Indiana Jones: Myth, Reality and 21st Century Archaeology

With over 70% of the earth’s surface covered in water, much of the world is inaccessible to archaeologists employing traditional, land-based archaeological techniques. Employing new procedures and methodologies, the father of underwater archaeology, Dr. George Bass, revolutionized the field in the 1960's by demonstrating that rigorous scientific analysis could be conducted under water. Journey into the fascinating and unique world of underwater and nautical archaeology with our very special guest, Dr. James P. Delgado, one of the foremost experts in the field of underwater archaeology. Throughout his distinguished career, and as the host of the underwater archaeology-themed television show “The Sea Hunters,” Dr. Delgado has worked on some of the most famous shipwrecks of our time. He joins the program to provide an overview of the history of nautical archaeology, the future of the field, and its evolving relationship with conservation and heritage management.

In this episode we explore the role of archaeology in climate science, examining contemporary and ancient climate change. Our guests, Assistant Professor Dr. John Marston at Boston University’s Department of Archaeology and the Director of the BU Environmental Archaeology Laboratory, and Dr. Catherine West, Research Assistant Professor and the Director of the BU Zooarchaeology Lab, join Dr. Schuldenrein to discuss their cutting-edge research and methodologies. Pertinent and illuminating, Drs. Marston, West and Schuldenrein explore archaeology’s value to climate science and the affect contemporary climate change is having on archaeological sites, funding and research. Join in and learn more about fascinating conclusions being wrought from the study of human adaptation to climate and environmental change over time.

What do we really know about the Vikings? In this episode, Dr. Steve Ashby, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Archaeology at the University of York, discusses his fascinating research into the archaeology of everyday life in Viking-Age England, Scotland and Scandinavia. Dr. Ashby’s research on everyday hair combs found in many urban Viking-age sites illuminates details about social identity, craft, and trade heretofore poorly understood. Join in as Dr. Ashby explains his novel approach to artefact studies, using scientific and biomolecular techniques to help answer larger cultural and economic questions, including the date of the first contact between Scandinavia and the British Isles, the social drivers behind Viking raids, and the role of food culture in building identity groups. Join in as Drs. Schuldenrein and Ashby investigate the everyday objects that help to elucidate a people and a bygone age.

Archaeologist and museologist Dr. Asma Ibrahim joins the program to discuss the state of archaeology and heritage preservation in Pakistan. As one of the only female archaeologists operating in Pakistan, Dr. Ibrahim discusses her career path and the hardships she has had to overcome in pursuit of her goals. Though her work and research has spanned the globe, she has dedicated much of her professional life to advancing the preservation efforts of archaeological sites and traditional arts and crafts in Pakistan. She is the director and founding member of the Centre for Archaeological and Environmental Research and has carried out extensive research at various sites in the Indus Delta Area in Pakistan. Currently, she is serving as the Director of the State Bank Museum & Art Gallery Department in Karachi, Pakistan, a museum she helped create. Join the conversation to learn about this accomplished and inspiring archaeologist.

The prevalence of pipeline projects in CRM is bringing archaeologists into increasing contact with the material remains of industry and technology. However, as a field of inquiry, industrial archaeology is woefully understudied and underappreciated. In this episode, Dr. Timothy J. Scarlett of the Industrial Heritage and Archaeology Program at Michigan Technological University -- one of the only programs of its kind in the US – joins the program to discuss the current state of industrial archaeology. Inherently multi-disciplinary, industrial archaeology is noted for its ability to frame identity in both global and local contexts. The study and preservation of the industrial past links workers and their communities to the capitalist system, while at the same time grappling with individual adaptations largely absent from documentary record. Listen in as Drs. Schuldenrein and Scarlett discuss the necessity of industrial archaeological research to our evolving understanding of the past.

The Town of New Philadelphia, Illinois was founded by ex-slave Frank McWorter in 1836, making it the first town legally registered by an African American in the US. Frank and his wife Lucy bought, worked and sold acres of land to help raise the enormous sums needed to purchase the freedom of family members. Since 2002, excavations and public archaeology programs have helped to resurrect the story of New Philadelphia, implicating America’s fraught racial past and giving voice to African American actors largely absent from official histories. Currently, The National Park Service is conducting a special resource study to evaluate the site’s national significance and the feasibility of adding it a national park system slim on African American sites. Dr. Schuldenrein is joined in conversation by Dr. Christopher Fennell, Tara Pettit and Tokey Boswell to discuss the site and the NPS special resource study.

