Podcast
Seven Ages Audio Journal
Hosted by Seven Ages Research · AFAR
The Seven Ages Audio Journal is a podcast that explores history through archaeological discoveries, scientific achievements, and cultural developments throughout time. Hosted by researchers Micah Hanks, Jason Pentrail, and James Waldo, the program features commentary and interviews with leading experts in the fields of history, archaeology, science, and other disciplines. Our aim is to unravel questions about ancient times, and explore areas of knowledge and culture from the past, to the present day.
90episodes
Episodes
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The Divided Lines of Hopewell History | SAAJ .069
Nov 22, 202301:21:59Tap to summarizeIn this episode the team welcomes a roundtable panel to discuss the 2022 scientific paper The Hopewell airburst event 1699-1567 years ago (252-383 CE). This controversial paper has since been refuted by our panel members. In this interview the panel will present all of the information surrounding the 2022 paper and present their evidence for refuting the claim that the Hopewell culture was greatly affected or even destroyed by a cosmic event. Our panel consists of lead author Dr. Kevin Nolan. Dr. Nolan is the Director and Senior Archaeologist in the Applied Anthropology Laboratories (AAL), an institute within the College of Sciences and Humanities at Ball State University. His research specializations include: Prehistoric Archaeology, CRM, GIS, Ohio River Valley, Paleoenvironments, Soil geochemistry, and Geophysics. Next, we welcome Dr. Tony Krus. Dr. Krus is an Assistant Professor at the University of South Dakota in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology. His current research focuses on chronological modeling, human-environmental relationships, and archaeological fieldwork of late-Holocene communities, primarily in the Eastern Woodlands and the Plains. We also welcome, Dr. Tim McCoy: Dr. McCoy is a Curator of Meteorites at the Smithsonian Institution. His work primarily focuses on using meteorites to understand the differentiation of asteroids in the early Solar System and he has worked on 6 robotic spacecraft missions. Relative to this project, he has studied artifacts made from iron meteorites, including Hopewell beads from Havana, IL. Finally, we round out the panel with Dr. Laura Murphy is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, where she teaches many archaeology courses, including the popular "Archaeological Myths, Frauds, and Controversies" course. She is a geoarchaeologist specializing in paleoenvironmental reconstruction using soils. Dr. Murphy holds her Bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University, and her MA and PhD from the University of Kansas. She is also a former National Park Ranger who worked at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in Chillicothe, Ohio. X (Formerly Twitter) Instagram Facebook Seven Ages Official Site Patreon YouTube News and Guest Links: The Hopewell airburst event, 1699-1567 years ago Refuting the sensational claim of a Hopewell-ending cosmic airburst
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Almost Human: The Enigma of Homo Naledi with Dr. Lee Berger | SAAJ .068
Sep 11, 202301:23:35Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, the team discusses the latest news out of China concerning recently discovered remains of a possible third human lineage. Next, the team discusses the upcoming Arkhaios Film Festival for cultural heritage and archaeology. The Seven Ages team is happy to welcome the world-renowned paleoanthropologist Dr. Lee Berger to the show for his first appearance. Dr. Berger joins us to discuss his new book Cave of Bones: A True Story of Discovery, Adventure, and Human Origins. We also go in-depth on the new Netflix documentary Unknown: Cave of Bones. Lee Berger is an award-winning paleoanthropologist whose explorations into human origins on the African continent, Asia, and Micronesia for the past three decades have resulted in many new discoveries, including the discovery of two new species of early human relatives – Australopithecus sediba and Homo naledi. These discoveries were recognized by the Smithsonian as among the ten most important scientific discoveries of the decade in 2020. A current National Geographic Explorer in Residence, Berger won the first National Geographic Society Research and Exploration Prize in 1997. He was also named the Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year in 2016 and two years later, became an Explorer at Large. In 2016 he was named one of TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World. Berger has held positions at the University of the Witwatersrand, in South Africa since 1991, where until recently he served as the Phillip Tobias Chair in Human Evolution. He has also served in a number of advisory roles, including the Global Young Academy, the Jane Goodall Institute South Africa, and has chaired the Fulbright Commission. As an Explorer in Residence, Berger leads National Geographic's "Rising Star" project, named for the cave system and fossil site in southern Africa where he conducts his research. Teams under his leadership have recovered more individual hominid remains in sub-equatorial Africa over the last decade than were recovered in the previous 90 years. The 2015 PBS Nova National Geographic documentary "Dawn of Humanity" about Berger's discovery of Homo naledi and the Rising Star expedition was nominated for an Emmy. Berger's curiosity and passion for understanding the roots of humanity powers his work to advance knowledge about the origins of our species. X (Formerly Twitter) Instagram Facebook Seven Ages Official Site Patreon Youtube News and Guest Links: Remains found in China may belong to third human lineage Cave of Bones: A True Story of Discovery, Adventure, and Human Origins Arkhaios Film Festival
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Megafauna Exploitation and Lithic Blood Residue Analysis | SAAJ .067
