Unearthed! In July 2026, Part 1

Summary

Podcast Summary: Stuff You Missed in History Class

Episode: Unearthed! In July 2026, Part 1

Hosts: Tracy V. Wilson & Holly Frey
Date: July 20, 2026
Producer: iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

This episode is the latest installment in the recurring "Unearthed!" series, where Tracy and Holly share fascinating and recent archaeological finds, research breakthroughs, and updates on previously discussed historical topics. The July 2026 edition focuses predominantly on major updates, with additional sections devoted to animals, food and drink (edibles and potables), and accidental discoveries made by everyday people. The conversational and enthusiastic tone of the hosts makes for an engaging journey through world history, science, and serendipitous finds.

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Main Topics & Discussion Points

1. Updates on Past Episodes and New Discoveries

Ancient Infectious Disease in the Americas

• Streptococcus pyogenes DNA found in a Bolivian tooth predates European colonization, indicating pathogenic strep was in South America as early as 1283–1383.
  • "[...] a pathogenic form of strep bacteria was circulating in South America before European colonization began." — Mandy (05:00)

Culloden Battlefield Find

• Unexploded mortar shell discovered at Culloden battlefield: First intact government ordnance from that battle, dating to 1745.
  • "It was packed with gunpowder when it was discovered, so most likely it landed in boggy, wet ground so its fuse was extinguished…" — Holly (05:48)

Early Chicken Domestication in Korea

• New evidence pushes domesticated chicken management in Korea back 2,000 years, providing new insight into their spread to Japan. (07:00)

Gwin Oak Amusement Park Carousel Update

• Historic carousel associated with the civil rights movement (first Black child rode it in 1963) is now reopened on the National Mall; restoration honors the event.
  • "Langley rode again that week. [...] the horse […] decorated with the words Freedom Riders and the date of August 28, 1963..." — Holly (08:34)

Solar Storms in Medieval Japan

• Precision carbon-14 analysis of Asurano trees and medieval records reveals evidence for a strong solar storm in Japan in 1200–1201, less extreme but more frequent than previously studied events. (10:15)

Franklin's Lost Expedition – DNA Identifications

• Four more crew members, including Henry Pegler, have been identified via DNA and family descendents. (11:54)

Stonehenge Altar Stone Transport

• New research confirms no viable glacial path for the 'altar stone’s' journey; movement was deliberate and multi-modal by humans (“overland hauling and water transport”, quoting Dr. Anthony Clark) (13:22).
• Oldest solar-aligned wood monument, considered a “prototype to Stonehenge”, discovered in Bulford. (14:00)

Bunker Hill Monument Archaeology

• Recent dig found musket balls, weapon parts, a wig curler, and a child's Victorian doll, plus Mattapan tribe stone tool debris—traces from long before and after the Revolution. (18:59–19:52)

Otzi the Iceman’s Yeasts & Sourdough

• Discoveries of previously undetected cold-adapted yeasts on Otzi’s remains, some now used to bake sourdough bread.
  • “Some researchers have managed to make sourdough bread with some of the yeast from Otzi's microbiome.” — Mandy (21:13)
  • "If they can start making this yeast... so many people would buy Otzi bread for sure..." — Holly (21:25)

Sagrada Familia’s Milestone & Controversy

• Basilica’s central tower completed and cross (100 tons) installed June 2026 for Gaudi’s centenary; controversy about destroying apartments for a proposed staircase continues.
  • “I don't want to see anybody displaced... But boy, Sagrada Familia is mind bogglingly beautiful.” — Holly (23:41)
  • "[...] the staircase was never part of Gaudi's original plan." — Mandy (22:28)

President’s House (Philadelphia) Legal Battles

• Ongoing legal rulings about the removal or restoration of site interpretive materials. (24:34–25:35)

Supreme Court and Birthright Citizenship

• Trump v. Barbara (June 30) upholds citizenship by birthright for children born in the U.S. to non-citizen parents—a culmination of issues discussed in recent episodes. (25:35)

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2. Animals and Archaeological Findings

Dingo Burial in Australia

• Dingo with healed injuries, buried in a unique midden ritual dating between 916–963, evidence of Indigenous Australians taming and revering dingoes.
  • “This research shows how dingoes have been really important to first nations communities…” — Mandy (27:20)

Dogs in Tiwanaku, Andes

• Two dog mummies (one a puppy) show evidence of cohabitation and shared diet with humans; dogs of this period had a more humble status than among elites in later Andean societies. (28:12–29:45)

Earliest Crested Geese in Europe

• 17th-century goose skulls in Germany with genetic evidence of “crests”; earliest known, but short-lived due to the mutation’s side effects. (29:45–31:19)

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3. Edibles and Potables

Hadrianopoulos Kitchen Knives

• 5th/6th-century knives closely resembling modern kitchen sets were found, including a sharpening stone. (31:34)