Joining Dr. Schuldenrein in this week's episode is award-winning author and George Washington University Classics and Anthropology professor Eric H. Cline. Specializing in biblical archaeology and the Mediterranean world of the Late Bronze Age (1700-1100 BC), Dr. Cline discusses his recent book, “1177: The Year Civilization Collapsed” and his current research as co-director of the Tel Kabri project in Israel. Drs. Schuldenrein and Cline journey back into the world of the Late Bronze Age in the Eastern Mediterranean, resurrecting the Egyptian, Minoan, Mycenaean and Babylonian civilizations, among others, to provide the context for one of the world’s first catastrophic collapses. Improving upon the prevailing Sea People invasion theory popularized in the late-19th century, Dr. Cline provides ample archaeological and textual evidence for a multi-causal explanation. Listen in to discover what events lead to the collapse and what happened to the Mediterranean world in the ensuing centuries.

Everything you have ever wanted to know about Southeastern archaeology, but were too afraid to ask. Dr. David G. Anderson, a practitioner and academic with decades of experience in the Southeastern US and Caribbean, talks with Dr. Joe Schuldenrein about current research, new methodologies, and recent advances in the archaeology of the southeastern United States. Using synergistic approaches to archaeological research and collaborative digital resources, Dr. Anderson explores the development of cultural complexity in Eastern North America, climate change and its effect on human society, and other important topics. Importantly, the application of Dr. Anderson’s methodologies to the broader discipline allows practitioners to synthesize data in real time, enhancing the construction of regional archaeological timelines and our understanding of North America’s past. Listen in as Drs. Schuldenrein and Anderson discuss the fascinating history of the Southeastern US and its archaeology.

In 2016, the Buffalo Trace Distillery hired Kentucky archaeologist Nicolas Laracuente to lead an excavation of the remains of a late-19th century production facility buried and long forgotten underneath the floor of the active distillery. Dubbed the “Bourbon Pompeii,” these largely intact structural remains offer a unique glimpse into the heritage and history of bourbon production in Kentucky. Laracuente, in addition to his official job with the Kentucky Heritage Council, volunteers much of his time to the Jack Jouett Archaeology Project-a public archaeology and oral history program- and to excavations of farm and abandoned distilleries around the state. Emphasizing the importance of tailoring research to regional interests and history, Laracuente’s work provides a template for the efficacy of archaeology to local communities. Listen in as Dr. Schuldenrein and Laracuente discuss Bourbon Pompeii and Laracuente’s extracurricular work as the self-styled Bourbon Archaeologist.

The world’s largest organization dedicated to the archaeology of the modern world turns 50 in 2017. Join us as Dr. Schuldenrein talks with Society for Historical Archaeology President Dr. JW Joseph about the importance, history and future of the SHA. In a reflection of the value of professional organizations like the SHA to the discipline, Dr. Joseph provides a necessary critique of archaeology’s relationship with African-American history, research and descendant communities. In particular, he offers a mandate for practitioners to uphold our unique position as stewards of all American pasts and to reaffirm our commitment to protect and herald histories of the disenfranchised. Listen in as Dr. Schuldenrein and Dr. Joseph discuss African-American archaeology as well as public interest in African-American sites and the issues involved in trying to create a new NPS park.

In the lead up to the presidential inauguration on Jan 20, 2017, Dr. Joe Schuldenrein and special guest Dr. Kimball Banks explore the role the federal government plays in archaeological compliance and legislation. Starting with the Antiquities Act of 1906, the US government has been in the business of enacting legislation aimed at protecting America’s cultural and archaeological heritage. But how does it work? What are the various agencies that regulate projects in the US and how do they operate? With 26 years of experience working as a federal archaeologist in a variety or agencies and positions, Dr. Banks offers his expertise in negotiating this complicated and oftentimes confusing bureaucratic landscape.

The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 drastically changed archaeology by creating new and novel ways of building a career. Where once the blueprint of success was rooted in academia, now archaeologists are employed in a variety of jobs in applied anthropology and cultural resource management. Instructive for students and professionals alike, Dr. Joe Schuldenrein and frequent contributor Dr. Stanton Green discuss changes in career paths, job opportunities, funding and educational training in archaeology over the past 50 years. Perhaps most importantly, Drs. Schuldenrein and Green assess the efficacy of current teaching methods in graduate programs, asking if academia is providing sufficient training for today’s archaeologists.

Happy end of the year holiday's Indy Fans! Tonight mere days away from Christmas we have a themed show to further the spirit of the holidays! We are joined by Dr. Tamara Thomsen, a maritime archaeologist based in Wisconsin. The connection may not seem clear between maritime archaeology and Christmas, but there is a phenomenal story we about to be told. Gather round and listen to the true story of the schooner Rouse Simmons, the lumber trade in Wisconsin, Captain Santa, and the (re)discovery of the ship and her captain.

A special episode devoted to the Dakota Access Pipeline. The DAPL, Energy Transfer Partners 1,170 mile pipeline traversing parts of North and South Dakota, threatens water sources and culturally significant sites in and around the Standing Rock Reservation. Protests over the placement of the pipeline through tribal land is but the most recent episode in almost 200 years of strife between the Great Sioux Nation, or Oceti Sakonwin, and the US government regarding native sovereignty and rights. Dr. Schuldenrein, in conversation with archaeologist Dr. Thomas F. King, discusses archaeology's role in the DAPL and larger issues surrounding historic preservation's relationship to native groups and their cultural interests. Dr. King has over 50 years of experience in federal and CRM archaeology and his firm, Thomas F King, PhD, regularly consults with native and local communities. Join in as Drs. Schuldenrein and King assess archaeology in Native America.

