Những podcast Ancient Near East hay nhất (2024)

1
The Case of the Roman Medical Instruments from Southwest Turkey, Or, The Doctor Will See What’s Left of You Now 37:35

3d ago37:35

37:35

A Roman medical office in southwestern Turkey has us talking medicine. Were the same instruments used for cataracts and hemorrhoids? What kind of insurance did gladiators have anyway? Our contestants are concerned about sanitary conditions, however. With an inevitable shoutout to Theodoric, Barber of York.…

1
How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep in Antiquity, or Sleeping with the Television on in the Ancient Near East? 44:27

17d ago44:27

44:27

What was sleep like in antiquity and was it really that different from today? Aside from all the sheep next to you, the guy knapping flint at midnight, and having to climb a ladder and run across the rooftops in order to go to the bathroom, that is.Bởi thisweekintheancientneareast

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Remember That Time When Alexander the Great Became Ningirsu? Or, Naming Rights in Mesopotamia 43:22

1M ago43:22

43:22

A temple dedicated to Alexander the Great at the Mesopotamian site of Girsu has us asking questions. Was this the meta-crossover event of the century or just some guys in an office making some plaques for a foreign chump passing through? Our contestants disagree but give a special shoutout to Molly Pitcher, heroine of the New Jersey Turnpike!…

1
How to Decorate a Philistine Temple, or, Flower Power Tell es Safi Style 52:43

2M ago52:43

52:43

Plant remains from the Philistine temples at Tell es Safi (aka Gat) have us asking questions. Sure they’re lovely seasonal items but were they tastefully displayed? How about those strong parallels in Greece? And for the very first time the listener stops by with an unexpected tale of a visit to tunnels beneath Nineveh, newly liberated from ISIS!…

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Dog Days of Domestication, or, Humans and Canines from Prehistory to the Present 47:40

2M ago47:40

47:40

Today we’re talking about what it means when dogs wags their tails, and then working backward about 15,000 years to the question of their domestication. Sure dogs help, herd and guard us humans, but in the process did they help us learn to love? If Scooby and Shaggy are any indication, then the answer is clear. With a special shoutout to Tucker, ac…

1
Hello Assyriological Computer, Or, Artificial Intelligence and the Ancient Near East? 38:21

2M ago38:21

38:21

The growing ability of Artificial Intelligence to transliterate and translate Mesopotamian texts has us asking questions. Will AI be a force for good, putting texts into the hands of the people or will it throw folks out of work and let charlatans push out nonsense? You're asking us? Anyway, as a bonus, our contestants offer touching memories of th…

1
Listening to Ancient Greek Sanctuaries, Or, The Past Was a Noisy Country 44:42

3M ago44:42

44:42

Psychoacoustic search at the Sanctuary of Zeus on Mount Lycaion shows that the builders constructed an entire site around sound. You could hear everything from the cheap seats, but was the experience really social rather than acoustic? With special shoutouts to The Who, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and Boston area favorite, Human Sexual Response!…

1
The Neolithic Canoes of Capri, Or, Have Obsidian, Will Travel? 29:25

3M ago29:25

29:25

Like most people, the find of an obsidian core on the seafloor off Capri has us asking, how did a chunk of the Neolithic period’s favorite shiny stone get to the bottom of the Mediterranean and, was a sunken canoe involved? After answering “who knows,” our (non-sailing) contestants are left to ponder the bravery of those who sailed in the Neolithic…

1
Iron Age Gezer gets Radiocarbonated, or, From Archaeology to Text, to Text, and Back Again to, Wait, What? 40:17

4M ago40:17

40:17

In our triumphant return we’re laser focused on new radiocarbon dates from destructions at Late Bronze Age and Iron Age Gezer in Israel. These destructions might be the doing of better dated Egyptian kings like Merneptah, and could link back to events described in the Bible. So not really like a laser, more bouncing around like a ping pong ball.…

1
A Note to Our Listener 0:41

7M ago0:41

0:41

This Week in the Ancient Near East is taking a short break while one member of our plucky band recovers from a nasty illness. We’ll be back soon with all new episodes and the same old schtick!Bởi thisweekintheancientneareast

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The Prehistoric Spanish Cave of Drugs, Death and Fun! Or, the Clan of the Cave Hair? 43:16

