A Life in Ruins

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Battlefield Archaeology with Ray Sumner - Ep 87

In this episode we are joined by Ray Sumner, a Ph.D. candidate in Anthropology at Colorado State University. Ray was a career U.S. Army officer prior to pursuing his Ph.D. in Anthropology, he reflects on his military experience and how it has shaped his research on Plains Indian Warfare during the late 19th century. Ray and Carlton find out they share a collegiate organization, we discuss the significance of Ray, and we conclude the episode with a conversation about Ray's continuing work for the Department of Defense's POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

Links

@The Julesburg Project on Facebook

@CampRankin1865 on Facebook

CSU Department of Anthropology and Geography and the Center for Mountain and Plains Archaeology (CMPA) Facebook sites

Literature Recommendations

  • Battlespace 1865: Archaeology of the Landscapes, Strategies, and Tactics of the North Platte Campaign, Nebraska (American Landscapes) by Doug Scott, Peter Bleed, and Amanda Renner.

  • Archaeological Insights into the Custer Battle: An Assessment of the 1984 Field Season by Doug Scott and Richard Fox, Jr.

  • A Sacred People: Indigenous Governance, Traditional Leadership and the Warriors of the Cheyenne Nation” and “A Sovereign People: Indigenous Nationhood, Traditional Law and the Covenants of the Cheyenne Nation by Leo Killsback.

Guest Contact

  • email

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A Conversation with Matt Reed: THPO for the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma - Ep 85

On this episode of A Life in Ruins Podcast, we interview Matt Reed. Matt is the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, We talk about how his families military service factored into his fascination with history and ultimately pushing him to study history as an undergraduate. We then talk about his academic career and how he got started at the Oklahoma Historical Society and what the goal of the society is. We talk about his change of careers and what he does as the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer. Matt and Carlton then detail their experience at the 2021 Plains Conference in Boulder, Colorado.

Links

Literature Recommendations

  • The Lost Universe by Gene Weltfish

  • Indian Sketches by John Treat Irving

  • An Unspeakable Sadness-The Dispossession of the Nebraska Indians by David Wishart

  • Some Things Are Not Forgotten by Martha Royce Blaine

  • Pawnee Passage by Martha Royce Blaine

  • 1491 by Charles C. Mann

  • 1493 by Charles C. Mann

  • Interpreting Our Heritage by Freeman Tilden

  • Pox Americana by Elizabeth Fenn

  • Encounters at the Heart of the World by Elizabeth Fenn

Guest Contact

  • Matt Reed's Twitter: @chauiboy

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ArchPodNet

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The Anthropology of Castration with Dr. Kathryn Reusch - Ep 84

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Kathryn Reusch, who is a Conservation Technician in the Museum Conservation Department at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. We talk about her experiences in school in the UK, her graduate research, and then we take a deep dive into the painful topic of castration (and yes we mean human castration). Connor and Carlton pepper Dr. Reusch with questions about castration and learn more than they ever needed to know.

Literature Recommendations

Guest Contact

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Microfauna, Langmahdhalde, and being a Military Spouse with Dr. Gillian Wong - Ep 83

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Gillian Wong, who is an Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City, Missouri, and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Tuebingen. Dr. Wong chats with us about her early outdoor days, experiences at UC Davis, and how learning French has been useful for her in archaeology. We then delve into her thesis/dissertation work at the University of Utah and then in Germany. She pronounces the name of the site she worked on and Connor/Carlton fails to replicate her pronunciation. Dr. Wong then talks about her experiences being a military spouse and also some advice for those who are military spouses.

Literature Recommendations

Guest Contact

  • Twitter @GillianLWong

  • Email: gillian.wong368@gmail.com

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ArchPodNet

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Bioarchaeology Across the World with Dr. Alex Garcia-Putnam - Ep 82

In this episode, we are chatting with Dr. Alex Garcia-Putnam who is the Assistant State Physical Anthropologist for the Department of Archaeology and History Preservation in Washington State. And how did we come across Dr. Garcia-Putnam? Well he is a UW graduate of course! We start out by recapping how we know each other and talk about Alex's awesome experience returning to US from Canada.

Alex talks about his experience growing up as a professors kid and how he got hooked on archaeology. We then discuss Alex's change of dissertation topic caused by the COVID19 pandemic and also discuss how bioarcheology can be used to talk about very relevant and interesting topics. We finish off talking about all the places he has worked as a bioarcheologist.

