Seven Ages Audio Journal

In this special presentation, the Seven Ages Audio Journal presents a "subscriber sample" of content from our Seven Ages Patreon Channel, where we talk with renowned archaeologist Jay Franklin of EcoPlan Associates Inc. about the perils and complexities of cave archaeology. We also delve into the worlds of Cherokee settlement and Mississippian sites. The content presented in this episode is from our Patreon podcast Digging Deeper. We offer three tiers of membership as well as three exclusive podcasts for Patreon, The Cross Tyme Pub, Digging Deeper, and The Green Dragon Book Club. Join us today on Patreon for all this exclusive content and much more.  Twitter  Instagram  Facebook  Seven Ages Official Site  Seven Ages Patreon  Seven Ages YouTube

In this episode of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, the team begins with the latest news from the world of archaeology. Micah covers the story of crab-roasting Neanderthals, after which Jason presents the discovery of a 7.5-foot Japanese sword in a burial mound outside of Nara, Japan. Then, James rounds out the news portion with the discovery of a Roman dodecahedron by a metal detector in Belgium.  The team then welcomes Oregon State University Professor Dr. Loren Davis to the program, who discusses his work at Idaho's enigmatic Cooper's Ferry Site, home to a large concentration of western stemmed points thought to pre-date Clovis projectile points by at least 1,500 years or more. Radiocarbon dates on the charcoal and bone are as old as 15,500 years. In North America, few tree ring records can precisely calibrate such early radiocarbon dates, but a state-of-the-art probabilistic model placed the start of the occupation at between 16,560 and 15,280 years.  Twitter  Instagram  Facebook   Seven Ages Official Site  Seven Ages Patreon  Seven Ages Youtube

In this episode of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, the team begins with the latest news from the world of archaeology. Micah covers the story of the use of stone tools by modern monkeys. Next, Jason presents the unlikely story of a Londoner who has cracked the code of the meaning of ancient cave paintings.  The team then welcomes Dr. Ashley Lemke for an exciting discussion on her work discovering ancient underwater archaeological sites beneath the Great Lakes. Ashley Lemke is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas in Arlington and former Chair of the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology (www.acuaonline.org). She is a leading researcher on the archaeology of hunter-gatherers. She has worked extensively on both terrestrial and underwater archaeological projects from the Lower Paleolithic in Europe to 19th-century Nunamiut archaeological sites in the Arctic. She is an expert on submerged ancient sites in the Americas and has researched such sites in the Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes, and Atlantic Ocean. Twitter  Instagram  Facebook  Seven Ages Official Site Seven Ages Patreon  Seven Ages YouTube   Chasing History  Our Sponsor: The Smokey Mountain Relic Room

In this episode, the Seven Ages team leads off their final episode of 2022 with a discussion on a ground-breaking new report on the Cooper's Ferry archaeological site. Recent Carbon 14 dating suggests this site may pre-date Clovis occupation in North America by as much as 2,000 years. Next, the team discusses the recent geological report that indicates the Bering Land Bridge may have been a late addition to the end of the last Ice Age. The team is then joined by Nathan Odom, a park interpreter at Parkin Mounds Archaeological State Park in Arkansas.  The Parkin Mounds Archaeological State Park is a National Historic Landmark that preserves a 17-acre Mississippian Period American Indian village located on site from A.D. 1000 to 1550. Archeologists at this research station also uncovered evidence that Hernando de Soto visited this site in 1541. The site was the location of the 1920s-era Northern Ohio Lumber Cooperage Company, and the Northern Ohio School House still remains. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Odom shares his knowledge of the history of the location, and the fascinating discoveries made there during excavations over the years.  Twitter  Instagram  Facebook  Seven Ages Official Site   Seven Ages Patreon  Seven Ages YouTube  Chasing History  Parkin Archaeological State Park  Our Sponsor: The Smokey Mountain Relic Room