7M ago43:16

43:16

A burial cave on the Western Mediterranean island of Minorca dating to 1000 BCE contained 200 individuals and wooden boxes of dyed human hairs. The hairs were full of drugs, which leads our contestants to ask just what kind of parties were going on down there and why we weren’t invited. A few flashbacks to the 1970s result.…

1
The Toilets of Iron Age Jerusalem, A View from Below, or, Dysentery and the Bible? 45:31

8M ago45:31

45:31

Excavation of Iron Age cesspits in Jerusalem has us thinking many things. These include 1) wow, they actually recovered protozoa that caused dysentery, how’d they do that, and, 2) umm, Jerusalem elites were really unhealthy. Our contestants try to keep the juvenile humor to a minimum.Bởi thisweekintheancientneareast

1
The Copper Age Princess of Iberia? Or, I Want to Live With A Cinnabar Girl 41:57

8M ago41:57

41:57

A new article suggests that an elite Copper Age burial in southern Spain belonged to a young woman, not a man, and that society was a matriarchy. Our contestants are a little conflicted about reconstructing society starting with a single tooth, but it sounds a bit like Barbie Land, which is cool with us.…

1
A Late Roman Cave of Necromancy and Intrigue, or, A Backdoor to the Underworld in Beth Shemesh? 42:13

9M ago42:13

42:13

A cave near Beth Shemesh in Israel seems to have been a Late Roman portal to the underworld. How do we know? Did the detached skulls tell us? Our contestants take pro and anti-necromancy stances, but in a good way.Bởi thisweekintheancientneareast

1
The Bird Calls of Prehistory, or the Squeaky Flutes of the Natufian 54:14

9M ago54:14

54:14

A new report on Natufian aerophones from Eynan-Mallaha has us wondering, what’s an aerophone? It’s a bone with holes, sort of like a flute or a bird call. So are humans replicating bird sounds to catch birds or to make music? Is all this ritual or is it just hunting? All the same, really, isn't it?Bởi thisweekintheancientneareast

1
The Stone Receipts of Early Roman Jerusalem, or, Economic History on the Rocks 52:29

10M ago52:29

52:29

A new inscription from Jerusalem’s Pilgrim’s Road looks like a receipt from the Early Roman period. It’s also on a piece of stone, which seems difficult to file. We’ve got Emily Dickinson and emojis, religious observance, and the suspicious relationship between writing and literacy. With a special shoutout to Major Deegan and his expressway!…

1
The Dismembered Hands of Avaris, or How Do You Say “The Sound of One Hand Clapping” in Egyptian? 56:07

10M ago56:07

56:07

Pits with dismembered hands at the Hyksos site of Tell el Dab’a/Avaris have us asking, what is it with ancient Egypt and dismemberment? Sure the king wants to permanently defeat his enemies – really, who doesn’t want that - but isn’t all this hand chopping business just, well, performance art? It’s our most hands on episode yet!…

1
What Pairs Well with Extreme Desert Conditions? or New Evidence for Wine in the Late Antique Negev 55:08

11M ago55:08

55:08

The discovery of grapes pips at Late Antique Avdat in the northern Negev has us asking questions, like who makes wine in the desert anyway, and how do you get the wine from the desert to the people? Is this a story of wine fancying monks or Breaking Bad style middlemen? Pour a glass and settle in with our contestants!…

1
Iron Age Religion East of the Jordan, Or, Ammon, Moab, and Edom Have Entered the Chat. 53:12

11M ago53:12

53:12

A new report on Iron Age temples in Jordan has us puzzled. How different are the cults to national gods and their shrines on both sides of the Jordan River, you know, really? And if a Moabite walked into a Judean bar, would you know? Watch us go from a very small building to huge questions about world religions!…

1
The Little Tavern at Lagash, or, The Real Craft [and Beer] Revolution? 47:09

12M ago47:09

47:09

The discovery of a tavern at Early Dynastic Lagash has us asking questions. Who drank there, who ran the joint, and how did you pay come to mind, along with the obvious problems of drunks and pickled eggs. With a special shoutout to wise bartenders everywhere from Siduri to Sam Malone!Bởi thisweekintheancientneareast

1
New Jerusalem Inscription Points to (Previously Known) Iron Age Spice Trade, Or, Solomon and Sheba Get Spicy? 52:24

12M ago52:24

52:24

The discovery of an Iron Age pot in Jerusalem with an inscription in a South Arabian language has us flustered. We knew there was an ancient spice trade between the Levant and Yemen, but does this mean that Solomon and Sheba were real? It’s a spicy discussion with breathless notes of labdanum. Come for the world systems theory, stay for all the aun…