Illicit Whisky Still in Scotland

• Discovery of 19th-century still fragments, hearth, and drain—likely part of an operation to evade taxes. (32:12)

Bell Beaker Culture Beer Vessels

• Polish Bell Beaker culture vessels (4,500 years old) show fermentation residues, possible early beer/grog, and possible early cereal (wheat/barley) cultivation. (32:40)

Potatoes and Andean Genetics

• High potato consumption 6,000–10,000 years ago led to more starch-digesting gene copies among native Quechua speakers. (33:38–34:47)

500-year-old Freeze-Dried Chunyo Potatoes

• Well-preserved potatoes found in a southern Peruvian Inca site, demonstrating ancient food storage ingenuity.
  • “Put it in your ramen and let it become a delicious addition.” — Holly (35:24)

Roman Bread in Switzerland

• Charred 2,000-year-old bread found by a legionary camp—a lucky bakery mishap preserved through the centuries.
  • "Why did you burn that bread so bad? So bad that it lasted 2,000 years." — Mandy (35:57)

Etruscan to Roman Era Chianti Grapes

• Ancient white grape seeds from Italy's Chianti region show lineage continuity from ~300 BCE to 300 CE; modern relative exists in Hungary. (36:03–36:43)

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4. Accidental and Serendipitous Archaeological Finds

Trojan Coin in Berlin

• 13-year-old finds 3rd-century BCE coin—first ancient Greek artifact unearthed in Berlin.
  • Description of Archaeology Lab Petri: “an archaeology lab actively working on things and a museum...laboratories and workshops are behind glass so visitors can see the work that's being done.” — Mandy (37:26)

Bronze Age Axe in England

• Discovered by a man following his dog; identified as a 1400–1275 BCE Pulse Dave axe. (38:33–39:08)

Gold Scabbard Fitting in Norway

• Found by a hiker, dating to the 6th century; “fewer than 20” such pieces are known. (39:30–40:05)

Iron Sword Found by First Grader

• On a school field trip, a Norwegian first grader spots a Merovingian or Viking-age sword. (40:05)

Medieval Sword in Poland

• Fisherman discovers 11th-century sword during a period of low water. (40:45)

Ancient Villa Under Roman High School

• Students occupying their school during a 2021 protest stumble upon a second-century villa with preserved mosaics. (41:23–42:24)
  • “It’s kind of like when we did our catacombs episode and [...] just walked through this weird door and suddenly there it all was.” — Holly (42:27)

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Notable Quotes

• "Rather than being carried naturally by ice, the evidence points to a deliberate, carefully planned movement across a challenging and varied landscape." — Dr. Anthony Clark (13:22)
• “Some researchers have managed to make sourdough bread with some of the yeast from Otzi's microbiome.” — Mandy (21:13)
• “If they can start making this yeast reproduce and actually like produce at scale, so many people would buy Otzi bread for sure…” — Holly (21:25)
• "It's incredibly. I was unprepared for what it would look like inside." — Mandy, on the Sagrada Familia (24:15)

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Listener Mail Segment (42:47)

• Rebecca writes in with suggestions and cat pictures; hosts discuss the 18th-century rise of house tours and the difference between “goofy” orange cats.
• Listener episode suggestion: history of hotels.

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:53 — New evidence of strep in pre-colonial South America
• 05:20 — Culloden battlefield unexploded mortar
• 07:00 — Chicken domestication in Korea
• 08:34 — Gwin Oak Amusement Park carousel
• 10:15 — Solar storms in medieval Japan
• 11:54 — Franklin's lost expedition DNA update
• 13:22 — Stonehenge altar stone transport & Anthony Clark quote
• 14:00 — Stonehenge wooden “prototype” monument
• 18:59 — Bunker Hill Monument dig results
• 19:52 — Otzi the Iceman’s yeasts
• 21:13 — Otzi sourdough bread
• 22:28 — Sagrada Familia update & staircase controversy
• 25:35 — Supreme Court on birthright citizenship
• 26:19 — Dingo burial and First Nations ritual in Australia
• 28:12 — Dogs in Tiwanaku
• 29:45 — Earliest crested geese
• 31:34 — Edibles and potables section begins (kitchen knives)
• 32:12 — Illicit whisky still
• 33:38 — Potatoes and Andean genetics
• 35:24 — Chunyo potatoes
• 36:03 — Roman bread and ancient Chianti grapes
• 36:43 — Accidental finds segment begins (Trojan coin)
• 38:33 — Bronze Age axe in England
• 39:30 — Gold scabbard in Norway
• 40:05 — First grader finds iron sword
• 41:23 — Villa discovered under Roman school
• 42:47 — Listener mail segment

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Final Thoughts

"Unearthed! In July 2026, Part 1" continues the tradition of delighting listeners with cutting-edge discoveries, heartwarming accidental adventures, and incisive reflection on historical legacies. Tracy and Holly’s friendly rapport and attention to context make the sometimes-obscure details of world history come alive. This episode is packed with updates, quirky finds, and discoveries that reshape our understanding of human and animal history on every continent.

