ship sank during the Late Bronze Age (1330-1300 BC) near Uluburun (Kaş, Antalya Province, Turkey). It was excavated between 1984-1994 by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology under George F. Bass and later Cemal Pulak. Approximately 175 raw glass ingots were recovered from the ship with a total weight of 350kg. The most common colour was cobalt blue but there are also turquoise, lavender/purple and amber ingots. They are flat and circular “bun-shaped” or truncated-cone ingots; they are between 10-15cm in diametre. The rough surface is due to cooling in moulds or shallow containers.The semi-finished raw material would then be used to produce objects such as beads, inlays, small vessels and jewellery. The finds from the shipwreck are important because they confirm an important and extensive international trade network. The primary production of the raw glass found was most likely in Egypt (chemical compositions of trace-element signatures suggest Egypt) or the Levant with secondary workships across the Mediterranean. Breaking and Throwing Away After centuries in the ground, glass is not always clear. It can suffer from ‘pests’ or ‘decay’. While glass is chemically stable, it is physically fragile and therefore, can survice ‘perfectly’ as a fragment, but ‘badly’ as a whole object. There are five diseases. * “Rainbow Sickness” (Iridescence) At first glance, it does not look like a disease but like a shimmering rainbow, almost like mother-of-pearl. The effect comes from ‘de-alkalization’ or ‘leaching’. This means that the water in the soil where the object was found acts like a sponge, pulling out the soluble alkalis (e.g. sodium and potassium) to leave behind a brittle, silica-rich skeleton. The process creates microscopic, flaky layers that reflect light and create that famous iridescent shine. * The ‘Pox’ (Pitting and Craters) The surface of the glass loks like the surface of the moon: full of dull, milky holes and deep craters. This happens when the glass suffers from network dissolution, often driven by highly acidic or alkaline groundwater. Uneven surfaces are more likely to be affected as they decay faster. If the ancient glassblower left ridges or valleys on the vessel, the corrosion factors attack those areas logarithmically faster than sleek, even surfaces * The “Bug” Attack (Biocorrosion) Glass beads show weird, alien-looking patterns like concentric circles, dark bands, and tiny, perfectly circular holes. Microorganisms in the burial environment actually interact with and deteriorate the glass surface over time. Bugs can ‘eat’ yourglass windows if left buried long enough. * “The Dark Stains” (Magnanese Browning) The glass develops dark, brownish-black spots that look almost like a bad skin rash or mold. Ancient glassmakers often added manganese to the glass batch to act as a decolorizer (to make it clear). But after centuries in wet soil, that manganese oxidizes and precipitates into dark inclusions right inside the leached layers of the glass. * The “Total” Collapse” (Enemal Weathering) The glass turns completely opaque white or yellow, looking more like a piece of chalk or thick enamel. This is end-stage glass disease which means that the glass has lost all cohesion and its entire internal structure is gone. It is just a fragile ghost of an object held together by the dirt around it. Image references -Cuneiform tablet with red glass recipe: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1929-0715-1 -Transcription of cuneiform tablet: C.J.Gadd & R. Campbell Thompson, A Middle-Babylonian Chemical Text. Iraq 3.1. 1936. 87-96. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4241587 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/4241587] -Chalice with Thumoses III’s name in a cartouche: https://www.bavarikon.de/object/bav:SMA-DDD-0000000000000002?lang=en -Han Dynasty Burial Suit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Han_jade_burial_suit.JPG -Glass cicada: https://glasscollection.cmog.org/objects/5231/funerary-object -Hans Burgkmair the Elder, The Weisskunig in the Painter’s workshop: https://www.mfab.hu/artworks/13696/ [https://www.mfab.hu/artworks/13696/] -Jan van Eyck, Annunciation: https://www.nga.gov/artworks/46-annunciation [https://www.nga.gov/artworks/46-annunciation] -Medieval crown glass: https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/55XR7LhBxF188D96TVzfNOxwfhg1q_5oUr5dQZVDVD-A4QJbQVd2tM5UetoRpSP9M4WB_XuYWoIG7lKXzG4NMfvVDeLbNbalVghcDXDvK3FtFF-mpcqt18ZVCePe2sxrzq7qsA9IxWpSMEberiiaXT5HrafoLJ8uJbJhs-ewH-NPYcT4NyyLoICqqcLLaXwF?purpose=inline -Crown glass window from Caldarium, YY. Max, Crown Glass Windows from Masada, Journal of Glass Studies 62. 2020. 23-40. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26951071 , p.31 -Masada, aerial view: https://www.wanderlustmagazine.com/inspiration/masada-israel/ [https://www.wanderlustmagazine.com/inspiration/masada-israel/] -Rainbow sickness fragments: https://bpb-eu-w2.wpmucdn.com/blogs.ucl.ac.uk/dist/9/186/files/2019/05/Capture1.jpg -Raw glass indigos: https://www.livius.org/site/assets/files/66550/uluburun_wreck_glass_ingots_mus_bodrum.jpg -Glass cicada: https://glasscollection.cmog.org/objects/5231/funerary-object -Medieval Crown Glass: https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/55XR7LhBxF188D96TVzfNOxwfhg1q_5oUr5dQZVDVD-A4QJbQVd2tM5UetoRpSP9M4WB_XuYWoIG7lKXzG4NMfvVDeLbNbalVghcDXDvK3FtFF-mpcqt18ZVCePe2sxrzq7qsA9IxWpSMEberiiaXT5HrafoLJ8uJbJhs-ewH-NPYcT4NyyLoICqqcLLaXwF?purpose=inline Bibliography UNESCO https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/knowledge-craft-and-skills-of-handmade-glass-production-01961 [https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/knowledge-craft-and-skills-of-handmade-glass-production-01961] Britannica - Crown glass https://www.britannica.com/technology/crown-glass [https://www.britannica.com/technology/crown-glass] Britannica - Glassblowing https://www.britannica.com/technology/glassblowing [https://www.britannica.com/technology/glassblowing] RDK Labor - Butzenscheibe https://www.rdklabor.de/wiki/Butzenscheibe [https://www.rdklabor.de/wiki/Butzenscheibe] History of Glass https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_glass [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_glass] Glass and Procedural Knowledge in Cuneiform Cultures https://historyofknowledge.hypotheses.org/10014 [https://historyofknowledge.hypotheses.org/10014] Roman Glass Makers https://www.romanglassmakers.de/p_katalog_frei.htm [https://www.romanglassmakers.de/p_katalog_frei.htm] Archeoglas - Glasofenexperiment https://archeoglas.glasofenexperiment.de/index-en.html [https://archeoglas.glasofenexperiment.de/index-en.html] Corning Museum of Glass https://whatson.cmog.org/exhibitions-galleries/origins-glassmaking [https://whatson.cmog.org/exhibitions-galleries/origins-glassmaking] Frank Wiesenberg, Das römische Glasofenprojekt im Archäologiepark Römische Villa Borg (“Borg Furnace Project”) -Rekonstruktion und erste Betriebsphasen https://archeoglas.glasofenexperiment.de/downloads/pdfs/books/Wiesenberg_2015_EXAR-Bilanz-14_-_Borg_Furnace_Project.pdf [https://archeoglas.glasofenexperiment.de/downloads/pdfs/books/Wiesenberg_2015_EXAR-Bilanz-14_-_Borg_Furnace_Project.pdf] C.J.Gadd & R. Campbell Thompson, A Middle-Babylonian Chemical Text. Iraq 3.1. 1936. 87-96. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4241587 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/4241587] S. Thavapalan, Keeping Alive Dead Knowledge: Middle Assyrian Glass recipes in the Yale Babylonian Collection, Journal of Cuneiform Studies 73. 2021. 135-178. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48743398?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents [https://www.jstor.org/stable/48743398?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents] P. E. Newberry. A Glass Chalice of Tuthmosis III. Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 6.3. 1920. 155-160. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3853912 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3853912] P. T. Nicholson, Glass Vessels from the Reign of Thutmose III and a Hitherto Unknown Glass Chalice. Journal of Glass Studies. 48. 2006. 11-21. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24191145 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/24191145] Y. Max, Crown Glass Windows from Masada, Journal of Glass Studies 62. 2020. 23-40. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26951071 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/26951071] Europeana - Iridescence - From archaeological glass to Art Nouveau https://www.europeana.eu/en/stories/iridescence-from-archaeological-glass-to-art-nouveau K. H. A. Janssns (ed.), Modern Methods for Analysing Archaeological and Historical Glass, Band 1. 2013. P. Bellendorf, H. Roemich, S. Gerlach, P. Mottner, E. López and K. Wittstadt, Archaeological Glass: The Surface and Beyond. 2010. Credits * Intro and outro music: “Meeting for Two – Background Music for Video Vlog (Hip Hop version, 43s)” via Pixabay Music [https://pixabay.com/nl/music/beats-meeting-for-two-background-music-for-video-vlog-hip-hop-version-43sec-222254/] by White_Records * Editing and post-production: Jona Schlegel * Cover art: Stefanie Ulrich Things We Threw Away – Where to Find the Podcast * TWTA on Substack [https://substack.com/@thingswethrewaway] – Updates, transcripts, and reflections from the project * TWTA on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3ll0iPXhoaSiv4YgqygWWG] – Listen and follow via Spotify * TWTA on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/things-we-threw-away-podcast/id1830278873] – Available through the Apple Podcasts directory * TWTA on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/twtapodcast] – Visual updates, behind the scenes, and illustrated content * TWTA on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/twtapodcast.bsky.social] – Public discussions, reflections, and cross-links Projects by the team members Jona Schlegel * Follow on Instagram (@archaeoink) [https://www.instagram.com/archaeoink/]: Visual science communication through illustration, websites and archaeology * jonaschlegel.com [https://jonaschlegel.com/]: Portfolio and background on archaeological communication, coding, and design * archaeoink.com [https://www.archaeoink.com/]: Illustrated archaeology, blog posts, newsletter, and research-based visual storytelling * pastforwardhub.com [https://pastforwardhub.com/]: A platform for (freelance) archaeologists who want to create a more sustainable career, be visible, and connect with others Stefanie Ulrich * Follow on Instagram (@thepublicarchaeologist) [https://www.instagram.com/thepublicarchaeologist/]: Photography of archaeological objects, and material encounters with a special focus on ancient Rome This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thingswethrewaway.substack.com/subscribe [https://thingswethrewaway.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Episode 10 - The Glass Exhibition

