Archaeology Books for Fun

This episode pulls back the curtain on an artifact forgery scheme in "Relics: A Faye Longchamp Mystery" by Mary Anna Evans; and suddenly a lot of earlier “weird stuff” starts to make sense.

Barbara and Tristan unpack another mysterious death, a forgery ring moving fake antiquities, and a little relationship drama. Was it murder? Who’s behind the fakes? And has Joe finally found love?

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Episode 1 of "Relics"

https://youtu.be/XzFBWgl7jvI

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Destroying an artifact will do it, especially on an archaeological dig.

In this episode, Barbara and Tristan continue "Relics" by Mary Anna Evans (Ch. 11–13), an archaeology-themed murder mystery. The mystery keeps building, the fieldwork drama escalates, and we break down the real-world archaeology and crew dynamics behind what’s happening on the page; all while puzzling our way through a story with genuinely fun characters.

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Was it a murder, or an accident? In part 2 (Ch. 6-10) of Mary Anna Evans' archaeology murder mystery "Relics" kicks off the mystery, while still giving Barbara and Tristan plenty of archaeology to dig into along the way.

After a near-disaster of a date and a deadly bunkhouse fire, Faye finds yet another disaster in the “excavation” work done so far.

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"Relics" by Mary Anna Evans is an archaeology-themed murder mystery, and we’re reading Chapters 1-5.

What do “buffalo wallows” have to do with archaeology? Unfortunately… more than they should in this episode. We're kicking off the archaeology-themed murder mystery "Relics" by Mary Anna Evans (Ch. 1–5) and, even though nobody dies (yet), an archaeological site has still been murdered.

Archaeologists Barbara and Tristan talk about why no excavation should ever be described as a “buffalo wallow,” a few modern trends in community archaeology, and the realities of working under an archaeologist who shouldn’t be making decisions. The early mystery setup had us so hooked we briefly forgot we’re reading a murder mystery.

In part 2, we’ll continue the story and see what kind of “murder” shows up first.

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Catch up on the first book:

"Artifacts" Episode 1: https://youtu.be/TZro0WllkrU

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Ancient horse history and archaeology: how horses spread across the ancient world, by sea to Japan, the Americas, Australasia, and even (briefly) Antarctica.

With one boat, one horse, two rowers. Not the most efficient, but it was the best choice at the time.

In this final Hoof Beats episode, Barbara and Tristan bring the story of humans and horses to the present. We cover how horses reached every continent, how different cultures adopted and adapted them, the huge cultural impacts, and Indigenous horse cultures in the Americas and Australasia. We also look at how steam power and later gas-powered transport reshaped horses’ roles.

Next up: Mary Anna Evans’ Relics.

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How do you go from chariots to horseback riding? Archaeologists Barbara and Tristan explore what archaeology says about early horse riding, the development of bridles and other riding gear, and how horses reshaped power in the ancient world.

And then there’s the weird, awkward transition stage: ancient Assyrian art shows two horses tethered together with a rider on each, one steering and one fighting. A truly wild way to learn to ride.

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Stingray Tom's Florida episode on ancient mounds and middens:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD-Y-N5kNN4

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Why were ancient horses so difficult to domesticate? Archaeologists Barbara and Tristan explore what archaeology reveals about horse domestication, why it took so long to happen, and how these fast, high-strung animals shaped early human societies.

Long before riding was common, horses were hitched to carts, literally putting the cart before the horse. What does that struggle tell us about ancient technology, transport, and adaptation?

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Did you know that ancient horses had toes? In this episode, Barbara learns all about them, and is not entirely comfortable with the idea.

We’re kicking off a new book focused on the long relationship between horses and humans. We talk about how horses evolved, what early horses were like during the Ice Age, and what those first encounters between humans and horses may have looked like (and why they didn’t go especially well for the horses).

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We’re now on Goodreads, Instagram, and Threads! Follow us for episode updates, book thoughts, archaeology memes, and more:

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/45icsTK

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Threads: http://bit.ly/45QFc66

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What is public archaeology, anyway? If we’re not digging in the dirt every day, what do public archaeologists actually do?

In this short, conversational episode, we talk about our work in public archaeology, from cemetery conferences to 3D printing to journaling, we reflect on what we’re excited about in the year ahead.

This episode is a little different from our usual format. Next time, we’ll kick off our first discussion of "Hoof Beats: How Horses Shaped Human History" by William T. Taylor. Barbara is a big fan of horses, so you won’t want to miss it!

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StingrayTom's Channel

https://www.youtube.com/@StingrayTomsFlorida

His video on the Battle of Olustee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oor7u8SJC7Q

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We’re now on Goodreads, Instagram, and Threads! Follow us for episode updates, book thoughts, archaeology memes, and more:

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/45icsTK

Instagram: http://bit.ly/4oUTESr

Threads: http://bit.ly/45QFc66

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Giant stone heads. Nomadic empires. Arctic survival. And a mysterious Bronze Age calendar.

In this episode, we explore five more overlooked ancient cultures: the Olmec, Scythians, Thule Inuit, Únětice, and Xiongnu, and what they reveal about power, belief, and innovation in the ancient world.

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We’re now on Goodreads, Instagram, and Threads! Follow us for episode updates, book thoughts, archaeology memes, and more:

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/45icsTK

Instagram: http://bit.ly/4oUTESr

Threads: http://bit.ly/45QFc66

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#archaeologybooksforfun #historypodcast #olmec #archaeology #ancientworld #ancientcivilizations