Transcript

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

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[Carrie Brownstein]

Hey Portlandia fans Carrie Brownstein and Fred

[Holly Frey]

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[Fred Armisen]

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[Carrie Brownstein]

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[Fred Armisen]

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[Carrie Brownstein]

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[Holly Frey]

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[Jacob Goldstein]

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[Holly Frey]

Welcome to stuff you missed in history class, a production of iHeartradio.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Tracy V. Wilson.

[Holly Frey]

And I'm Holly Fry.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

It is time for the latest installment in our ongoing series, Unearthed. If you are new to the show, I feel like I say almost this exact thing every time.

[Holly Frey]

Just copy and paste it, baby.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

If you're new to the show, this is when we periodically talk about things that have been literally and figuratively unearthed over the last few months, as well as updates of things we've talked about before. Those come up pretty much every time. We have so many of those this time that they are a big, big chunk of today's episode. We'll also today have some things about animals, some edibles and potables, and some things that were found by accident.

[Holly Frey]

The best. The best. All right. In February of 2023, we did an episode on scarlet fever. And in it we said that there were strains of Streptococcus bacteria present in most of the world before the 15th century, but that the strain that typically causes scarlet fever was introduced to some areas through colonization. Those areas included the Americas, Australia and New Zealand.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

However, researchers working with a tooth from the collection of the National Museum of Archaeology in La Paz, Bolivia, have found DNA fragments that have allowed them to reconstruct a nearly complete ancient genome of Streptococcus pyogenes, which is one of the species of strep bacteria that's part of group A, Streptococcus and causes various diseases. This ancient genome has similarities to Streptococcus pyogenes that exists today. And today it causes things like strep throat, scarlet fever, and toxic shock syndrome.

[Holly Frey]

This tooth came from someone who lived in South America between the years 1283 and 1383. That was before Europeans arrived on the continent. So this suggests that a pathogenic form of strep bacteria was circulating in South America before European colonization began.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

Moving on. On July 4, 2016, we did an episode on the Jacobite rising of 1745, which culminated in the Battle of Culloden. Archaeologists and volunteers working with the National Trust for Scotland and the University of Glasgow have unearth an unexploded mortar shell at the battlefield of Culloden. It's believed to have been fired by government troops who were fighting for the Duke of Cumberland.

[Holly Frey]

This is the first intact piece of government ordinance found at the battlefield, and it was packed with gunpowder when it was discovered, so most likely it landed in boggy, wet ground so its fuse was extinguished before the gunpowder could ignite. Other weapons and ammunition have been found at the battlefield before. Some of those have actually made appearances on Unearthed, but this is the first discovery of undetonated ordnance. It has been cleaned so it is safe to handle, and it is planned to be put on permanent display at the Culloden Battlefield Visitor Center.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

In May of 2023, we did an episode on the Chicken of Tomorrow contest, which was an effort to breed chickens that would grow really quickly and also produce a lot of meat. In that episode, we talked about the domestication of chickens from red jungle fowl in Asia. Over the years, this domestication of chickens has come up on Unearthed as new research has provided some more detail about where chickens were domesticated and how domesticated chickens spread from Asia to other parts of the world.

[Holly Frey]

New research on that part of it has come from Korea. It's been generally believed that chickens were domesticated in Eastern or Southeast Asia and that domesticated chickens moved from there to Japan via Korea. But there hasn't been a lot of research that confirms that idea. Research published in the Journal of Archaeological Science reports has found evidence of domesticated chickens going back to about 2,000 years ago in Korea. The results suggest that people were managing chickens in Korea during the proto Three Kingdoms period. The next step in this research is to try to pinpoint the route by which domesticated chickens moved through Korea on their way to being introduced in Japan.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

I read several articles about this, and all of them referenced how important chicken is to Korean cuisine, and it made me really hungry. Like I want to go out for Korean food. In 2015, we did an episode on the history of carousels. One of the carousels we talked about was at Gwin Oak Amusement park outside of Baltimore, Maryland. This particular carousel had a connection to the history of racial segregation and integration in the United States. The first black child allowed to ride the carousel was Sharon Langley, who was less than a year old when that happened. That was on August 28, 1963, which was the same day as the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

[Holly Frey]

The carousel was later moved to the national mall in Washington, DC. In 2023, it made an appearance on Unearthed because it had been disassembled for a major conservation project, which was anticipated to be complete in 2025. The carousel reopened to the public on April 23rd in front of the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building, and Langley rode again that week. An earlier refurbishment transformed the horse that she originally rode on into one that's decorated with the words Freedom Riders and the date of August 28, 1963, along with the names of a number of people with a connection to black history and civil rights in the United States, and words like vote, equality and strength.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