For our tenth episode, we celebrate by visiting the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam together after over six weeks apart. We explore the temporary exhibition “Van Glas Gemaakt in de Oudheid” (Glass Made in Antiquity), discuss what we see, and each pick objects to sketch as part of our archaeological journaling practice. The exhibition features over 200 glass objects, mostly from the museum’s own collection. What strikes us immediately is how well-curated everything is. Each piece has room to breathe, with clear labelling on translucent glass that echoes the exhibition’s colour scheme. The lighting is particularly impressive, neither too bright nor too dim, making the glass surfaces and patterns clearly visible. Every object is numbered sequentially, and the catalogue functions like a workbook with margins for notes, references, and detailed provenance information where available. We’re surprised by how much is intact. Many pieces show no signs of damage, looking as though you could pick them up and use them today. This connects to something we find fascinating: the continuity of use. Olive oil bottles, wine jugs, and dishes. We still use glass for the same purposes they did in antiquity, even if the shapes look different. The exhibition spans different regions (Roman territories, Eastern Mediterranean, and what is now the UK) and shows how similar vessel types appear across cultures. There’s also modern glass in the exhibition, including design student projects. Ironically, some of these modern pieces look more fragile than the ancient ones, with shattered edges and missing rims. The exhibition includes research methods, too. They’ve set up an RTI (Reflectance Transformation Imaging) station in one of the display cases, showing how they use light-based imaging for detailed analysis. For our sketches, we pick three objects divided between us. One chooses a Karcesium, a free-blown translucent beaker from Syria (50-150 AD), appreciating that it was shaped by hand rather than mold. Another picks the banana. Yes, a glass banana from 19th-century Italy (probably), complete with ribs and traces of yellow paint. The label actually says “Banan?” because they’re not entirely sure what it is. The third choice is a shallow dish from the first century AD, completely intact with only minor weathering. It looks exactly like a modern dessert dish (now we want cake). Checking the provenance, we discover it came from the Scheurer Lehr collection, a banker and collector who founded parts of the museum’s holdings, with no connection to the Nazi period. We both agree the exhibition is worth visiting if you’re in Amsterdam before March 1st. There’s a cafe next door, and you can also see the rest of the museum, including the Kore and the Lion’s Horoscope. We finish our sketches at home, where we feel more comfortable refining the details without blocking other visitors’ views. Exhibition Details Title: Van Glas Gemaakt in de Oudheid (Glass Made in Antiquity)Location: Allard Pierson Museum, AmsterdamDates: Through March 1st, 2025Website: allardpiersonmuseum.nl [https://allardpiersonmuseum.nl/] Objects Featured Karcesium (Beaker) - 50-150 AD, Syria (Palmyra), free-blown translucent colourless glass, 10 cm high, museum collection since 1950 Object in the Shape of a Banana (Banan?) - 19th century (?), Italy (?), translucent glass with yellow paint traces, 12 cm wide, museum collection since 2008 Shallow Dish - First century AD, transparent green glass, 28 cm wide, intact condition, acquired 1923 (Scheurer Lehr collection), museum collection since 1934 Research Methods Featured * RTI (Reflectance Transformation Imaging): Light-based imaging technique for detailed glass analysis, with actual setup displayed in the exhibition Image references Images taken by either Jona or Stefanie during the visit. Credits * Intro and outro music: “Meeting for Two – Background Music for Video Vlog (Hip Hop version, 43s)” via Pixabay Music [https://pixabay.com/nl/music/beats-meeting-for-two-background-music-for-video-vlog-hip-hop-version-43sec-222254/] by White_Records * Editing and post-production: Jona Schlegel * Cover art: Stefanie Ulrich Things We Threw Away – Where to Find the Podcast * TWTA on Substack [https://substack.com/@thingswethrewaway] – Updates, transcripts, and reflections from the project * TWTA on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3ll0iPXhoaSiv4YgqygWWG] – Listen and follow via Spotify * TWTA on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/things-we-threw-away-podcast/id1830278873] – Available through the Apple Podcasts directory * TWTA on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/twtapodcast] – Visual updates, behind the scenes, and illustrated content * TWTA on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/twtapodcast.bsky.social] – Public discussions, reflections, and cross-links Projects by the team members Jona Schlegel * Follow on Instagram (@archaeoink) [https://www.instagram.com/archaeoink/]: Visual science communication through illustration, websites and archaeology * jonaschlegel.com [https://jonaschlegel.com/]: Portfolio and background on archaeological communication, coding, and design * archaeoink.com [https://www.archaeoink.com/]: Illustrated archaeology, blog posts, newsletter, and research-based visual storytelling * pastforwardhub.com [https://pastforwardhub.com/]: A platform for (freelance) archaeologists who want to create a more sustainable career, be visible, and connect with others Stefanie Ulrich * Follow on Instagram (@thepublicarchaeologist) [https://www.instagram.com/thepublicarchaeologist/]: Photography of archaeological objects, and material encounters with a special focus on ancient Rome This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thingswethrewaway.substack.com/subscribe [https://thingswethrewaway.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Episode 9 - Plaster Cast Collections