In this episode, the Seven Ages team begins the show with an in-depth discussion of some of the theories and speculations surrounding the building of the pyramids. The discussion also references the recently discovered void above the King's chamber in the pyramid of Khufu using a cosmic-ray scan. The Seven Ages team is then joined by Dr. Bob Brier "Mr. Mummy" for a celebratory discussion of the 100th Anniversary of the discovery of the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun by Howard Carter.  Dr. Bob Brier is recognized as one of the world's foremost experts on mummies and Egyptology. As Senior Research Fellow at Long Island University/LIU Post in Brookville, New York, he has conducted pioneering research in mummification practices and has investigated some of the world's most famous mummies, including King Tut, Vladimir Lenin, Ramses the Great, Eva Peron (Evita), Marquise Tai (Chinese noblewoman), and the Medici family of Renaissance Italy. In celebration of the centennial of the discovery of the famed Egyptian pharaoh's final resting place, Dr. Brier joins us to discuss his new book Tutankhamun and the Tomb that Changed the World.  Twitter   Instagram  Facebook  Seven Ages Official Site  Seven Ages Patreon  Seven Ages Youtube  Chasing History   Dr. Bob Brier Official  Our Sponsor:  The Smokey Mountain Relic Room

In this episode, the Seven Ages team catches up for a bit of Egyptological discussion in our introduction portion of the show, before shifting our attention over to Jason Pentrail and Chase Pipes of the Chasing History Youtube channel, who continue their journey to mound-building cultural sites throughout the Southeastern United States. At their most recent stop, the team toured the stunning Mississippian site of Moundville, Alabama. Jason and Chase are joined by friend and colleague Lash LaRoux as they sit down to speak with Faculty Curator Dr. Elliot Blair.  Dr. Elliott Blair is an anthropological archaeologist whose research focuses on the early colonial and Late Mississippian periods in the American Southeast. Much of his research focuses on population aggregation and identity at Mission Santa Catalina de Guale, a 16th and 17th-century Spanish mission located on St. Catherine's Island, Georgia. Drawing upon practice-based approaches to the archaeology of colonialism and exploring identity through situated learning theory, he examines the persistence of social identities as diverse populations formed new communities under the pressures of missionization. In his work, he uses social network analysis to explore the structure of past social relationships at multiple scales. We are also joined by Moundville Education and Outreach Coordinator Lindsey Gordon who shares all of Moundville's outstanding programs and cultural relationships with us.  Twitter  Instagram  Facebook   Seven Ages Official Site  Seven Ages Patreon  Seven Ages YouTube  Chasing History  Moundville Archaeological Park  Our Sponsor:  The Smokey Mountain Relic Room

In this episode, the Seven Ages team is joined once again by Chase Pipes of the Chasing History Radio podcast and Youtube channel in a visit to the captivating site known as Poverty Point, the third stop on our mound builders tour.  Poverty Point, Louisiana is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the oldest mound sites in North America. The archaeological record at Poverty Point shows that its story goes back at least 3000 years. While no written record of Poverty Points inhabitants remains, we know that the site was of significant ceremonial importance and was a hub for various regional activities including trade, production of goods, and the creation of site-specific artifacts such as the Poverty Point Objects (PPOs), a unique cooking stone found in great abundance at the site.  Seven Ages host Jason Pentrail welcomes Poverty Point site manager and expert interpreter Mark Brink to the show. Mark discusses the history, progression, and eventual decline of Poverty Point.  Follow the Seven Ages Research Associates online: Twitter  Instagram  Facebook  Seven Ages Official Site  Seven Ages Patreon  Seven Ages YouTube  Chasing History  Poverty Point World Heritage Site  Our Sponsor: The Smokey Mountain Relic Room

In this episode of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, the team welcomes Dr. Clark Werneke. Dr. Wernecke is the Executive Director for the Gault School of Archaeological Research and brings a unique blend of scholarship and experience to the school with degrees in history, business, and anthropology. He has considerable experience in business and has specialized in the management of large archaeological projects. Dr. Wernecke has worked in the Middle East, Mesoamerica, the American Southeast, and the Southwest. In addition to his work with the GSAR, he is currently working on archaeological data from the Mexican War and early Texas architecture. The Gault Site has been known by archaeologists for at least 78 years. In 1929, the first anthropologist at the University of Texas, J.E. Pearce, had a crew excavating at the site for eight weeks. Though primarily interested in the Archaic burnt-rock midden showing on the surface Pearce's crew managed to excavate a handful of Paleoindian artifacts including Clovis cultural materials more than 2 years before the discoveries at Blackwater Draw. Since that time the Gault site has proven to be a significant archaeological zone spanning all twenty-two known indigenous cultures and time periods from Texas.  Follow the Seven Ages Research Associates online: Twitter   Instagram  Facebook Seven Ages Official Site Seven Ages Patreon Seven Ages YouTube Chasing History Gault School of Archaeological Research Our Sponsor The Smokey Mountain Relic Room