Earlier this year, we did an episode on the Carrington event, and we talked about how there's not a ton of information on historical geomagnetic storms because the technology to measure the Earth's magnetic field is relatively recent compared to the whole scope of human history. And before that, Researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology have been working on a method to detect evidence of historical solar proton events which can be connected to these kinds of geomagnetic disruptions and the visible aurora that can occur along with them. They are using very precise carbon 14 measurements to analyze buried Asurano trees in northern Japan, and they're using written medieval records to help determine where to focus their search for these trees and the information within them.

[Holly Frey]

A lot of previous research has focused on the most powerful geomagnetic storms, like the ones known as Miyake events, which we also talked about in that episode. These researchers have focused on finding evidence of events that were not so extreme and also occur more frequently than those major events. They've identified a period between the winter of 1200 and the spring of 1201, when, based on this carbon 14 research, solar activity in northern Japan was extremely high. There were sunspots and red auroral events documented during that period.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

In December of 2014, we dedicated an entire unearthed episode to Franklin's lost expedition. After the announcement of the discovery of the HMS Erebus, which was one of Franklin's ships. Recent DNA analysis has identified four, four of the men who were part of this expedition and who died in the loss of it. This includes confirming that one of the men was Henry Pegler, who was the captain of the foretop. Some personal items had been found near this man's remains, and that included Peglar's seaman's certificate. But the clothing that he was wearing was that of somebody of a much lower rank. So there had been some speculation that this might have been somebody else who was given Pegler Peglar's belongings after he died, maybe Thomas Armitage, who had served with Peglar on an earlier expedition. So this cleared up that question about his identity.

[Holly Frey]

This is part of ongoing research, and it has involved comparing the DNA to DNA that has been donated by possible living descendants. So this research has provided those descendants with new information about their ancestors. At this point, six people from the expedition have been identified.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

In December of 2014, we also did a full installment of Unearthed dedicated to Stonehenge after a lot of news about findings at the Stonehenge site that came out earlier that year. Research at Stonehenge is, of course, ongoing, and we've recently talked about some research that has concluded that the altar stone was not moved to the area by glacier activity. New research has tried to determine what route people might have followed while moving the stone the roughly 700 kilometers that it traveled from northeast Scotland to the Salisbury Plain in England, where Stonehenge is.

[Holly Frey]

This recent research has combined ice sheet modeling and mineral grain dating to try to determine where the stone might have originated and whether glaciers could have moved it. Part of the way, they determined that there are no viable glacial pathways that could have carried the altar stone the whole distance, confirming research we've talked about previously that said there was no evidence that glaciers got it all the way to the Salisbury Plain.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

Yeah. So the question was sort of, could the glaciers have gone partway, though? In the words of Dr. Anthony Clark from the Timescales of Minerals Systems Group within Curtin School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, quote, rather than being carried naturally by ice, the evidence points to a deliberate, carefully planned movement across a challenging and varied landscape. Clark continued that this probably took place in stages using a number of different methods, including overland hauling and water transport down rivers or along the coast.

[Holly Frey]

In related news, archaeologists have also found a 5,000-year-old monument that aligned with the summer and winter solstice. That's roughly 500 years before Stonehenge was built, and it's being described as a prototype for Stonehenge. This was found in Bulford, which is also in Salisbury, not far away from the Stonehenge World Heritage Site. Unlike Stonehenge, this was made of wood. Those two wooden posts are gone today, but the post holes and various middens have survived.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

We are going to take a quick sponsor break and then we will be back with some more updates.

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[Holly Frey]

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[Carrie Brownstein]

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[Carrie Brownstein]

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[Carrie Brownstein]

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[Holly Frey]

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[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

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[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

Coming back to Updates Our episode on the Bunker Hill Monument came out very recently on June 29, 2026. One thing we did not mention was that there was an active archaeological dig going on. When I went there ahead of that episode, the talk about that archeological dig just did not really seem to fit within the story that the episode was telling. The team has used a map that was drawn not long after the battle and ground penetrating radar work as a starting point to try to find the exact same sight of the redoubt that was made before this battle.

[Holly Frey]

Some of the findings from that dig were announced, of course, just after we recorded that episode. They included signs of the ditch that was part of the redoubt, as well as musket balls and weapon parts, including gun flints that were used to ignite the gunpowder. They've also found objects that were probably connected to the British troops that occupied the hill after the battle, including teacups, tobacco pipes, and my favorite, a wig curler.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

That's my favorite too. There are also objects that were not connected to the battle and date back to well before or after the Revolutionary War. This includes part of a child's doll made from Victorian porcelain and pieces of stone flake that were probably created when members of the Mattapan tribe were making stone tools in this area long before the revolution started.