In this episode of Things We Threw Away, Jona and Stefanie trace the history of plaster cast collections from ancient workshops to contemporary museums. Our discussion moves between technical production, educational purpose, and shifting cultural values across two centuries. We open with a personal plaster cast story: a medical one from when Jona broke her finger (Image 1). It looks, as she notes, a little bit like a dinosaur. This distinction between medical and archaeological plaster casts helps us understand what plaster cast collections actually are: often a 1:1 scale reproductions of sculptures and architectural features, created using gypsum for study and display. The practice goes back surprisingly far. We found that the earliest evidence is from around 1350 BCE at Tel El Amarna in Egypt, from the workshop of the sculptor Thutmose, where there was a cache of plaster masks and casts. Romans also used plaster, especially for mass-producing lamps and making copies of bronze or marble statues as a quicker, cheaper way to share images of emperors. The technique continued through the Byzantine Empire and into Italy and France during the Middle Ages. Image 1: Personal medical plaster cast. Contemporary medical plaster cast illustrating plaster as an everyday material practice beyond archaeology and art history But the real story of plaster cast collections begins with their industrial production in the nineteenth century. We found images from museum archives of large rectangular molds, approximately two metres high, that reveal the scale of this enterprise (Image 2). One mold carries a stamp dated 1855, a reminder that these were products of workshops with their own histories. Storage systems resembled archival practices, with massive pieces stored upright like oversized books. Two techniques dominated production: the waste mold (moule perdu), which was destroyed after single use, and the piece mold (à bon creux), which could be reused for multiple casts. The material itself, the Plaster of Paris, or calcium sulfate hemihydrate, is created by heating raw gypsum to 150-160°C. The name comes from the abundant gypsum deposits found near Paris. Image 2: Large-scale plaster molds and workshop context. Multi-part plaster molds demonstrating the scale, weight, and infrastructural demands of plaster cast production. These industrial workshops fed a growing network of museum collections across Europe. We looked at historical photographs from the National Gallery of Ireland that capture this moment (Image 3). In one particularly image, an artist demonstrates drawing techniques before a public audience, the plaster casts serving as both subject and teaching aid. The other black and white photographs have a slightly haunted quality, but they show something important: these collections served dual purposes from their inception, supporting both scholarly research and public education. Major European collections were established in Göttingen (1760s, initially private), Bonn (1820), Berlin, and Munich. The nineteenth century was the era of "plaster mania," with collections facilitating comparative study through extensive exchange networks between institutions. Image 3: Public engagement with plaster cast collections (historical photograph). Historical photograph showing visitors and artists using plaster cast collections for study and instruction. This enthusiasm spread beyond Europe. A pre-opening photograph from around 1911 shows the Museo de Copias in Santiago, Chile (Image 4). The Victorian-style architecture, with its glass ceiling and ornamental detailing, could belong to any European museum of the period. Inside were 550 pieces of classical and neoclassical sculpture, all shipped from Parisian workshops around 1900. The collection came from the vision of journalist Daniel Barros-Gres, who proposed it as a means to provide models for Chilean artists. What we found distinctive was the museum's curatorial approach: plaster casts were displayed alongside contemporary Chilean artwork, creating an intentional dialogue between classical forms and local production. This mixing raises complex questions about cultural imperialism and educational intent, both of which seem to be present in the project. The collection's decline came quickly. Educational reforms and military dictatorship in the 1920s-30s led to deaccessioning, and a 1969 fire destroyed many pieces. What remained was dispersed to other institutions or storage. We learned that similar projects occurred in Japan during the same period. Image 4: Museo de Copias, Santiago de Chile (early 20th century). Archival view of the Museo de Copias displaying plaster casts alongside local artworks within an educational setting. Back in Europe, the twentieth century brought systematic devaluation. Collections that had been prized became problematic. Part of this was aesthetic: plaster casts were increasingly perceived as “fake,” lacking the artistic “aura” of originals. Photography and affordable travel made the originals themselves more accessible, reducing the educational necessity of reproductions. Storage became an issue as museums reassessed their priorities. But politics played a crucial role as well. We discussed how Munich's Museum für Abgüsse Klassischer Bildwerke, one of the largest collections in the world, was displaced in 1937 to make room for the Nazi "Degenerate Art" exhibition. Allied bombing later destroyed most of the pieces. In East Berlin, collections were deliberately neglected as symbols of an elitist educational system incompatible with socialist values. The Nazi appropriation of classical aesthetics, using Greek sculpture as an ideal of racial perfection, created