What if one of the most important technologies in human history wasn’t a spear, a stone tool, or writing, but a bone needle?

In this episode of Ethnocynology, David sits down with Dr. McKenna Litynski, an interdisciplinary anthropologist, to explore how sewing needles, clothing, and thermoregulation fundamentally reshaped human survival during the Ice Age. And helped Homo sapiens expand across the globe.

This conversation is both a deep dive into Ice Age archaeology and a clear, behind-the-scenes walkthrough of how you actually earn a PhD in anthropology, from preliminary exams to dissertation defense. This episode acts as both a spiritual successor to the viral “Why a Clovis Bone Needle Is the Most Important Artifact in North America” video and a practical guide for students curious about graduate school.

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As the APN takes a break this holiday season we’re taking this opportunity to bring you episodes of shows you may not be aware of. Today we have an episode from The Archaeology Show about lost cities.

The Archaeology Show: Lost City or Lost Cause? Diving Into the Latest Atlantis Claims

In this episode of The Archaeology Show, we kick things off with a look at the recent discovery of a treasure-filled tomb belonging to the first known ruler of a Maya city in Belize, shedding light on ancient Maya leadership and ritual. In segments two and three, we dive into the latest headline-grabbing claim that Atlantis has been found off the coast of Spain. We break down what was actually discovered, examine the credentials of the lead researcher, and explore why the scientific community remains highly skeptical. Join us for a smart, approachable discussion that separates archaeological fact from fiction.

The Archaeology Show on the APN

Segment 1

Archaeologists Unearth Treasure-Filled Tomb Belonging to the First Known Ruler of a Maya City in Belize

Scientists find tomb of a Maya king and his ancient treasures. But who was he?

Segments 2/3

Archaeologist Says He's Found Atlantis in Groundbreaking Discovery

Archaeologist claims to have found Atlantis off the coast of Spain and has video to prove it

Atlantis Found (Again)! And Exasperated Scientists (Again) Raise Their Eyebrows

Cosmic Summit 2025: The Mount Everest of Laughable Pseudoarchaeological Nonsense! - Ep 165

Cosmic Summit 2025. Flint's BRUTAL Reaction with Dr Andrew Kinkella

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Do you have your pens at the ready? It’s pop-quiz time! Since David’s away for this episode, he’s given you a refresher on why bone needles are so important! This may or may not relate to a certain episode sequel he’s been working on…

Here’s a recap of Episode 9!

In this episode of Ethnocynology, David highlights a recent paper published about a bone needle he helped excavate in the summer of 2022.

While David wasn’t an author on the paper, he was there when it was excavated, recorded the moment, and recently conducted interviews with the two leading authors of the paper.

David discusses how he read a comment on his post about the needle that made him stop to think about how important such a small item could be to people on the ice age plains.

David discusses how to read an academic paper, while conducting interviews with the researchers into the podcast.

• Early Paleoindian use of canids, felids, and hares for bone needle production at the La Prele site, Wyoming, USA
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Please enjoy this Promo episode from the Great Plains Podcast this week!

In this episode, I sit down with Nebraska archaeologist Nolan Johnson to talk about his work uncovering and interpreting the state’s rich historic past. We begin with the Beaver Creek Trail Crossing, a site that offers a glimpse into the experiences of travelers along the overland trails and the material traces they left behind. Nolan shares the story of how the site was investigated, what artifacts reveal about life on the move, and why these places remain important today.

In the second half, our discussion broadens to post-1492 archaeology across Nebraska, what makes it distinct, what challenges archaeologists face in preserving and interpreting recent pasts, and why connecting communities to these stories continues to matter.

For more episodes of The Great Plains Archaeology Podcast head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/great-plains-archaeology/30

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In this episode David sits down with Zach Lindsay, a Mayanist archaeologist and board member of the Institute of Maya Studies, to explore the intersection of Mesoamerican archaeology, art, mythology, and—of course—dogs! From the monumental pyramids of Teotihuacan to the symbolic underworld journeys of ancient Maya souls, Zach brings a journalist’s curiosity and an archaeologist’s precision to one of the world’s oldest human–dog relationships.