[Holly Frey]

It's time the glacier mummy known as Otzi the Iceman has made so many appearances on Unearthed, and the latest Otzi research involves efforts to identify the yeasts that have been found on his remains and to distinguish between the ones that were present when he died and the ones that colonized his remains after death. For this research, the team didn't just look at Otzi's remains, but they also looked at soil samples from when they were found, glacial ice and meltwater from the surrounding area. They also incorporated data from earlier research into Otzi's stomach contents and intestinal tissue.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

The team found and identified yeasts that had not been detected in earlier studies of these remains. Some of the strains that they found were highly adapted to cold climates, and they had genetic similarities to strains from extreme extremely cold parts of the world today, including Antarctica.

[Holly Frey]

This research also suggests that the conservation process may have unintentionally favored some species of yeast. Phenol was used to remove fungal growth from the surface of the remains after it was found, and three of the four species of yeast identified have the ability to break down phenol and use it as fuel.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

Also, after several months of effort, some researchers have managed to make sourdough bread with some of the yeast from Otzi's microbiome.

[Holly Frey]

I remember when this news story broke and my first thought was if they can start making this yeast reproduce and actually like produce at scale, so many people would buy UTSE breasts for sure, which is just indicative of how I see this whole situation Moving on we did a two part episode on architect Antoni Gaudi in January of 2015 and a big part of that episode was about the enormous Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona, which we have been lucky enough to visit. Construction on that Basilica started in 1882 and its central Tower of Jesus Christ was completed in February of this year with a cross weighing approximately 100 tons installed on top. The basilica was inaugurated on June 10, 2026, which is the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death. Pope Leo XIV led an inaugural Mass and blessing of the basilica.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

A lot of headlines are calling the basilica complete after this inaugural Mass, but there is still some work to do, including decorative work and work on the interior that's expected to be finished in 2028. There is also a highly controversial proposed staircase which would require the demolishing of apartments adjacent to the site. About 3,000 people live in these apartments and some of the people living there have lived there for decades. Opponents of this idea of demolishing the apartments to build the staircase argue that the staircase was never part of Gaudi's original plan. That is an argument that was apparently made back in the 1970s and led to the approval of the building of these apartments. Gaudi's original plans were destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, so we don't have those to refer back to know for sure what the original intent was. We also saw people with protest signs in their windows. When we were lucky enough to visit Sagrada Familia back years ago, I think

[Holly Frey]

you were in a different group from me. You know, when we do those trips, we break everybody in the groups. And I remember our guide mentioning specifically like, oh, this contentious argument about the apartments and whether or not they're gonna be allowed to stay there has been going on and it's gonna get a lot worse in the next couple years. And boy, was he right. I don't wanna see anybody displaced is what I think about the whole thing. But I will not feign to understand all the nuance of the situation. But boy, Sagrada Familia is mind bogglingly beautiful.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

It's incredibly. I was unprepared for what it would look like inside.

[Holly Frey]

Holy Moses. That's a. I think about it just randomly. Yeah, Same going about my day. I'll suddenly go remember those windows.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

Yeah. Even having seen pictures, it just did not prepare me for the experience of being inside of it.

[Holly Frey]

It's incredible. In March of this year, we did an episode on Hercules Posey, who was enslaved at the President's House in Philadelphia and how the President's House became a monument and part of a national park. Listener Jessica sent us a link to an article in the Philadelphia Tribune that reported on an appeals court ruling that cleared the way for the displays at the site to be removed. We talked about all the legal back and forth surrounding those displays. In that earlier episode, the President's House

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

site was also mentioned in a different ruling, that being the one we discussed in the Bunker Hill Monument episode. In that ruling, the National Park Service was ordered to stop removing material from the parks and restore all the interpretive materials that had been taken down since May 20th of 2025. I do not have the legal knowledge to know which of those rulings has taken precedent at this point.

[Holly Frey]

And now for our last update, something that people who follow the news probably already know already, but just for the sake of completion, two of our episodes over the last year have been connected to the idea of birthright citizenship in the United States. Those were United States v. Won Kim Ark in February of 2025 and United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind in May of 2026. On June 30, the Supreme Court issued its ruling in Trump v. Barbara, maintaining that children born to parents who are unlawfully or temporarily in the United States are subject to U.S. jurisdiction and are citizens from birth.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

Next, we have some Animal finds in 2000, roadwork in New South Wales exposed the burial site of a dingo. A Barkinjee elder and an archaeologist from Australia's National Parks and Wildlife Service examined this burial site and then it was excavated in 2023 at the request of the Menindee Aboriginal Elders Council after flooding and erosion led to the dingoes skull being dislodged from the face of this sort of road cut.