Aug 2, 202301:17:00Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, the team discusses the latest news from the world of archeology including the destruction of a famous French megalithic site and the surprising DNA results from Machu Picchu in Peru. Next, we welcome the return of Christopher R. Moore to discuss his newly published paper on immunological residue analysis on Paleoindian lithic projectile points and tools. This fascinating discussion takes the listener through the various steps and outcomes of a truly cutting-edge and forward-thinking approach to archaeology. Christopher R. Moore received a B.S. in Anthropology from Appalachian State University in 1997, an M.A. in Anthropology from East Carolina University in 2000, and a Ph.D. in Coastal Resources Management (with a focus in geoscience) from East Carolina University in 2009. Chris's research interests include geoarchaeology, early hunter-gatherers, Late Quarternary climate and human adaptation, and blood residue analysis. Twitter Instagram Facebook Seven Ages Official Site Patreon Youtube Guest Links: Paleoamerican exploitation of extinct megafauna
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The Enigma of Judaculla Rock and Track Rock Gap | SAAJ 66
Jul 7, 202301:54:12Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, the team welcomes Dr. Jannie Loubser from Stratum Unlimited. Dr. Loubser discusses his work and the mythology of the enigmatic sites of Judaculla Rock, North Carolina, and Track Rock Gap in Northern Georgia. In the second half of the program, Dr. Loubser presents a special slideshow presentation of the detailed petroglyphs from both sites. Johannes (Jannie) Loubser, Ph.D. and RPA, is the archaeologist and rock art specialist at Stratum Unlimited, LLC. In 1989 Johannes Loubser received a Ph.D. in archaeology from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. In the same year, he also received a post-graduate diploma in rock art conservation and management from the University of Canberra, Australia. Loubser is a Research Associate at the Rock Art Research Institute (RARI) at the University of the Witwatersrand and the LAMAR Research Institiute in Georgia. He is also a Getty Conservation Institute's Rock Art Network (RAN) member. He has worked on numerous archaeological and rock art projects in southern and eastern Africa, North and South America, Australia, Hawaii, and the Caribbean islands. Twitter Instagram Facebook Seven Ages Official Site Patreon Youtube Guest Links: Stratum Unlimited
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The Hopewell: Social Networking and Trade | SAAJ .065
May 25, 202301:25:56Tap to summarizeIn this installment of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, hosts Micah Hanks and Jason Pentrail lead off the show with a discussion on the newest discoveries in the world of DNA and cultural studies. This is followed by an update on artificial intelligence and the possibilities for its use in archaeology in the years ahead, and how AI is already leading to new innovations in the field of anthropology. Then, the team is joined by the Professor of Anthropology at Ball State University Mark Hill to discuss the enigmatic Hopewell culture. In his first appearance on the show, Dr. Hill discusses his research on the long-distance trade networks of the Woodland culture known as the Hopewell, including the copper culture from Michigan and using various other long-distance trade materials within the realm of the Hopewell sphere. Professor Mark Hill's research interests include prehistoric exchange systems among the Hopewell, as well as social networks, and gift economies; development of regional systems of interaction; hunter-gatherers and early horticulturalists of the upper Midwest, Great Lakes, and northern Great Plains; lithic analysis; archaeological chemistry; heritage resource management. We discuss all of this, and much more with Dr. Hill in this special installment of the program. Twitter Instagram Facebook Seven Ages Official Site Patreon Youtube Guest Links: Dr. Mark Hill
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Tikal: Tomb of the Jade Jaguar | SAAJ .064
Apr 7, 202302:18:50Tap to summarizeIn this special extended edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, the team welcomes Dr. Nicholas Hellmuth, who shares his fascinating story of conquering the jungles of South America to find one of the most significant and awe-inspiring tombs at the Mayan site of Tikal in the 1960s at the age of nineteen (a YouTube video and slide presentation appearing on the Seven Ages YouTube Channel will accompany this special edition). Dr. Nicholas Hellmuth has an undergraduate degree, from Harvard; a Master's degree from Brown University, and three different post-graduate research positions at Yale University. With his Ph.D. from the University of Gratz, Hellmuth is a previous research professor in digital photography at Rollins College and at Brevard Community College both in Florida. He was a Visiting Research Professor of (digital imaging and digital printing) simultaneously at BGSU (in Ohio) and Universidad Francisco Marrokeen (Guatemala) from 2000-2005. He now works full-time on the flora and fauna of Mayan areas of Mesoamerica and also works with the foundation for Latin American Anthropological Research. (FLAAR) Twitter Instagram Facebook Seven Ages Official Site Patreon Seven Ages Youtube Guest Links: FLAAR Mesoamerica
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Into the Darkness: Southeastern Cave Archaeology | 7A Subscriber Sample
Mar 15, 202301:00:52Tap to summarizeIn 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
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Pre-Clovis Occupation at Cooper's Ferry | SAAJ 063
Feb 17, 202301:24:14Tap to summarizeIn 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
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Underwater Archaeology on the Great Lakes | SAAJ 062
Jan 21, 202301:08:53Tap to summarizeIn 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
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Parkin Mounds: Mound Builders Series | SAAJ 061
Dec 28, 202201:04:16Tap to summarizeIn 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
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