Literature Recommendations

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The "Mane" Event with Dr. William Taylor - Ep 80

For this episode, we are joined again by Dr. William Taylor, who first appeared on the podcast in episode 25. We start out by discussing Dr. Taylor's COVID experience as a new professor and how his museum projects had to change to adapt to the new COVID landscape. We then delve into the research surrounding the Lehi horse. Dr. Taylor explains his methods of analysis and how they can be used to tell us about individual specimens, while also contributing to the larger discipline. We then talk about his research on early horse domestication at the Botai site.

Literature Recommendations

Guest Contact

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"Seeing Red" Episode 14 Review with Emily Van Alst and Lana Ruck - Ep 79

In this episode of A Life in Ruins (originally recorded in the summer of 2020), Carlton chats with Rock Art Specialist Emily Van Alst and Lana Ruck, who teaches a course in Pseudoarchaeology. The three take a deep dive into Episode 14 - Our Ruined Lives with Bernie Taylor, to deconstruct Mr. Taylor's arguments and claims he made on the show. We review the individuals whom Mr. Taylor "name-drops" throughout his interview to sus-out their expertise and contextualize how they're being used in Mr. Taylor's arguments.

Lana illustrates the pseudoscience techniques and tactics that he employs, such as appeals to authority, inciting skepticism of the scientific process, and deflection of topics. Emily brings her expertise on Rock Art research to provide background and contemporary thought and method to the topic. The broad point that Carlton, Emily, and Lana make is that CONTEXT is important, and the purpose of this conversation is to respectfully provide context to Episode 14 and the claims that were made.

Guest Contacts

  • Lana's Twitter: @LanaRuck

  • Lana's Instagram: @LanaLately

  • ScIU's Instagram: @sciublog

  • Emily Twitter: @emilyvanawesome

  • Emily Instagram: @emilyvanawesome

Contact

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Tips, Tricks, and Dance Moves for Anthropology Undergrad and Grad Programs - Ep 74

In this episode of A Life in Ruins, we provide information about undergraduate and graduate school. We start off joking about our favorite episodes (all of them are our favorite) and then dive into things to consider when applying to undergraduate and graduate programs. We talk about our differing experiences in undergrad and the positives and negatives of each of our experiences. Importantly, we dive into how to research graduate programs, and factors surrounding how to choose a school are then discussed. We then wrap it up with other ridiculous conversations.

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Ancient Civ: Central America with Dr. David S. Anderson - Ep 73

On this episode of A Life In Ruins Podcast, we are joined by an early A Life in Ruins guest, Dr. David S. Anderson, to talk about the Origins of early states in Mesoamerica. Dr. Anderson first appeared on our show in episode 11 to talk about pseudoscience in archaeology, and we are excited to have him back on the show to discuss with us the real perpetrators of Central American megalithic structures and ceremonial centers. Dr. Anderson enlightens us about theories surrounding the emergence of complex civilization in Central America and then we delve into the Olmec and other Preclassic civilizations. We then get our minds blown about the size/scope of the El Tigre Pyramid and discuss some other Late Preclassic Maya sites. Dr. Anderson then teaches us about all things Maya.

Literature Recommendations

  • Olmec Archaeology and Early Mesoamerica by Christopher Pool

  • The First Maya Civilization: Ritual and Power Before the Classic Period by Francisco Estrada-Belli

  • Discovering the Olmecs: An Unconventional History by David C. Grove

Contact for Guest

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Of Mammoths and Hand Sprays with Dr. Madeline Mackie - Ep 71

On this episode of ALiRP, we interview our friend and colleague, Dr. Madeline Mackie. Dr. Mackie just began her position as an assistant professor at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.

Dr. Mackie studies Paleoindian lifeways and big game hunting, as well as ochre hand sprays. We met Dr. Mackie at the University of Wyoming, where she dealt with our numerous shenanigans.

We start off by talking about her experiences growing up in Southern California and then delve into her MA research on hand sprays in Wyoming. Dr. Mackie then talks about the La Prele Mammoth site and we kind of nerd out about the finds. She then talks about post-doc life and the jobs market.

Literature Recommendations:

  • Anything by Dr. George Frison

  • The Fifth Beginning: What Six Million Years of Human History Can Tell Us About Our Future by Dr. Robert L. Kelly

  • The Lifeways of Hunter-Gatherers: The Foraging Spectrum by Dr. Robert L. Kelly

  • The Professor Is In: The Essential Guide to Turning Your Ph.D. Into A Job by Karen Kelsky

Guest Contact

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Ancient Civ - Indus Valley with Stefan Milo - Ep 70

On this episode of A Life in Ruins, we continue our series on ancient civilization and discuss Indus Valley Civilizations and their precursors. We have Stefan Milo join us to discuss this region. Stefan Milo is a popular Youtuber who has appeared on episodes 20 and 43. He made a video on an Indus Valley Civilization where he discusses the interesting lack of social hierarchy found in this civilization (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxP1zornb-w). We struggle with geography, time periods, and basically everything in this episode but also discuss social hierarchy/structure.