[Holly Frey]

The dingo was found to be a male who lived to the age of between 4 and 7 years old and who had signs of having had a broken leg and broken ribs. Those are injuries that often come from fighting with kangaroos. These injuries had signs of healing, meaning that the dingo had been cared for and allowed to recover from those injuries. Radiocarbon dating suggests that the dingo was buried sometime between 916 and 963.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

The site also showed evidence of what's been described as a feeding ritual. There's a midden that was created around the same time as the dingo was buried and first nations people returned to it to bury river mussel shells. They kept doing this over generations for about 500 years. There are other dingo burials at archaeological sites around Australia, but this feeding midden is being described as unique. A Barkinji custodian involved with the excavation described this practice as a way to maintain a connection and respect for the ancestors. Along with knowledge from first nations elders in Australia, this research shows how dingoes have been really important to first nations communities, including people in those communities taming them.

[Holly Frey]

Somewhat similar research has looked at the role of dogs in Tiwanaku society. Tiwanaku was a state in the Andes Mountains between the years 600 and 1000 in what is now Bolivia, Peru and Chile. We know that dogs played an important role in many ancient Andean cultures, including being buried in elite tombs in later cultures. But there hasn't been as much information about Tuanaku because there aren't many examples of of dogs in the archaeological record at Tuanaku sites. Some of the canine bones that have been found at Tuanaku sites are fox bones, which can be hard to distinguish from the bones of domesticated dogs.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

This research involved two canine mummies, one from the village of Rio Muerto and the other from a ceremonial center called Omo. And both of these mummies have scraps of fur that confirm that they are the bones of dogs, not foxes. Isotope analysis suggests that both of these dogs lived in the places that they were buried, and they ate the same foods that local humans ate. One of the two dogs was just a puppy and may have been fed table scraps. And it's possible that the other either scavenged for or was intentionally fed leftovers as well. Both of these dogs were buried near ordinary homes, suggesting that they had a status that was a little more humble than in later cultures when their more associated with elites in the Andes.

[Holly Frey]

Next, researchers in Brandenburg, Germany found four goose skulls in a former toilet shaft. The four skulls date back to the 17th century and all four of them had unusual holes. According to their research published in the journal International Journal of Paleopathology, these geese had crests. The holes were in the same locations and patterns as are found in crested ducks. There are also paintings by Dutch artist Melchior de Hondecotter, who lived in the 17th century, showing crested geese. The paintings and these skulls are the earliest known examples of crested geese in Europe.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

It's likely that these geese were kept because of their unique appearance because of these crests, but they probably also had relatively short lives. These crests come about because of mutations that cause cushions of fat to develop on top of the bird's skull. And then the bone underneath that fat doesn't close correctly. In addition to shortening the animal's lifespan, this can cause issues like poor coordination, blindness and deafness in the affected animals. It also doesn't appear that these geese were particularly revered for their appearance. At least if they were, they were not treated as such after their death. The shaft where these bones were found also included lots of bones from chickens, from other geese and from ducks. So this was probably all kitchen waste.

[Holly Frey]

We are about to get to the much beloved edibles and potables, but first we are going to pause for a sponsor break.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

Now it's time for edibles and potatoes. Potables, which is one of my favorite parts of unearthed. Archaeologists in Hadrianopoulos have found a set of kitchen knives dating back to the 5th or 6th century. These were broken into very small fragments and they had to be reassembled, but once they were, they bore a really striking resemblance to a modern kitchen knife set. They had very similarly shaped blades and handles in a graduated series of sizes. I could imagine them going into the knife block in my own kitchen. A sharpening stone was also found alongside the knives.

[Holly Frey]

Next, archaeologists from the National Trust for Scotland, along with volunteers have found a piece of copper alloy that may have been part of a 19th century still. The team also found other evidence of an illicit whiskey operation, including a hearth that showed evidence of burning and a stone capped drain. There was also a roof support timber that was buried when the walls of the structure this discovery was in collapsed.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

Yeah, they said this was likely someone who was distilling their own whiskey to evade a relatively newly implemented tax. Archaeologists working with fragments of 4,500-year-old vessels connected to the Bell Beaker culture in what's now Poland and have found various residues from plants and animals, including metabolic process waste from bacteria and yeasts. And this suggests that some of these vessels were used for fermenting, specifically for fermenting a beverage like beer or grog. Some of these vessels show signs of being used with wheat and barley, meaning that this might be evidence of the oldest known cultivation of these cereals in this region, Although it is also possible that these grains were imported into the area from somewhere else that it's known to have been established at this point.

