The Positude Podcast

Positude Podcast: PowWow with Dr. Aaron Judkins

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Maggie Heart, host of the Positude show, interviewed Dr. Aaron Judkins, an archaeologist, author, and speaker.1 Maggie detailed his extensive list of accomplishments, including:

  • Producing the 2015 documentary "Finding Noah," which involved a 17,000-foot climb up Mount Ararat.
  • Authoring four books, including "Alien Agenda, The Return of the Nephilim."
  • Appearing in films like Watchers 8 and on broadcasts like Coast to Coast with George Noory and the History Channel.
  • Excavating 15 dinosaurs and mapping the longest contiguous dinosaur trackway in the Western Hemisphere (the "Judkins trail").
  • Exploring the 12th cave at Qumran in search of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
  • Working as a flight medic, firefighter, and musician, and recently developing his own cologne.
    • Path to Archaeology

    Dr. Judkins explained his interest in archaeology began in childhood. His grandparents were "rock hounds," and he was fascinated when his grandfather would cut open seemingly plain agate rocks to reveal beautiful colors and crystals inside. This gave him an early "sense of adventure."

    His interest solidified in the mid-90s after volunteering at a local museum and seeing an NBC special, The Mysterious Origins of Man, which featured artifacts from that very museum. In 2004, he participated in his first major dig at the newly discovered Pool of Siloam in Jerusalem, cementing his passion for "digging history" because "artifacts tell a story."

    Notable Expeditions
    The Qumran Cave Dig (Favorite Adventure)

    Dr. Judkins described his "funnest dig" as the recent excavation of a cave in Qumran, the site of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

    • Significance: It was the first time a cave in Qumran had been excavated in over 60 years. He compared the experience to "hitting a grand slam."
    • Discoveries: The team (co-directed by Dr. Randall Price and Dr. Oren Gutfeld) found a 30-foot tunnel in the back of the cave. Inside, they uncovered niches, remnants of scroll jars, textiles (linen wrappings), and leather strings used to tie the scrolls.
    • Major Find: They discovered the first-ever documented scroll fragment still inside its crushed scroll jar (which was broken by a roof collapse). The scroll is currently being tested at Hebrew University to see if it contains writing.
      • Mount Ararat (Most Challenging Adventure)

      When asked about his most challenging adventure, Dr. Judkins immediately named the Mount Ararat expedition for "Finding Noah."

      • The Danger: He noted that the film's director of photography, who had climbed Everest, called Ararat "a more dangerous mountain." This is due to its unstable, loose boulders, static electricity, wild dogs, and melting glaciers (which Everest doesn't have).
      • The "Shadow" Moment: Dr. Judkins recalled hitting a low point at 15,000 feet, physically and mentally exhausted. His climbing partners, Bill and Will Hughes, told him to turn around as the sun rose. He saw the massive shadow of Mount Ararat projected onto the valley floor below. This inspiring sight gave him the mental strength to continue to the summit.
      • The Ark's Location: While he believes the Ark is on Mount Ararat, he noted the difficulty in finding it. The mountain is a massive landmass, and the likely location (the Ahora Gorge) is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, permanently iced, and extremely dangerous.
        • Dinosaurs and Biblical Archaeology

        Dr. Judkins identifies as a biblical archaeologist who believes in the creation account in Genesis. He discussed how he reconciles dinosaurs with the biblical narrative:

        • Age of the Earth: He stated that his field findings didn't match the evolutionary timelines he was taught. He believes the genealogies in the Bible and the use of the Hebrew word "Yom" (literal day) in Genesis point to a young earth (thousands, not millions, of years).
        • Dinosaurs on the Ark: He believes dinosaurs were on the Ark, citing Genesis 6:19 (two of every "kind"). He argued that Noah would have taken juveniles (average animal size on the Ark was about that of a sheep), not full-grown adults.
        • Biblical References: He pointed to the description of Behemoth in Job 40 ("tail like a cedar tree") as a clear description of a large dinosaur.
        • Post-Flood Evidence: He cited global "dragon" legends (the term used before "dinosaur" was coined in 1840) and Native American pictographs of dinosaurs as evidence they lived alongside humans after the flood. He also theorized that Göbekli Tepe may have been built by Noah's descendants as a memorial to the animals from the flood.
          • Future Work

          Dr. Judkins briefly touched upon his research into the Nephilim (giants), a topic covered in his book "Alien Agenda." He and Maggie agreed to dedicate a future show to the subject.

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          The Positude PodcastBy Maggie Heart