Massimiliano Ditta may not be the Holy Diver, but we think he is pretty close and pretty awesome. Max works at the Stavanger Maritime Museum as one of their talented and hardworking underwater archaeologists. We are lucky to chat with him and hear about his passion for everything under the sea!  Max provides us with a detailed account of his work and the work that takes place below sea-level out of sight from us terrestrial dwellers.  It's a fascinating talk, and he gives us a real clear picture of the challenges of their world and work.  

As a Sicilian, Max is no stranger to good food and cooking. We talk a little bit about his food culture in Sicily and the influences on Sicilian food. Max adds a new dynamic to our knowledge or lack of knowledge about Sicilian culture.  Finally, he shares with us a straightforward but delicious fish soup recipe. This dish is perfectly timed for those of us heading into the darkness of winter! 

Community archaeology is the topic of today's podcast. We chat with Madison Dapcevich, a journalist and TV reporter/producer out of KECI Montana, who wrote her MA thesis about a community archaeology project in her home state of Alaska. If you want to understand the power and benefits of getting a community involved in archaeology this is a great interview to begin with! 

Next, we chat about her father's  deliciously simple salmon recipe. If you can get your hands on some wild salmon you need to give this recipe a go!

I've also been curious about Alaskan life. On today's program, Madison provides us with her personal stories of growing up Alaskan. Apparently, all those TV programs about Alaska are accurate! 

Today, we have a variety of topics to discuss. Dr. Kristin Ilves joins us to talk about a very large and comprehensive archaeological project underway on the west-coast of Norway. The Sotra Project, lead by Leif Inge Astveit from the University of Bergen Museum, is currently recovering and recording archaeological remains from the early mesolithic to the late neolithic. This project, like many across Norway,  is part of a road expansion project taking place just outside of Bergen. 

Kristin's role on the project is to develop, execute, and coordinate public outreach. She's using social media as one platform to reach out to the public with a lot of success. Kristin's been making and publishing videos documenting the excavation but also interviewing the archaeologists working on the project. It's a great way for the general public to find out more about what archaeologists do. On a side note, this is an exciting time in archaeology because of all the new technology and social media platforms archaeologists have at our disposal to reach to the public. You should have a listen and check out the Sotra project on the link provided below!  

Finally, Kristin shares with us a popular Finnish fish soup recipe. She discovered when doing fieldwork in Finland. For Kristin, this dish is not only easy and delicious it's filled with fond memories! Awww...the beauty of food! 

Today we have a packed episode full of the intricacies of being an archaeologist and how broad the field really is. We are thankful to speak with Dr. Burcu Tung from Stanford University about her work in archaeology, her contribution to the field through her research and Burcu shares with us her Grandma's lentil ball recipe.

Burcu is a site supervisor at the famous archaeological site of Catal Hoyuk in Turkey. For those who don't know this, Catal Hoyuk is a Neolithic site located in Turkey that dates back to 7500 B.C. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site which means it is pretty damn important to global heritage. No this isn't a new world order conspiracy it's totally true! One thing I'd like to point out is Burcu began her field experience on this site back in 1998 so it's safe to say she has a real connection and interesting perspective about Catal Hoyuk.   

We also have a conversation about her latest book project. She and a colleague (Flora Keshgegian) are looking into how people construct their past through their memories and heritage. They are specifically looking at Turkish and Armenian identities. This is a really fascinating talk. Archaeology isn't always about literally digging up stuff from the past. We do spend a lot of time thinking about real world issues as well.  

Finally, I forgot to tell Burcu that this was a cooking podcast so I made no mention about the recipe exchange at the end of the podcast. To her credit, Burcu pulled out her Grandmother's Anatolian lentil ball recipe. It simple and sounds delicious! I had a great time chatting with Burcu about this recipe and food culture from the region. Hope you enjoy it! 

Are you kept up a night trying to tackle the problems of early hominid evolution? Like, what's the significance of language to the production of stone tools? Or, what's going on in a person's brain while they are knapping away on some stones? Well, grab some popcorn and hold on to your seats and brace yourself for some hardcore knowledge! We had the privilege to chat with Dr. Shelby Putt from the Stone Age Institute in Indiana who is doing some really exceptional and intriguing research. 