[Holly Frey]

We have talked about one of the best foods on earth, potatoes being domesticated and cultivated by indigenous peoples in the Andes Mountains on prior installments of unearthed. Recent research suggests that high levels of potato consumption in the Andes Mountains between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago contributed to genetic changes in the people who were eating them, specifically genes that carried an improved ability to digest starch.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

This study involved genomic data of 3,700 people from across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia, and that included 81 people of indigenous and Dan ancestry who are native speakers of the indigenous language Quechua. The native Quechua speaking volunteers had more copies of this starch digestion gene than any of the other people who were part of the study, meaning that they are better able to digest and use the nutrients in starch. And that's speculated to trace back to that thousands of years ago, eating a lot of potatoes.

[Holly Frey]

In other delicious potato news, archaeologists in southern Peru at a site associated with the Inca have found freeze dried potatoes that date back roughly 500 years. These potatoes were grown in the Andes Mountains and then exposed to heavy frosts overnight and thawed in the sun during the day over and over until they became lightweight and spoilage resistant. These freeze dried potatoes are called chunyo, and although they were apparently abundant, there are not many of them in the archaeological.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

I love that idea so much. Yeah, the whole ingenuity of it.

[Holly Frey]

Put it in your ramen and let it become a delicious addition.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

Come next, a charred lump that was found in Switzerland is most likely Roman bread dating back about 2,000 years. It was preserved until now thanks to the carbonized outer layer. And it was found during archaeological work ahead of some construction near what was known to have been a legionary camp.

[Holly Frey]

I feel like we just Put some baker on blast. On historical blast. Here's your charred pump.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

Why did you burn that bread so bad? So bad that it lasted 2,000 years.

[Holly Frey]

And now it is time for our last potable find. Researchers in Italy's Chianti wine region have studied 80 seeds that were dropped in a well between 300 BCE and 300 CE. And they have found that the majority of the seeds are genetically identical, meaning that this grape lineage was maintained from the Etruscan era through to the Romans. According to genetic testing, these grapes were white grapes rather than the purple Sangiovese grapes that are used to make Chianti today. The modern grape that is closest to this one is a variety found in Hungary. We are guessing at the pronunciation as Baratsua zirka.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

Moving on from the foods and drinks to some things that were discovered by accident by people who were just out doing their thing. First, a 13 year old boy found a coin in an agricultural field in the Spandau district of Berlin. And then, while he was on a visit to Berlin's archaeology lab Petri, he showed the coin to researchers. Archaeology lab Petri sounds really cool to me. It is both an archaeology lab actively working on things and a museum. It is built over the foundations of a medieval Latin school and its laboratories and workshops are behind glass so visitors can see the work that's being done.

[Holly Frey]

That does sound incredibly cool. It was immediately obvious that this piece of metal that this boy brought was very old, but it was also so small that it wasn't clear what it was at first. Further study revealed that it was a Trojan coin dating back to between 281 and 261 BCE. It features depictions of the goddess Athena on both sides.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

This is the first ancient Greek artifact to be unearthed in Berlin. And at first it was not clear whether it had been in the area since sometime not long after it was minted, or if maybe it was just the lost property of a more modern coin collector in Berlin. There are still various unanswered questions about it, but the area where the boy found the coin is near known archaeological sites, including a burial site that was established in the early Iron Age and continued to be used for centuries after that. So it is possible that this coin was buried with someone more than a thousand years ago.

[Holly Frey]

Next, John Smith, who was out for a walk with his dog in the Forest of Dean in England, discovered a Bronze Age axe head. His dog was rooting around in the forest, as dogs do, and when Smith went to get him, he saw the axe head Wedged in a hole among some roots. He turned this axe head over to Forestry England, which handed it over to Cotswold Archaeology, and it ultimately made its way to the Dean Heritage Center. It's believed to date back to sometime between 1400 and 1275 BCE.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

This head was from a Pulse Dave axe, which was used with a wooden handle. Pulse Dave axe heads have a bar that keeps the axe head from being driven back into the handle when it's used. And then it also, at least most of them, have a loop that is used to tie the axe head onto the handle of the axe so that it does not fly off while being used.

[Holly Frey]

A hiker in Norway found a golden scabbard fitting in debris from where a tree had previously fallen down. This decorative element likely dates back to the 6th century, and it looks like it was made by skilled goldsmiths. It's covered in serpentine markings and beaded golden threads. Fewer than 20 fittings like this have been found in northern Europe. And compared to the others, this one is particularly worn, suggesting that it was used for a long time. This is the first such scabbard fitting found in this part of Norway.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

In other accidental finds from Norway, a first grader who was on a field trip picked up a piece of metal on the ground and it turned out to be an iron sword. So the teachers contacted county archaeologists. This is a single edged sword, meaning that it most likely dates back to the Merovingian period, between the years 550 and 800. Or it is also possible that it is an early Viking age weapon from before double edged blades became more common among the Vikings. This sword was sent to the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo for conservation.