In this episode, the Seven Ages team is joined by Chase Pipes of the Chasing History Youtube channel and podcast, as they continue the spring road trip and record live from the Spiro Mounds site in Oklahoma. Jason Pentrail, James Waldo, and Chase Pipes are joined by archaeologist and Spiro Archaeological Park Director Dennis Peterson. Dennis provides the team with a detailed explanation of the history of the Mississippian culture and excavations that have taken place over the years at the famed Spiro Mounds site.  Dennis Peterson has been the manager at Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center for 30 years. In May of 1985, he came to the site when it was still a part of the State Park system under the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department (transferred over to the Oklahoma Historical Society in 1991) and started interpreting the site to the public. He was involved in the excavations under the Oklahoma Archeological Survey and Oklahoma University from 1979 to 1982 and worked with the site and other locations in Oklahoma through the Survey from 1982 to 1985.  Spiro Mounds is one of the most important cultural and economic centers in the Mississippian world. It boasts one of the richest art and artifact collections in North America and is considered an international cultural treasure. Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center preserves 150 acres of the site along the Arkansas River. The center offers interpretive exhibits, an introductory slide program, and a small gift shop. Visitors can explore nearly two miles of interpreted trails, including a one-half-mile nature trail.  Follow the Seven Ages Research Associates online:  Twitter   Instagram  Facebook  Seven Ages Official Site  Chasing History  Spiro Mounds Official Site Our Sponsor The Smokey Mountain Relic Room

In this episode, the Seven Ages team is joined by Chase Pipes of the Chasing History Youtube channel and podcast, as they travel and record live from the Pinson Mounds site in Eastern Tennessee. Jason Pentrail and Chase Pipes are joined by Tennessee State Park Ranger Dedra Irwin, who explains all the details of this truly unique woodland-era mound complex. Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park covers over 1,200 acres and contains at least 15 Native American mounds. In addition to Sauls Mound, the group includes Oxier Mound, the Twin Mounds, and Mound 31. Archaeological evidence suggests the mounds were both burial and ceremonial in purpose. Pinson Mounds is a national historic landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Follow the Seven Ages Research Associates online:  Twitter Instagram  Facebook  Seven Ages Official Site  Chasing History  Pinson Mounds State Park  Our Sponsor The Smokey Mountain Relic Room

This edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal Podcast begins with a discussion of the latest research concerning the peopling of the Americas. Next, the team catches up from all over North and South America as the Seven Ages and Chasing History Spring road trip wraps up. We are then joined by Kent State University professor Dr. Metin Eren for an in-depth discussion on the efficacy of the Clovis projectile point in killing proboscideans. Eren, who holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Southern Methodist University, as well as an M.A. inExperimental Archaeology from the University of Exeter, an M.A. in Anthropology, from Southern Methodist University, and an A.B. in Anthropology from Harvard College, shares an academic perspective with the team about the world of experimental archaeology, and what we can learn from this ever-advancing discipline. How can modern science be applied toward a deeper understanding not only of the Clovis projectile point, but also of the many other practices held by ancient Americans, and early people elsewhere around the world? The Seven Ages Research Associates dig into these, and many other questions with Dr. Eren on this special edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal. Follow the Seven Ages Research Associates online: Twitter  Instagram  Facebook  Official Site Below are links to stories covered in this edition of the podcast Our sponsor: The Smokey Mountain Relic Room  The Kent State Experimental Archaeology Lab Kent State Lab Metin Eren on Google Scholar Hunter-Gatherer Behavior: Human Response During the Younger Dryas (Edited by Metin Eren)

In this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we discuss the latest news from the world of archaeology including the future of space archaeology as well as the discovery of the famed Shackelton ship The Endurance.  We are then joined by Austin J. Bell for an in-depth discussion on the famous and mysterious Key Marco Cat. Bell is the curator of collections for the Marco Island Historical Society and a consulting scholar at the Penn Museum. Austin discusses the details of this enigmatic artifact in his newest book The Nine Lives of Florida's Famous Key Marco Cat, available at the University Press of Florida. Follow the Seven Ages Research Associates online: Twitter Instagram  Facebook   Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast Our Sponsor: The Smokey Mountian Relic Room The Nine Lives of Florida's Famous Key Marco Cat: University of Florida Press Marco Island Historical Society