1
The Book of the Dead Club, Or, If a Lion-Hippo-Crocodile Comes to the Door, Don’t Open It. 49:05

1y ago49:05

49:05

A 52 foot long Book of the Dead sounds like a super deluxe edition, but if you’re traveling from death to judgment and into the afterlife you can’t be too careful. But did anyone in ancient Egypt actually believe this stuff? What about the non-believers? Where did they fit in? Our contestants slide effortlessly into Spinoza mode, but still worry a …

1
It’s This Week in the Ancient Near East at the Movies! The Special Inadvertent Pre-Holiday Biblical Epic Edition! 55:36

1y ago55:36

55:36

In 1923 Cecil B. De Mille made The Ten Commandments on a huge Egyptian set in the California dunes, which archaeologists have excavated. So obviously we’re asking, what’s the deal with Biblical movies? Ripping yarns or morality tales with Nazi punching? And would a picture about the backbreaking scientific tedium of real archaeology be a crowdpleas…

1
The Archaeology of Ancient Fingerprints, or Profiling Potters for Fun and Profit 40:19

1y ago40:19

40:19

Fingerprints on ancient pottery? Like from the potters? Ok, we’re not cops but we are a little curious. Who are these potters at Byzantine Moza, Tell Leilan, Tell en Nasbeh, Tell es Safi, and other Bronze and Iron Age sites around the Near East? Who's producing what and why are they using child labor to decorate pottery? Maybe we really should call…

1
A Mediterranean Metal Mystery, or, Those Tin Ingots from Uzbekistan? Yeah, Well, They’re at the Bottom of the Ocean 57:55

1y ago57:55

57:55

Central Asian tin in a Late Bronze Age shipwreck at the bottom of Mediterranean raises questions like, “who brought the tin thousands of kilometers west from what’s now Uzbekistan,” and “who’s tin was it when the boat sank.” Ok, they’re not questions like, “what is best in life” or “are you going to eat that sandwich” but they’re what we’ve got.…

1
How I Made Your Mummy, Or, A Special Blend of Herbs and Spices with a Side Order of Sun Dried Crocodiles 54:29

1y ago54:29

54:29

The discovery of a 26th Dynasty mummification workshop has shown that exotic ingredients came from as far as India and Africa. Is this just an early version of Goop, rich people getting sold on weird ingredients just because the poors were catching up? But then how do we explain the sun dried crocodiles? Go ahead, we’ll wait.…

1
Crime Grips Uruk, Sheep and Tunic Stolen!, Or, Law and Order: Neo-Babylonia 47:19

1y ago47:19

47:19

This is the city, Uruk. I was working the day shift out of the Eanna Temple when the call came in about a missing sheep and tunic. We picked up the perp pretty quickly and he started to sing, so we rolled up 39 of his pals. But word came down that the great and the good were putting up bail. That’s when the king got involved and things got interest…

1
What’s Cooking in the Middle Paleolithic and Is It Toxic? Or, Soak, Pound and Char Your Way to Better Health! 53:46

1y ago53:46

53:46

In the Middle Paleolithic dinner included plants like bitter vetch and mustard. The problem is these plants are toxic. So who figured out that you had to soak, pound and char them before eating? More importantly, what happened to the folks who didn’t figure it out? Come for the helpful cooking hints, stay for the incisive comments on wraps!…

1
New Inscriptions from Hezekiah’s Chunnel? Or, If An Inscription Drops in a Newspaper Does it Really Make a Sound? 1:03:25

1+ y ago1:03:25

1:03:25

New Biblical era inscriptions allegedly by Hezekiah are making waves in the newspapers. They raise many questions like, where’s the full scholarly publication, and, how about a decent picture at least? Is that how we do it now, just talk about stuff in the papers before producing the goods? How do we know if something is real and spectacular if it …

1
Apocalypse When? A Very Special This Week in the Ancient Near East One Part Docu-Drama in Response to Something You Might Have Seen On Netflix 55:11

1+ y ago55:11

55:11

Ancient Apocalypse on Netflix has been watched like 25 million times and archaeologists are up in arms. It’s worlds in collision! It’s an unsolved mystery! But really, what’s the big deal? Is crazy talk about a vanished civilization dangerous or ludicrous? Our contestants disagree amusingly on many issues. THAT’S WHY THEY SHOULD HAVE A NETFLIX SERI…