[Holly Frey]

A man who was fishing in the Varda river in Poland also discovered a sword, this one dating back to the 11th century. Similarly to the find in Norway, he saw a piece of metal on one of the earth and stone fortifications in the river and picked it up to see what it was. These fortifications are usually submerged and this find was only visible thanks to a drop in water level. The sword was taken to a museum where an archaeologist determined its probable age and then it was sent to Nicolaus Copernicus University for conservation and for our last accidental find.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

So this has maybe a little bit more deliberate, but still a surprise. Some high school students who occupied their school in Rome found an ancient villa under it. This happened in 2021 and the students were protesting plans to extend the school's period of remote learning due to the COVID 19 pandemic. While they were occupying the school. They explored the building, including finding an opening in an old boiler room, and that opening led them to the villa. Excavations of the villa began in 2025 and the findings were announced earlier this year.

[Holly Frey]

This villa was a private dwelling dating back to the second century. It had been partially unearthed back in 1895 during road construction, but it wasn't fully examined at the time and it was ultimately forgotten about until these teens found has been described as very well preserved, including having an intact mosaic.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

I am fascinated by this whole story.

[Holly Frey]

I love it. It's kind of like when we did our catacombs episode and it's like, yeah, I just walked through this weird door and suddenly there it all was.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

There it was. Yeah, there was an opening in the boiler room and the villa underneath. We will have more things unearthed next time, but for now I have a little listener mail.

[Holly Frey]

Yay.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

This listener mail is from Rebecca and Rebecca wrote hello, I've written a couple of times and was so gratified that you chose to share my email on Negroni's and Shirley Temples. I'm behind still, so I just finished 10-2024. In the episode on Horace Walpole and the rise of the Gothic aesthetic Aesthetic you commented on his preparing a guide to the house. You seem to think it unusual. I'm writing to recommend a book, the Polite Tourist by Adrian Tenniswood. He chronicles the history of house tours with extensive references to Walpole and Strawberry Hill. He notes the significant rise in the popularity of house tours in the later part of the 18th century and the growing commercialization of it. Many homeowners were being so swamped with visitors that they had to begin devising rules and mechanisms to deal with the throngs. A major step was establishing specific days and hours the house would be open, as well as the development of guides. The thirst for aesthetic appreciation of art and architecture led to the demand for more information than a housekeeper could reasonably provide, as well as the desire for a souvenir to boast of one's visit. Walpole's house guide may have been less about him showing off his home than trying to manage the influx of visitors. In the listener mail section of one of the British Ghost episodes, you talked about orange cats and their legendary goofy behavior. You questioned if non goofy oranges exist, and I'm writing to say they do. I have two orange boys and Jack is the archetype orange, goofy and only occasionally getting a turn with the brain cell. Charlie is not he is craz smart, generally dignified, and sadly very high anxiety. He Is, however, the epitome of the sweet loving orange. Maybe he's different since he's an orange tabby, but also has tuxedo markings. Attached are pictures of Jack being a pest. Was a remote workday and he insisted it was petting time. And Charlie showing off his white bib and spats. Also an episode suggestion. I was recently at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in the decorative art section looking at reconstructions of two hotels, hotel rooms from 1760s France. It occurred to me that I don't really know how the concept of hotels developed or when it became a standard. So a history on hotels would be very interesting. Thank you so much for this email, Rebecca. It's been long enough since October of 2024 that I don't really remember whether I knew this about house tours and whether I intended to make it sound that Horace Walpole making this guide to the house was unusual. I don't remember. But this is all super interesting, so thank you very much for writing about it. And then we have some super cute kitty cat pictures, orange babies. So we have one orange kitty cat on a keyboard and then other orange kitty cat who has just the sweetest tiger face and then the white bib and white feet which is so cute. So cute. So yeah, thank you so much Rebecca for this email. I might need to check out this book because that sounds really interesting. I don't know whether we will have an episode on the history of hotels, but that's an interesting idea too.

[Holly Frey]

I mean, I kind of love that idea.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

Yeah.

[Holly Frey]

But I'm still occluded by thinking about people just stopping by my house.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

Yeah.

[Holly Frey]

And how that would make me not happy. I love to entertain, but like just randos popping by. Yeah, I see your stuff.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

No, definitely not. Not. Do not be a super rich person with a huge, huge house in the 18th century. That's my advice.

[Holly Frey]

Oh, I think I can manage that.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

Yeah, don't use the time machine to set yourself up in that way. So thank you again Rebecca for this email. If you would like to send us a note, we'[e-mail] and if you want to see the notes about our episode, Boy, is the source list for unearthed incredibly long. That is at our website, which is mistinhistory.com and you can subscribe to the show on the iHeartRadio app and anywhere else you'd like to get your podcasts. Stuff youf Missed in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio visit the iHeartrade radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.