a post-war ambivalence that extended to the collections themselves. Yet plaster casts have found new purposes. Stefanie shared photographs from her visit to the Sperlonga museum in Italy, which offers one compelling example (Image 5). The museum displays a modern plaster cast reconstruction of the Polyphemus and Odysseus sculptural group alongside the original Roman marble fragments discovered at Tiberius's villa and grotto. The process involved creating casts from the original fragments, some of which had been filled with plaster in earlier restoration efforts, and then assembling these into a full compositional reconstruction based on archaeological evidence. The result is installed in a way that allows visitors to see both the fragmentary originals and a hypothetical complete scene. This communicates the original scale and narrative composition while maintaining scholarly transparency about what is known and what is interpreted. Image 5: Sperlonga Museum, Italy. Polyphemus and Odysseus scene. Pompeii offers another distinctive use of plaster casting, one that emerged from the site's unique preservation conditions (Image 6). A technical illustration shows the process: plaster is poured into voids left by decomposed organic material trapped in volcanic debris, creating detailed negative-space documentation of bodies in their final moments. The results include human figures in various poses, animals, and even a horse discovered just a few years ago. We emphasised that these casts are not human remains but plaster reproductions of body-shaped voids. Current display methods attempt to balance their extraordinary documentary value with respectful presentation of what they represent. Image 6: Pompeii plaster casting (illustrative reconstruction). Reconstruction illustrating the Pompeii casting method used to record voids left by decomposed bodies and organic material, and a dog plaster cast as the result. At the end of the episode, we discuss how contemporary scholarship has reframed the value of historical plaster cast collections entirely. Digital 3D scanning now enables comparison between old casts and deteriorated originals, revealing that casts often document sculptures in better condition than their current state. Furthermore, the "Gods in Colour" exhibition used casts as experimental surfaces for colour reconstruction, avoiding intervention on original surfaces. Munich's collection maintains an online digital archive, making pieces accessible for study regardless of their physical display status. Conservation efforts now treat the casts themselves as historical artefacts worthy of preservation. What has changed is the understanding of what these objects are. They are no longer seen merely as copies of originals but as historical documents in their own right, recording collection practices, educational methods, and patterns of cultural exchange across two centuries. Further References * Alexandridis, A. & Winkler-Horaček, L. (eds). 2019. Destroy the copy – plaster cast collections in the nineteenth–twentieth centuries: demolition, defacement, disposal in Europe and beyond. Berlin: De Gruyter. * Art & History Museum. n.d. Plaster cast workshop. Available at: Art & History Museum website (accessed 29 January 2026). * Britannica. n.d. Plaster of Paris. Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica website (accessed 29 January 2026). * Canterbury Christ Church University. n.d. A brief history of casts. Available at: University of Canterbury website (accessed 29 January 2026). * Frederiksen, R. & Marchand, E. (eds). 2010. Plaster casts: making, collecting and displaying from Classical Antiquity to the present. Berlin: De Gruyter. * MDPI. 2022. Materials and techniques for the coating of nineteenth-century plaster casts: a review of historical sources. Heritage 5(4): 176. Available at: MDPI website (accessed 29 January 2026). * National Gallery of Ireland. n.d. Plaster casts gallery. Available at: National Gallery of Ireland website (accessed 29 January 2026). * Nichols, M.F. 2006. Plaster cast sculpture: a history of touch. Archaeological Review from Cambridge 21(2): 114–130. * Payne, E.M. 2020. The conservation of plaster casts in the nineteenth century. Studies in Conservation 65(1): 37–58. https://doi.org/10.1080/00393630.2019.1610845 [https://doi.org/10.1080/00393630.2019.1610845] Image references * Image 1 * Extended plaster cast. Wikimedia Commons. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cast_extended.jpg [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cast_extended.jpg] * Medical plaster cast on finger. Personal photograph by Jona, c. 23 years ago. Private collection. * Image 2 * Reverse of cast REPRO.1980-80 showing thinness and wooden armature impression. Heritage 5, no. 4 (2022): 176. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/5/4/176 [https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/5/4/176] * Reverse of cast REPRO.1980-80 showing thinness and wooden armature impression. Heritage 5, no. 4 (2022): 176. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/5/4/176 [https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/5/4/176] * Reverse of cast REPRO.A.1916-3153 showing thickness compared to Pouzadoux casts. Heritage 5, no. 4 (2022): 176. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/5/4/176 [https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/5/4/176] * Reverse of cast REPRO.A.1916-3153 showing thickness compared to Pouzadoux casts. Heritage 5, no. 4 (2022): 176. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/5/4/176 [https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/5/4/176] * Image 3 * Cast collection, Cornell University. Assembled 1890s from funds donated by Henry Sage, trustee. Collection comprises 19th-century casts of Greek, Roman, Near Eastern, Egyptian, medieval, and Renaissance sculptures. Cornell University. Available at: http://static.as.cornell.edu/150/images/canon/drawing.jpg [http://static.as.cornell.edu/150/images/canon/drawing.jpg] * Sculpture Hall interior view towards entrance, c. 1890. Attributed to Robert French (1841-1917). Lawrence Collection, National Photographic Archive, National Gallery of Ireland. Available at: https://www.nationalgallery.ie/sites/default/files/styles/content_hero/public/2021-04/plaster-casts-1-no-text.jpg [https://www.nationalgallery.ie/sites/default/files/styles/content_hero/public/2021-04/plaster-casts-1-no-text.jpg] * Plaster cast study. National Gallery of Ireland. Available at: https://www.nationalgallery.ie/sites/default/files/styles/width_710/public/2021-04/moynan-lion-text.jpg [https://www.nationalgallery.ie/sites/default/files/styles/width_710/public/2021-04/moynan-lion-text.jpg] * Image 4 * N. Keller - The Rise and Fall of the Museo de Copias: On the History of the Collection of Sculpture Replicas in the National Museum of Fine Arts in Santiago de Chile. In: Annetta Alexandridis [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annetta_Alexandridis], Lorenz Winkler-Horaček [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenz_Winkler-Hora%C4%8Dek] (Hrsg.): Destroy the Copy – Plaster Cast Collections in the 19th–20th Centuries. Demolition, Defacement, Disposal in Europe and Beyond. De Gruyter. P. 61. * Image 5 * Polyphemus and Odysseus scene in the Sperlonga Museum, Italy. Photo taken by Stefanie in 2024. Private Collection. * Image 6 * Architectural drawing of a Pompeian structure. Drawing by U. Cesino. Parco Archeologico di Pompei. Available at: https://pompeiisites.org/wp-content/uploads/photo5900180064564262063.jpg [https://pompeiisites.org/wp-content/uploads/photo5900180064564262063.jpg] * Plaster cast of a chained dog from Pompeii. Museum of Boscoreale. Wikimedia Commons. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dog_in_chains_cast_Pompeii_Museum_Boscoreale.jpg [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dog_in_chains_cast_Pompeii_Museum_Boscoreale.jpg] Credits * Intro and outro music: “Meeting for Two – Background Music for Video Vlog (Hip Hop version, 43s)” via Pixabay Music [https://pixabay.com/nl/music/beats-meeting-for-two-background-music-for-video-vlog-hip-hop-version-43sec-222254/] by White_Records * Research behind the script: Jona Schlegel * Editing and post-production: Jona Schlegel * Cover art: Stefanie Ulrich Things We Threw Away – Where to Find the Podcast * TWTA on Substack [https://substack.com/@thingswethrewaway] – Updates, transcripts, and reflections from the project * TWTA on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3ll0iPXhoaSiv4YgqygWWG] – Listen and follow via Spotify * TWTA on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/things-we-threw-away-podcast/id1830278873] – Available through the Apple Podcasts directory * TWTA on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/twtapodcast] – Visual updates, behind the scenes, and illustrated content * TWTA on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/twtapodcast.bsky.social] – Public discussions, reflections, and cross-links Projects by the team members Jona Schlegel * Follow on Instagram (@archaeoink) [https://www.instagram.com/archaeoink/]: Visual science communication through illustration, websites and archaeology * jonaschlegel.com [https://jonaschlegel.com/]: Portfolio and background on archaeological communication, coding, and design * archaeoink.com [https://www.archaeoink.com/]: Illustrated archaeology, blog posts, newsletter, and research-based visual storytelling * pastforwardhub.com [https://pastforwardhub.com/]: A platform for (freelance) archaeologists who want to create a more sustainable career, be visible, and connect with others Stefanie Ulrich * Follow on Instagram (@thepublicarchaeologist) [https://www.instagram.com/thepublicarchaeologist/]: Photography of archaeological objects, and material encounters with a special focus on ancient Rome This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thingswethrewaway.substack.com/subscribe [https://thingswethrewaway.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Episode 8 - The Lion's Horoscope

This episode of Things We Threw Away focusses on the plaster cast in the Allard Pierson museum of the Lion’s Horoscope relief from the Mount Nemrut (Turkey), see FIg. 1. The relief once formed part of the hierothesion, the tomb sanctuary of King Antiochus I of Commagene. The episode moves between the original landscape of the monument and the copy in a museum setting. Fig. 1: Showing the location The starting point is not the mountain itself, but a plaster cast. It is located at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam, and is a coloured replica of the Lion’s Horoscope, which stands near the exit kind of behind a curtain. The lion is large, with an open mouth, exposed tongue, and showing musculature. The recolouring gives it yellow and red tones against a blue background, which makes it quite present and visible in its own way. Across the lion’s body are nineteen eight-pointed stars, while a crescent moon sits beneath the head like a collar or necklace. Above the lion’s back, three larger stars are labelled in Greek as Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter. Regulus, the brightest star in Leo, is placed close to the chest. See for that Fig. 5 and 6. Fig. 2: Reconstructions With more than two thousand