Shelby has been working hard on a study to understand what's going on in the human brain during stone tool production. Using imaging technology of modern human brains her research focuses on the Oldowan and Acheulian stone tool industries to find some answers.   Through her hard work and passion,  Shelby has revealed a lot about our early ancestors and the stone tools they produced. I could write more but I'll leave it to the expert to explain it so you need to download and listen to the podcast!

In the closing moments of the interview. The food portion of the program. Shelby admits she is a picky eater. I think this is code for, "I don't cook." Anyway, she does share with us her experience abroad. We've all been there. We've had food put in front of us that confronts our long-held food phobia or avoidance. I have a friend who gags at the sight of strawberries. That's extreme.  Shelby's isn't so extreme. She just didn't like seafood. This all changed when she did fieldwork in Indonesia. It's a great story about being human, letting go, and trying something new! Enjoy!

Self-starter and scholar Amanda Brainard has done what few of us do-she's taken the initiative to follow her passion. No, her passion isn't base jumping from a high mountain cliff in a wing suit. It's something deeper and more selfless. Amanda's passion is to protect our cemeteries from neglect and decay. 

Join us as we talk to Amanda about her community-based project, the Northeastern Coalition for Cemetery Studies. Its goal is to preserve the cemeteries of our local communities for future generations. Amanda has an ongoing pilot project in Leon, New York with plans to expand the work of NCCS throughout the State and beyond. 

Although she doesn't share any ghost stories with us (damn!) she did present to us a lemon curd recipe that sounds scary delicious! 

Alisha Gauvreau chats with us about her exciting excavation of a 14,000-year-old habitation site from a remote island in British Columbia, Canada. You heard that correctly-14,000 years ago! She is a Ph.D. student at the University of Victoria and a scholar at the Hakai Institute.

The site is located on the Triquet Island several hundred kilometers north of Victoria. Alisha talks about working in a remote location and about the results they have so far from the excavation. They are currently doing the laboratory work so more results are sure to follow! 

Alisha shares with us about the locally foraged mollusks (chiton) and seaweed that they used to make an outstanding meal in the bush! You made do when you are in the field! For all of you adventure seekers have a listen to Alisha's story. It's a great sneak peek into the life of an archaeologist!

Dr. Joe Flatman is the Head of Listing Programmes at Historic England. He was formerly the County Archaeologists of Surrey in southeast England and a Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at University College London. You can follow him on Twitter @joeflatman. 

In today's podcast, Joe Flatman speaks with us about the work of Historic England and his deep passion for archaeology. We learned a lot today about the fascinating projects at Historic England. Archaeologists do more than just dig up the past. We connect the present to the past! Find out more from Joe in this interview!  

Also, be sure to check out Joe's book, "Archaeology: A Beginner's Guide." Actually, the link below will take you to several of Joe's published books. We aren't sure when this guy sleeps.... 

Finally, there is no evidence to suggest that Joe is a big fan of James Bond or not but we do discover that he loves gin. In fact, he can't stop talking about gin. Seriously. Joe offers up a fantastic recipe for roast pork with junipers and gin and tonic cake! 

Hope you all enjoy it! 

Dr. Chloe Duckworth from Newcastle University pops by to discuss glass analysis and the Muslim and Christian Period (711 to 1492 AD) from the Iberian Peninsula. Chloe really knows her stuff when it comes to glass and we really learned a lot today! This makes sense since Chloe is a Lecturer in Archaeological Material Sciences at Newcastle University so she really knows how to present this complex and fascinating topic to the public. 

Chloe is currently running several projects the Madinat al-Zahra Project and the Alhambra Royal Workshops Project. Did we mention her video-blog Archaeo Duck on YouTube?!?! You should check it out! What a great production and she really explains archaeology so well! Below will be the links to her work! 

Finally, Chloe shares with us her bangers and mash recipe! 

Did you ever ask yourself that question, Why does the United States Forest Service need archaeologists? Well, in today's podcast you will find out! Archaeologist Neil Weintraub sits down with us to talk about his work at the United States Forest Service and Kaibab National Forest. Neil has been working at the USFS and in Kaibab National Forest since the late 1980s. This is an exciting talk about archaeology, the life of an archaeologist working for the USFS, and some of the interesting and important projects the USFS undertakes. But wait!!! It gets even better....Neil shares with us his Southwest style pancakes! WE are not kidding! Pancakes! After you hear Neil's interview you are going to want two things: pancakes and a road trip to Kaibab National Forest.