The 2016 presidential election and the Dakota Access Pipeline are two key issues facing American archaeology today. Join Dr Schuldenrein as he explores how the Trump administration and a republican controlled congress may impact archaeology and historic preservation, including threats to federal legislation. Currently, cultural and environmental protections are at the forefront of the protests levied by the Standing Rock Sioux and their advocates against the Dakota Access Pipeline, Energy Transfer Partner’s 1,172-mile crude oil pipeline threatening water quality and native sites in the Dakotas. Though the recent easement denial order by the Army Corp of Engineers has successfully halted construction of the DAPL for the time being, Trump’s alleged infrastructure plan may again force the issue come January. Listen in as Dr. Schuldenrein takes on archaeology’s role in the DAPL controversy and what we can expect to happen to the pipeline in 2017.

While pirates have always been a source of public fascination, piracy has seen a recent surge in both news headlines and popular culture, including the newly-released film Captain Phillips, starring Tom Hanks. While the term pirate readily conjures up a variety of images, including peg-legs, nefarious skull and cross bone flags, and squawking parrots, pirates cannot be separated from treasure. But what do we really know about pirates? Most of our understanding comes from popular fictional characters like Long John Silver or Captain Hook. Such images, however beloved, have complicated our understanding of these already mysterious historical figures. So who were these figures and what kind of “treasures” did they leave at the bottom of the sea? Join us and Dr. Frederick Hanselmann, from Texas State University, as we discuss his work on shipwrecks in the Gulf of Mexico as well as the difficulties of archaeological excavation underwater.

The crusaders who launched a bloody holy war against the pagan societies of the Eastern Baltic left a profound legacy – the construction of spectacular castles that still exist today as ruins or preserved as historical monuments, and the development of towns that reorganized the region into a uniquely European society and brought it under Christendom. But the effect that these crusading armies had on the landscape goes even further than architectural changes. Dr. Aleks Pluskowski and Dr. Alex Brown are members of a project team using zooarchaeological, palaeobotanical, geoarchaeological and historical data to study the environmental impacts of the Baltic Crusades and the role they played in this transformative time in history. What effect would these have had on the pre-Christian tribes whose belief systems were tied closely into the natural landscape? Tune in tonight, and find out how the ecological transformations that took place as a result of the Crusades were closely tied with the cultural changes that accompanied them.

Researchers recently conducted radiocarbon tests on the bones of 30 scarlet macaws, originally excavated in 1897, stored at New York’s American Museum of Natural History. Their findings are causing the previous theories about the development of civilization in Mesoamerica to molt away. The macaw skeletons were much older than previously thought. While no one is ruffled by the data, a different understanding of trade and society is being hatched. The result of the findings suggests that Chaco Canyon economic growth and reach may actually have been the driving force behind its cultural and religious sophistication and not vice versa. Joining the Indy Team today is Dr. Adam Watson, lead author of this new study, and he will explain the importance of the fledgling discovery and bring the details of the project to roost with you our listeners.

Almost 900 hundred years ago, hundreds gathered at North America’s only city, Cahokia, to take part in a funeral. As the crowds gathered, two bodies were carefully prepared and laid to rest on top of a cloak, while dozens of ritual human sacrifices were arranged in surrounding pits. Finding the remains in 1960 revolutionized archaeologists’ understanding of Native American groups, but current research carried out by the Illinois State Archaeological Survey has transformed our understanding of this major urban center. Join us as we talk with Tom Emerson, Kristin Hedman, and Eve Hargrave about their recent research on these burials, and how it has dramatically altered our understanding of the roles of class and gender in early Native American groups. We’ll be discussing who was buried in the mounds, where they came from, the evidence for increasingly violent ritual burials, and what this tells us about the power and downfall of North America’s largest pre-European center.

Almost 900 hundred years ago, hundreds gathered at North America’s only city, Cahokia, to take part in a funeral. As the crowds gathered, two bodies were carefully prepared and laid to rest on top of a cloak, while dozens of ritual human sacrifices were arranged in surrounding pits. Finding the remains in 1960 revolutionized archaeologists’ understanding of Native American groups, but current research carried out by the Illinois State Archaeological Survey has transformed our understanding of this major urban center. Join us as we talk with Tom Emerson, Kristin Hedman, and Eve Hargrave about their recent research on these burials, and how it has dramatically altered our understanding of the roles of class and gender in early Native American groups. We’ll be discussing who was buried in the mounds, where they came from, the evidence for increasingly violent ritual burials, and what this tells us about the power and downfall of North America’s largest pre-European center.