metres high and located in south-eastern Turkey, the tomb sanctuary is remote and exposed to the weather. At its centre stands an artificial tumulus, roughly fifty metres high, with terraces in the east and west, see FIg. 2. These terraces once carried colossal seated statues of gods and of Antiochus I himself, all carved from limestone. Zeus-Oromasdes, Apollo-Mithras-Helios-Hermes, and Herakles-Artagnes-Ares sit alongside the king at equal height, see Fig. 4. Fig. 3: Portraits of Otto Puchstein and Theresa Goell Karl Sester first reported the site in 1881 while surveying roads for the Ottoman administration. Soon after, Karl Humann and Otto Puchstein (Fig. 3) carried out systematic documentation, recognising the astronomical character of the lion relief and producing an early plaster cast, of the one from the western terrace not its sibling from the eastern terrace. Decades later, Theresa Goell (Fig. 3) worked continuously on the mountain, under difficult conditions to document inscriptions, statuary, and the structure of the tumulus. Her work was eventually published in several volumes. Later campaigns, including those led by the University of Amsterdam in the early 2000s, introduced laser scanning and digital documentation. UNESCO recognition followed in 1987. Fig. 4: Different reliefs and statues The interpretation of the meaning of the Lion’s Horoscope is based on the several celestial bodies marked down on the relief. The nineteen stars correspond to the constellation Leo, while the three labelled planets must appear together within that constellation, accompanied by a new moon. Astronomical calculations suggest that this configuration occurred only once within the relevant period, on 14 July 109 BCE, shortly after sunset when observed from the summit, shown on Fig. 5. This date has been interpreted as marking the coronation of Antiochus I, or possibly that of his father. Fig. 5: The relief and the astronomical interpretations The decision to recolour the plaster cast in Amsterdam was conducted in 2015 and was based partially on pigment traces in the inscriptions (Fig. 6). The result is quite vibrant. But is also raises some questions. The relief now stands alone, detached from the statues, terraces, and sky that once gave it context and meaning. Its placement near the exit, separated by curtains, reinforces this isolation. Fig. 6 documents the colouring process and the finished cast. In the episode, possible alternatives are discussed. Drawings, light projections, or spatial cues could reconnect the object. Fig. 6: The coloured relief and plaster cast in the Allard Pierson museum Further References * CIMRM 31 n.d. The Lion Horoscope of Mount Nemrud. Available at: https://mithras.tertullian.org/display.php?page=cimrm31 (accessed 7 January 2026) * CRIJNS, M. 2022. The discovery of the colossal coronation horoscope of Antiochus I, King of Commagene on Mt. Nemrud. BABESCH 97: 563-599. https://doi.org/10.2143/BAB.97.0.3290534 (accessed 7 January 2026) * GOELL, T.B. 1996. Nemrud Dağı: the hierothesion of Antiochus I of Commagene. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns. Available at: https://archive.org/details/nemruddahierothe0001unse (accessed 7 January 2026) * GÜNEY, A.Ö. 2008. An iconological study on the Lion Horoscope Relief of Nemrut Dag Hierothesion. Report. Available at: http://nemrut.org.tr/wp-content/uploads/oldwebsite/d/yayin/2008%20GUNEY%20ONGU%20An%20Iconological%20Study%20on%20the%20Lion%20Horoscope%20Relief%20of%20Nemrut%20Dag%20Hierothesion.pdf (accessed 7 January 2026) * Makedonia-Alexandros. 2014. The Lion Horoscope of Mount Nemrud. Megas Alexandros (blog), 28 March. Available at: https://makedonia-alexandros.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-lion-horoscope-of-mount-nemrud_28.html (accessed 7 January 2026) * UNESCO World Heritage Centre n.d. Nemrut Dağ (Hierothesion of Antiochus I of Commagene). Available at: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/448 (accessed 7 January 2026) Image references Fig. 1 * View of Mount Nemrut showing summit and tumulus. Source: National Geographic, Mount Nemrut Dağ: Wonder of the Ancient World. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/mount-nemrut-dag-wonder-of-the-ancient-world [https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/mount-nemrut-dag-wonder-of-the-ancient-world?utm_source=chatgpt.com] (accessed 7 January 2026) * Photograph showing summit terraces and surrounding landscape. Source: Beyond Wild Places, How to Explore Mt Nemrut and Şanlıurfa in Turkey. https://beyondwildplaces.com/how-to-explore-mt-nemrut-and-sanliurfa-in-turkey/ [https://beyondwildplaces.com/how-to-explore-mt-nemrut-and-sanliurfa-in-turkey/] (accessed 7 January 2026) * View towards Mount Nemrut, situating the sanctuary within topography. Source: Acar54, CC BY-SA 4.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42042268 [https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42042268] (accessed 7 January 2026) * Schematic site map of terraces and tumulus. Source: Turkish Archaeology News. https://turkisharchaeonews.net/site/mount-nemrut [https://turkisharchaeonews.net/site/mount-nemrut?utm_source=chatgpt.com] (accessed 7 January 2026) Fig. 2 * Historic reconstruction of the sanctuary with terraces and seated statues. Source: National Geographic, Mount Nemrut Dağ: Wonder of the Ancient World. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/mount-nemrut-dag-wonder-of-the-ancient-world [https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/mount-nemrut-dag-wonder-of-the-ancient-world?utm_source=chatgpt.com] (accessed 7 January 2026) * Video frame from 3D animation circling the summit. Source: YouTube (accessed 7 January 2026): * Artistic reconstruction imagining ritual activity. Source: Dosseman, CC BY-SA 4.