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/ethnocynology/27

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In this third installment of the “Horse Series,” David sits down with Dr. Carlton Shield Chief Gover to explore the intersections of Indigenous oral traditions, radiocarbon dating, and the archaeology of horses across the Great Plains and the Caribbean.

Carlton shares how Pawnee oral traditions align with archaeological evidence, revealing new insights into the transitions from hunter-gatherer to agricultural societies. The conversation expands into how the reintroduction of horses revolutionized Plains warfare, movement, and culture — transforming not just how people traveled, but how they defined bravery, honor, and trade.

The episode then dives underwater — literally — as Carlton recounts his work with the Indiana University Underwater Science Program in the Dominican Republic. From Spanish shipwrecks to 400-year-old hazelnuts used to fight scurvy, the discussion highlights how horses, colonization, and trade converged across continents and oceans.

Topics Covered

• Introduction to Carlton Shield Chief Gover’s background and Pawnee heritage
• Merging radiocarbon dating with Indigenous oral histories
• The importance of corn, maize agriculture, and Plains village life
• How the horse transformed Indigenous cultures and warfare
• The practice of “counting coup” and individual honor in combat
• The spread of horses before European contact
• Carlton’s archaeological work in Ukraine and comparisons to the Great Plains
• Underwater archaeology in the Dominican Republic
• Spanish shipwrecks, horseshoes, and gold-gilded stirrups
• Hazelnuts as a 16th-century Spanish cure for scurvy
• Dangers and logistics of underwater fieldwork
• How early Caribbean horses may connect genetically to modern mustangs
• The future of Plains and underwater archaeology

About the Guest

Dr. Carlton Shield Chief Gover is a citizen of the Pawnee Nation and a leading voice in Indigenous and Plains archaeology. His research integrates oral histories, Bayesian radiocarbon analysis, and archaeological evidence to create a fuller understanding of the Great Plains’ deep past. He currently serves as Assistant Professor and Curator of Archaeology at the University of Kansas and hosts The Great Plains Archaeology Podcast.

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Listen to The Great Plains Archaeology Podcast

• Hoof Beats: The Horse in Human History — Dr. William Taylor
• Cassidy Thornhill’s work on the Blacks Fork Horse
• Yvette and Paulette Steeves’ research on pre-contact horses
• Indiana University Underwater Science Program (Dr. Charles Beeker)
• University of Kansas Natural History Museum

“When you reanalyze radiocarbon data with Indigenous oral traditions, you actually illustrate a much more holistic picture of human history.” — Dr. Carlton Shield Chief Gover

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/ethnocynology/26

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Remembering Jane Goodall with Primatologist Carson Black

In this deeply heartfelt episode, David speaks with Primatologist, Biological Anthropologist, and Conservationist, Carson Black, who has spent her academic career studying chimpanzees in Senegal and howler monkeys in Costa Rica.

Together, they reflect on the life and legacy of Jane Goodall, the “living Darwin of the modern era,” and how her groundbreaking work continues to shape the way we understand both chimpanzees and ourselves.

Carson shares vivid stories from the field—bucket showers under the Milky Way, mischievous chimps throwing rocks, and the humbling power of seeing the world from their perspective. The two also discuss the history of primatology, the pioneering “Trimates” (Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas), and the role of indigenous knowledge in modern science.

This episode serves as both a tribute to Jane Goodall and a reminder that anthropology isn’t just about the past—it’s about the relationships that continue to define what it means to be human.

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In this episode of Ethnocynology with David Ian Howe, I sit down with my good friend and former graduate school cohort member Cassidee Thornhill, Collections Manager at the University of Wyoming Archaeological Repository.