In this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we lead off the discussion with news from around the world of archaeology, highlighting a 9,000-year-old shrine in Jordan and a new article from the Mammoth Trumpet Journal discussing perishable technologies with former SAAJ guests J.M. Advasio and Tom Dillehay. We then feature an in-depth interview with David Kilby of Texas State University and the Ancient Southwest Texas Project to discuss the Bonfire Shelter bison jump. David Kilby has a long history of archaeological work at famous sites such as Blackwater Draw, Murray Springs, Mockingbird Gap, Folsom, and the Rio Rancho Folsom site.  Follow the Seven Ages Research Associates online: Twitter Instagram Facebook  Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: Our Sponsors: The Smokey Mountain Relic Room David Kilby | Texas State University

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we lead off the discussion with a memorial to the late Tennessee archaeologist David Dean. Remembering David's life and work with us is a friend of the program, Chase Pipes of the Smoky Mountain Relic Room, along with fellow Tennessee archaeologists Jay Franklin and Zoen McLachlan.  Then for the remainder of the program, the team is joined by Bretton Giles and Shawn Lambert, who are the co-editors of a new anthology entitled New Methods and Theories for Analyzing Mississippian Imagery. Bretton T. Giles is an assistant research professor in sociology, anthropology, and social work at Kansas State University. Shawn P. Lambert is an assistant professor of anthropology and senior research associate with the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University. Follow the Seven Ages Research Associates online:  Twitter     Instagram     Facebook Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast:  Our Sponsors: The Smoky Mountain Relic RoomTHE BOOK: New Methods and Theories for Analyzing Mississippian Imagery

Approximately 3600 years ago, new evidence may indicate that a cosmic airburst leveled the ancient city of Tall el-Hammam, a Middle-Bronze-Age site in the southern Jordan Valley northeast of the Dead Sea.  On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we are joined by returning guests Malcolm Lecompte, Christopher R. Moore, and for his first appearance, Timothy Witwer for an in-depth discussion about their paper, "A Tunguska sized airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam a Middle Bronze Age city in the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea."  Follow the Seven Ages Research Associates online:  Twitter     Instagram     Facebook Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast:  Our Sponsors: The Smoky Mountain Relic RoomTHE PAPER: A Tunguska sized airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam a Middle Bronze Age city in the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea.MORE FROM MOORE: A giant space rock demolished an ancient Middle Eastern city and everyone in it – possibly inspiring the Biblical story of Sodom

In this episode of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we continue our series on the enigmatic site of Göbekli Tepe in Anatolia, Turkey, as we are joined by Martin Sweatman, Ph.D., author of the book Prehistory Decoded and a number of research publications related to Göbekli Tepe. Sweatman's academic background is in statistical mechanics, the physical theory that links the properties of particles to the properties of matter. He heads a  research group is mainly interested in theoretical aspects of classical statistical mechanics, as well as the design of new kinds of advanced material or engineering process. Typically, this involves developing or using Monte Carlo molecular simulation or classical density functional theory methods. However, Sweatman's study of the rock carvings at Göbekli Tepe have brought statistics into the study of this ancient site, which expands the possibilities as far as their meaning to the ancient hands who carved them.  Follow the Seven Ages Research Associates online:  Twitter     Instagram     Facebook Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast:  Our Sponsors: The Smoky Mountain Relic RoomMartin Sweatman, Ph.D. Website Prehistory Decoded (Paperback) - Martin SweatmanEpisode Art: "Vulture Stone, Gobekli Tepe, Sanliurfa, South-east Anatolia, Turkey (CC 2.0/Wikimedia Commons)