1
The Lice Combs of Lachish, Or, Bless This Beard and All Who Dwell Within It 52:26

1+ y ago52:26

52:26

An ivory lice comb found at Iron Age Lachish is actually from the Middle Bronze Age and contains the first complete Canaanite sentence. It talks about lice. Didn’t see that coming. So obviously we argue about hair care products and the connection between literacy and nearsightedness.Bởi thisweekintheancientneareast

1
Episode 26: Samarra 31:47

1+ y ago31:47

31:47

As we finish off the Neolithic we must first go backwards to one of the less well known but vastly important cultures of the Neolithic Near East - the Samarra. As the first known Neolithic culture of Southern Mesopotamia the Samarra gave rise to many developments which underpinned the later civilisations of this part of the ancient Near East. It is…

1
Born on the (Mesopotamian) Bayou, or Welcome to Lagash; There is No Lifeguard on Duty, Swim at Your Own Risk 47:54

1+ y ago47:54

47:54

New data shows that cities in southern Mesopotamia were often islands in the stream divided by canals with lots of open spaces. What does it mean for early urban life if you have to take a gondola to work? Did kids learn to swim at Sumerian YMCAs? Who knew that urbanism was such a splash?Bởi thisweekintheancientneareast

1
A 25th Dynasty Egyptian Cheese Fit for the Afterlife, or, Why Expiration Dates Matter 49:20

1+ y ago49:20

49:20

The discovery of cheese in a 25th Dynasty Egyptian tomb made us realize, everybody loves cheese. But what is cheese, really? And whether a spreadable chevre or a squeaky halloumi, how did people even survive it before pasteurization? Our panelists stand proudly with the cheese.Bởi thisweekintheancientneareast

1
The Little Iron Age Papyrus That Could, Go from Jerusalem to Montana and Then Back to Jerusalem, or, Call Him Ishmael? 46:01

1+ y ago46:01

46:01

A little smidgeon of a papyrus has returned from Montana to Jerusalem. Does it date to the Iron Age? Is it real? Does it contain the word Ishmael? How did it get to Montana? Our contestants are confused, as usual. Maybe more than usual, which is saying a lot.Bởi thisweekintheancientneareast

1
The Uncomfortable Ivory Decorated Chairs of Iron Age Jerusalem, or, Wait, There Were Elephants Wandering Around in the Iron Age? 53:53

1+ y ago53:53

53:53

The find of ivory decorations for furniture in Iron Age Jerusalem raises many questions. Where does the furniture come from and why does it look so uncomfortable? Were these diplomatic gifts or local knockoffs? Were there really elephants wandering around Syria in this period? Isn’t that what we should really be talking about?…

1
The Archaeological Puzzle of Playing in the Past, Or, Bronze Age Barbie Bonanza? 49:02

1+ y ago49:02

49:02

A recent article on a button-like toy has us wondering, what are toys anyway and what are they for? Were there actually children in the past? And what is playing, really? No, really, what is playing? And that’s where things started getting sticky for us.Bởi thisweekintheancientneareast

1
Sticky Fingers in the Valley of the Kings, or Howard Carter and the Case of King Tut’s Tomb 45:49

1+ y ago45:49

45:49

The upcoming 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tut’s tomb has us talking about the discoverer, Howard Carter, who seems to have had sticky fingers and a propensity to fudge the story of his find. Ethics? Morals? Does it matter? Look at all that nice stuff!Bởi thisweekintheancientneareast

1
Introducing Opium, the Late Bronze Age Miracle Cure! Or, Smacked into a Trance in the Second Millennium BCE 43:20

1+ y ago43:20

43:20

New research shows that certain Late Bronze Age pots from Cyprus really did contain opium, which isn’t too surprising since they’re shaped like opium poppies. What’s going on? What was all this opium for? Was everyone in the past on drugs? Sure looks that way.Bởi thisweekintheancientneareast

1
Cult of the Head or Cult of the Dead? Or, Human Sacrifice in the Neolithic, What? Eww! 57:55

1+ y ago57:55

57:55

A new article on Neolithic skulls raises questions, like just how did all those skulls get separated from the bodies? Were there human sacrifices in the Neolithic or were there “ancestor cults,” whatever those were? Our contestants must dodge the ick factor to get to the Truth.Bởi thisweekintheancientneareast