Cassidee’s research dives into the early contact era in Wyoming, focusing on the arrival and spread of horses before and during European colonization. We discuss her fascinating thesis work on the Black’s Fork River site, where a young foal was found buried alongside three coyote skulls—an extraordinary archaeological discovery that sheds light on early human–horse relationships on the Plains.

Topics we cover include:

• The Black’s Fork horse burial and its cultural significance
• Early radiocarbon dates showing horses in Wyoming decades before the Pueblo Revolt
• Evidence of early veterinary care and human–horse bonds
• How horses transformed Native economies, sovereignty, and resistance
• Genetic research linking early horses in the Americas to Spanish (and later British) stock
• The broader story of how horses reshaped Indigenous life across the Plains

Cassidee also shares her perspective on whether horses or dogs have been more influential in human history—a big question we love to ask on this show.

This episode is the extended interview version you won’t find on YouTube—perfect for listeners who want the full deep dive into Cassidee’s groundbreaking work.

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/ethnocynology/24

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In this episode of Ethnocynology, host David Ian Howe sits down with archaeologist and anthropologist Dr. William Taylor (University of Colorado Boulder), author of Hoofbeats: How Horses Shaped Human History.

While this show usually focuses on dogs, today we shift to the other animal that transformed humanity: the horse. Dr. Taylor walks us through the evolutionary history of horses, their domestication on the Eurasian steppe, and their reintroduction to the Americas after the Ice Age. Together we explore how humans first interacted with horses—as prey, symbols in cave art, sources of milk and meat, and eventually as partners in transport, warfare, and belief systems.

Topics include:

• The origins of domestic horses around 2000 BC in the Caucasus steppes
• Horses evolving in North America, going extinct, and being reintroduced by the Spanish
• Hunting evidence from sites like Schöningen in Germany and Bluefish Caves in the Yukon
• Horses in Paleolithic cave art (Lascaux, Chauvet) and the Vogelherd ivory carving
• Evidence for early horse riding and chariot use in Egypt, Assyria, and beyond
• The role of horses in indigenous North and South American societies before widespread European contact
• Ethno-equine parallels in Mongolia, Australia, and Patagonia, where horses shaped cultural, spiritual, and economic life

This is Part 1 of a two-part series: next time, David speaks with Cassidy Thornhill of the University of Wyoming, who researches the protohistoric introduction of horses into the Americas.

If you enjoy the episode, please rate and review Ethnocynology on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. It helps more people discover the show and supports the entire Archaeology Podcast Network.

• Hoofbeats: How Horses Shaped Human History by Dr. William Taylor — available on Amazon and other retailers.
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In this episode of Ethnocynology, host David Ian Howe sits down with friend and creator North02 to dive into one of North America’s most fascinating and overlooked archaeological stories—the Old Copper Culture.

Together, they explore how Native communities in the Great Lakes region began shaping some of the world’s earliest metal tools and weapons, thousands of years before metallurgy took hold in Europe. From massive copper swords and fishing hooks to spear throwers and intricate ornaments, this culture reveals a technological world far beyond the usual “stone tool” narrative.

We discuss:

• Why Michigan and the Great Lakes hold the purest copper deposits in the world
• How hunter-gatherers mined and hammered copper into tools as early as 9,500 years ago
• The mysterious rise and fall of copper mining, and why production suddenly stopped
• Connections to Paleoindian cultures like Clovis and Agate Basin
• The difference between copper use in the Americas and the Old World’s Bronze Age
• How copper shifted from practical tools to symbols of power and status

Along the way, North shares insights from his upcoming documentary on the Old Copper Culture, his hands-on experiments with copper tools, and why this forgotten chapter of prehistory deserves a place in public imagination.

If you’ve ever wondered whether North America had its own “Copper Age”, this episode will change the way you think about early technology, innovation, and the ingenuity of ancient peoples.

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/ethnocynology/22

• Great Water: The Lost Mines of Lake Superior by David P. Pompeani
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