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=141688606 [https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=141688606] (accessed 7 January 2026) Fig. 3 * Otto Puchstein. Source: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5029848 [https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5029848] (accessed 7 January 2026) * Theresa Goell. Source: Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East. https://hmsc.harvard.edu/online-exhibits/the-groundbreaker/ [https://hmsc.harvard.edu/online-exhibits/the-groundbreaker/] (accessed 7 January 2026) * Book cover: Nemrud Dağı: The Hierothesion of Antiochus I of Commagene. Source: Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/nemruddahierothe0001unse [https://archive.org/details/nemruddahierothe0001unse?utm_source=chatgpt.com] (accessed 7 January 2026) Fig. 4 * Colossal statue fragments from east and west terraces. Source: Turkish Archaeology News. https://turkisharchaeonews.net/site/mount-nemrut [https://turkisharchaeonews.net/site/mount-nemrut?utm_source=chatgpt.com] (accessed 7 January 2026) * Relief of an Achaemenid king with Persian attire and Phrygian cap. Source: National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/mount-nemrut-dag-wonder-of-the-ancient-world [https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/mount-nemrut-dag-wonder-of-the-ancient-world?utm_source=chatgpt.com] (accessed 7 January 2026) * Narrative relief fragments showing human and divine figures. Source: Peretz Partensky, CC BY-SA 2.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24570712 [https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24570712] (accessed 7 January 2026) Fig. 5 * Documentation of the relief in situ during discovery. Source: Güney, 2008. http://nemrut.org.tr/wp-content/uploads/oldwebsite/d/yayin/2008%20GUNEY%20ONGU%20An%20Iconological%20Study%20on%20the%20Lion%20Horoscope%20Relief%20of%20Nemrut%20Dag%20Hierothesion.pdf [http://nemrut.org.tr/wp-content/uploads/oldwebsite/d/yayin/2008%20GUNEY%20ONGU%20An%20Iconological%20Study%20on%20the%20Lion%20Horoscope%20Relief%20of%20Nemrut%20Dag%20Hierothesion.pdf] (accessed 7 January 2026) * Iconographic detail showing stars, planets, and Leo constellation. Source: CIMRM 31. https://mithras.tertullian.org/display.php?page=cimrm31 [https://mithras.tertullian.org/display.php?page=cimrm31&utm_source=chatgpt.com] (accessed 7 January 2026) * Animation of proposed stellar alignment (astronomical reconstruction). Source: Nemrud.nl. http://nemrud.nl/index.php/tourist-information/lion-horoscope/ [http://nemrud.nl/index.php/tourist-information/lion-horoscope/] (accessed 7 January 2026) * Archived Turkish version of alignment animation. Source: Internet Archive. https://web.archive.org/web/20251005155934/http://nemrud.nl/index.php/tourist-information/lion-horoscope/?lang=tr [https://web.archive.org/web/20251005155934/http://nemrud.nl/index.php/tourist-information/lion-horoscope/?lang=tr] (accessed 7 January 2026) Fig. 6 * Recoloured plaster cast approximating original pigment traces. Source: Mainzer Beobachter. https://mainzerbeobachter.com/2023/05/30/het-koninkrijk-kommagene/ [https://mainzerbeobachter.com/2023/05/30/het-koninkrijk-kommagene/] (accessed 7 January 2026) * Digital animation showing coloured relief under lighting. Source: YouTube (accessed 7 January 2026): * Video documenting the painting process and interview with the artist. Source: YouTube (accessed 7 January 2026): Credits * Intro and outro music: “Meeting for Two – Background Music for Video Vlog (Hip Hop version, 43s)” via Pixabay Music [https://pixabay.com/nl/music/beats-meeting-for-two-background-music-for-video-vlog-hip-hop-version-43sec-222254/] by White_Records * Research behind the script: Jona Schlegel * Editing and post-production: Jona Schlegel Things We Threw Away – Where to Find the Podcast * TWTA on Substack [https://substack.com/@thingswethrewaway] – Updates, transcripts, and reflections from the project * TWTA on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3ll0iPXhoaSiv4YgqygWWG] – Listen and follow via Spotify * TWTA on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/things-we-threw-away-podcast/id1830278873] – Available through the Apple Podcasts directory * TWTA on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/twtapodcast] – Visual updates, behind the scenes, and illustrated content * TWTA on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/twtapodcast.bsky.social] – Public discussions, reflections, and cross-links Projects by the team members Jona Schlegel * Follow on Instagram (@archaeoink) [https://www.instagram.com/archaeoink/]: Visual science communication through illustration, websites and archaeology * jonaschlegel.com [https://jonaschlegel.com/]: Portfolio and background on archaeological communication, coding, and design * archaeoink.com [https://www.archaeoink.com/]: Illustrated archaeology, blog posts, newsletter, and research-based visual storytelling * pastforwardhub.com [https://pastforwardhub.com/]: A platform for (freelance) archaeologists who want to create a more sustainable career, be visible, and connect with others Stefanie Ulrich * Follow on Instagram (@thepublicarchaeologist) [https://www.instagram.com/thepublicarchaeologist/]: Photography of archaeological objects, and material encounters with a special focus on ancient Rom This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thingswethrewaway.substack.com/subscribe [https://thingswethrewaway.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]