Göbekli Tepe is arguably one of the most captivating archaeological sites in anywhere in the world, not just for its age, but for its artisanship. The location is perhaps best known not just for its age, but for the iconic pillar structures that are a mainstay of the site. In this special edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we look at this enigmatic ancient site, and what its discovery has meant for Archaeology in the 21st century.  Joining us to discuss her work at the site is Sarah Kielt Costello, Associate Professor of Art History and Director of the Humanities Program at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. She earned her Ph.D. in anthropology from the State University of New York, Binghamton and her M.A. in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology at Bryn Mawr College. Her research areas include Mesopotamian and Cypriot prehistory and museum and heritage studies. She is a co-editor of several volumes, and her work is also published in the journals Cambridge Archaeological Journal and Antiquity. Dr. Costello has excavated in Cyprus, Turkey, Israel, and Greece and in 2013 participated as a Fulbright Fellow in the Summer Session at the American School of Classical Studies. In 2021, she was awarded a University Faculty Fellowship in recognition of exemplary teaching, research, and service to UHCL. We discuss her work at Göbekli Tepe on this edition of the podcast, and what can be derived about the ways of life in the ancient world from the study of this site's captivating art and monumental structures. Follow the Seven Ages Research Associates online:  Twitter     Instagram     Facebook Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast:  Our Sponsors: The Smoky Mountain Relic Room Sarah K. Costello at the University of Houston Clear Lake Object Biographies: Collaborative Approaches to Ancient Mediterranean Art (Menil Collection, 2021) Seals and Sealings in the Ancient World (Cambridge University Press, 2018) Routledge Companion to Ecstatic Experience in the Ancient WorldEpisode Art: "Göbeklitepe Şanlıurfa" by Beytullah else (CC 4.0/Wikimedia Commons)

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, the team focuses on one of the earliest and greatest mysteries in early American History: the famous Lost Colony of Roanoke. Joining us to discuss this historical mystery is Phillip Evans of The First Colony Foundation, a North Carolina 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that, according to its website, is "dedicated to conducting archaeological and historical research, combined with public education and interpretation, relating to the story of America’s beginnings with the attempts by Sir Walter Raleigh to establish English colonies at Roanoke Island in the 1580s under his charter from Queen Elizabeth I." We discuss the Foundation's efforts to utilize archaeology in resolving the mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke.  Follow the Seven Ages Research Associates online:  Twitter     Instagram     Facebook Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast:  The First Colony Foundation OnlineOur Sponsors: The Smoky Mountain Relic Room

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we discuss the ancient Mississippian city of Cahokia, its mysterious collapse, and cultural significance in pre-Columbian North America. Joining us to discuss the riddle of Cahokia and its decline is Tim Pauketat,  the Illinois State Archaeologist and a professor of Anthropology and Medieval Studies at the University of Illinois. Dr. Pauketat is the Director of the Illinois State Archaeological Survey, one of the largest archaeological research units in the United States. He was trained in global archaeology at the University of Michigan but has chosen to focus on the peoples and history of eastern North America and the Plains. Director Pauketat has published extensively on his research at the ancient city of Cahokia and other medieval-era sites along the Mississippi, having written or edited 16 books, including The Archaeology of Ancient North America, Medieval Mississippians, and Cahokia: Ancient America’s Great City. We discuss the ancient earthworks of the site, and what archaeology tells us about the mysterious rise and fall of this ancient American city.  Follow the Seven Ages Research Associates online:  Twitter     Instagram     Facebook Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast:  Timothy Pauketat at the University of Illinois Cahokia: Ancient America's Great City on the Mississippi Ancient Cahokia and the Mississippians (Case Studies in Early Societies)Our Sponsors: The Smoky Mountain Relic Room "Cahokia" image in this episode's art by Michael Hampshire, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.

On this special edition of the podcast, we go in search of answers to one of American Archaeology's most enduring mysteries: the enigmatic Clovis people and their unique technology. Who were the hunters that designed the fluted projectile point, regarded by some as "America's first invention," and what happened to them and their technology at the end of the last ice age? Did they truly vanish, or does the rise and sudden disappearance of what archaeologists call Clovis represent something far more complex? Our investigation of the Clovis enigma takes us back to the first decade of the 20th century with the discoveries at Folsom, New Mexico, followed by those at Blackwater Draw, which effectively put Clovis on the map. We then examine archaeological perspectives on the Clovis people, including who they were, how and when they arrived in the Americas, and what makes their highly specialized technology so significant. Finally, we also explore the lingering shadow of "pre-Clovis" sites that predate the appearance of these distinctive fluted lithic points.  Our exploration of the Clovis enigma leaves us with more questions than answers, and stands testament to why archaeologists remain fascinated with this enigmatic cultural manifestation, their technology, and their lasting imprint on the world of the Ancient Americas.  Follow the Seven Ages Research Associates online:  Twitter     Instagram     Facebook Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast:  Carolina Bays and Ice Age Carolinas - NASA Earth ObservatoryRandy Daniel’s Book: Time, Typology, and Point Traditions in North Carolina Archaeology: Formative Cultures Reconsidered (Archaeology of the American South: New Directions and Perspectives)Our Sponsors: The Smoky Mountain Relic Room