Show Me Archaeology

Building Better Worlds: Critical Thinking & Monumental Lessons

In this episode, we discuss academic archaeologist Dr. Carl Lipo’s innovative work on cooperative social behavior at two famous sites with monumental architecture: Rapa Nui (also known as Easter Island, Chile) and Poverty Point World Heritage Site, Louisiana.   One of the most powerful aspects of being human is our ability to live and work together in ways that enable us to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. In our conversation, Dr. Lipo discusses how cooperation emerges in the classroom and in the histories that he studies in two very different parts of the world. Lipo discusses how he employs a range of tools and techniques that are more closely related to futuristic intelligence gathering than what we normally consider to be archaeological fieldwork. Join us as we talk about using archaeology to critically think and to build better worlds.

Episode 3: Invisible Fashion & the Springfield, Illinois Race Riot

In this episode of our archaeology podcast series, we discuss contract archaeologist, Chelsea Coates’ engrossing work on textiles found in the burned home of an African American woman in Springfield, Illinois’ 1908 race riot. One of the most basic parts of being human is our ability to empathize with the emotions of others. In our discussion about the race riot of 1908—which ended with the death of two African American men, the destruction of scores of businesses and over 40 homes—Chelsea reflects on the archaeology of the riot and how all members of the community have dealt with this painful event over time. We also discuss what it’s like to handle the material remains of this moment and what scraps of cloth from a burned dresser and trunk tell us about the lives of community members most impacted by the riot.

Episode 2: House of Shields

In the next installment of our archaeology podcast series, we discuss National Park Service archaeologist, Maxwell Forton’s thought-provoking work on the defensive imagery tied to rock shelters at Navajo National Monument in Arizona. Since the pandemic began, we have all come to understand the struggle of living in a world that’s suddenly shifted off its axis. In our discussion about ancestral peoples within a portion of northeastern Arizona, Maxwell Forton and I discuss evidence that hints at a similar upending and how people dealt with it at that moment in time. We also discuss landscape archaeology and the importance of context in trying to understand the larger picture.

Episode 1: The Wind Cries Mary

In our first archaeology podcast, we discuss Ph.D. candidate, and adjunct professor, Alex Velez’s fascinating work on soundscapes on the Great Plains. During our discussion, we dive into the sound of winds across the Plains, isolated farmers, and a 19th century idea that this combination might drive people to madness. We also discuss how Velez’s work with Neanderthals in Spain got him thinking about how sounds in particular places might affect people in peculiar ways.