1
The Archaeology of Finger Licking Goodness, or, Why Did the Chicken Cross the Planet? 52:36

1+ y ago52:36

52:36

New data that show the chicken was domesticated vastly later than previously thought have shattered the poultry paradigm. Moreover, chickens were elite pets for centuries before someone decided to toss them in a pot. The myths of the archaic bird die hard in this fast moving and delicious episode.Bởi thisweekintheancientneareast

1
Episode 25: The Neolithic Comes to Transcaucasia 43:17

1+ y ago43:17

43:17

In the east of Anatolia and off to the north of Mesopotamia is the southern Caucasus, which is also known as Transcaucasia. This region combines being one of the last parts of the Near East to have mobile hunter-gatherers, and one of the first regions of the Near East to practice copper metallurgy. In between we have the sixth millennium cal BCE, w…

1
The Mystery of King Tut’s Sky Iron Knife, or, How Much Would You Pay for a Knife Like This? 55:55

1+ y ago55:55

55:55

A new analysis has shown King Tut’s knife was made of sky iron, that’s right, iron from the sky, you know, like from a meteor, the kind from outer space. What’s so special about iron anyway and what’s the deal with diplomacy and gift giving in the Late Bronze Age? And why are we talking about bellbottoms and personal computers?…

1
The Secret Aramean or Maybe Assyrian Underground Cult Site at Başbük: Stairway to Heaven or Rec Room of the Gods? 34:36

2y ago34:36

34:36

The underground cult site at Başbük in southeastern Turkey has us wondering, why depict Aramean deities in an Assyrian style? Is this an Iron Age cult site or a rich guy’s rec room? Or is it both? Mukīn-abūa of Tušhan, you sly dog.Bởi thisweekintheancientneareast

1
Feeding Spice Caravans in the Negev, or Midnight at the Oasis, Try the Oysters and Crabs 45:56

2y ago45:56

45:56

The discovery of oysters and crabs at Nabatean and Roman caravan sites in the Negev has us thinking, what’s going on here? What do we learn about trade and traders from food remains? Have we been too focused on the exports and not enough on the imports? One thing is for sure, you gotta eat.Bởi thisweekintheancientneareast

1
The Archaeology of Big Giant Stone Heads, Sardinian Edition 1:01:35

2y ago1:01:35

1:01:35

The giant stone sculptures of boxers found in a first millennium BCE Sardinian cemetery have our contestants puzzled. Are these protective deities or just slightly oversized sports heroes? And why does every culture around the world first pile stones and then carve them? Didn’t they have anything better to do with their time?…

1
Episode 24: Early Chalcolithic Anatolia 44:20

2y ago44:20

44:20

After all of the arguments that we saw for the Wadi Rabah as to whether it was part of the Late Neolithic or part of the Early Chalcolithic, this time we shall have a look at Anatolia in the first half of the sixth millennium cal BCE - which is widely agreed here to the Early Chalcolithic. Unlike the more widespread cultures of the Halaf or the Wad…

1
Eau de l’antiquité, or, The Past is a Stinky Country 59:37

2y ago59:37

59:37

New research has begun to reconstruct the smell of ancient perfumes from Egyptian tombs. But rich folks always try to smell better. The bigger question is what did the past smell like as whole? Our contestants detect zesty notes of burning dung and a cloying variety of herbs and spices.Bởi thisweekintheancientneareast

1
Episode 23: Wadi Rabah 39:18

2y ago39:18

39:18

In this episode we head south to look at one of the major cultures of the Southern Levant during the sixth millennium BCE - the Wadi Rabah. While there is a lot that we know about the Wadi Rabah culture, there is also a lot that we argue about. Really, a lot. If you have any questions or comments you can email me at prehistorypodcast@gmail.com or r…

1
Take the Last Boat to Carthage and I’ll Meet You at the Tophet. Or, Who Were the Phoenicians and Why Did They Do Something As Dangerous as Sail West? 58:19

2y ago58:19

58:19

A Phoenician cemetery in Spain has us talking about, well, the Phoenicians. Who were they, where did they come from, and why do we even call them Phoenicians in the first place? Isn’t that sort of ‘othering’? And where does famed character actor Michael J. Pollard fit in?Bởi thisweekintheancientneareast

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