Guest Contact

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Ancient Civ: Origins - Ep 68

Buckle up for an episode on the theory of the rise of early states and ancient civilizations. Episode 68 sets the stage for a series investigating early civilizations across the globe. We break down Elman Service and Lewis Henry Morgan's theories on cultural complexity and go through a couple of definitions for "civilization". Think that's going to be boring? Well just wait, we even talk about primary vs secondary civilizations and the four classic theories on how early complex civilizations rise.

Of course, any episode involving the great mistake of neothilization wouldn't be complete without poking fun of our friend Stefan Milo.

Literature Recommendations

  • Ancient Civilizations by Chris Scarre & Brian M. Fagan, 4th edition

  • Archaeology by Robert L. Kelly & David Hurst Thomas, 7th Edition

  • Archaeology and Human History by Deborah I. Olszewski

Contact

ArchPodNet

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Fantastic Domesticates and Where to Find Them - New World - Ep 66

We wrap up our animal domestication series with a discussion about animals that were domesticated in North and South America. We cover llamas, guinea pigs (so startled), turkey's and a few other domesticates that the three hosts didn't know about. Of course, there are plenty of South Park and Disney Movie references throughout the episode.

Literature Recommendations

  • Animal Domestication - Table of Dates and Places: How did we ever manage to domesticate so many animals? from thoughtco.com

  • Domestication - Domestication is the process of adapting wild plants and animals for human use. National Geographic Resource Library

  • American Museum of Natural History: Domestication Timeline

  • Serge Morand et al. 2014 "Domesticated animals and human infectious diseases of zoonotic origins: Domestication time matters" in Infection, Genetics and Evolution

Contact

ArchPodNet

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Fantastic Domesticates and Where to Find them - Old World - Ep 65

In this episode of A Life in Ruins podcast, The hosts have another off the rails discussion about domesticates. This time however, talking llamas, guinea pigs, camels, horses, goats, and dogs. You might notice that not all of them are Old World Domesticates. Honestly, you’ll just have to listen to the episode understand.

It is actually a very thoughtful and funny conversation about the idiosyncrasies of domestication, animal behavior, and how humans interact with animals.

National suicide prevention hotline: 1-800-273-TALK

Literature Recommendations

  • not "Guns Germs and Steel"

  • National Geographic Resource Library Encyclopedic Entry: Domestication

  • Journal of Young Investigators: Our Furry Friends: the History of Animal Domestication

  • American Museum of Natural History: Domestication Timeline

  • Melinda A. Zeder 2008 "Domestication and early agriculture in the Mediterranean Basin: Origins, diffusion, and impact" in PNAS

  • Center for Disease Control and Prevention: Farm Animals

  • Serge Morand et al. 2014 "Domesticated animals and human infectious diseases of zoonotic origins: Domestication time matters" in Infection, Genetics and Evolution

  • University of Liverpool 16 May 2014. "Domesticated animals provide vital link to emergence of new diseases." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily.

Contact

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Folsom Game Drive Blues with Kelton Meyer - Ep 64

In this episode, we delve back into the Paleoindian period. We interview Kelton Meyer, a graduate student in anthropology at Colorado State University about his research on game drives in the Rocky Mountains and the techniques he utilizes to analyze spatial relationships. The three hosts also chat with Kelton about his recent publications and research awards.

Literature Recommendations

  • David Meltzer: Folsom: New Archaeological Investigations of a Classic Paleoindian Bison Kill

  • Edwin Wilmsen and Frank Robert Jr.: Lindemeir Investigations

  • James Benedict: Arapaho Pass: Glacial geology and archeology at the crest of the Colorado Front Range

Guest Contact Info

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Back in Black: Primate Microbiomes with Carson Black - Ep 62

In this episode, we are pleased to have Carson Black return to the show. Carson joined us way back on Episode 17 to talk about Primatology and the beginnings of her Master’s thesis research. We are excited to announce that Carson recently graduated with her Master’s degree and are happy to have her back on to talk about her thesis research. We discuss her finishing her degree amid a pandemic, missing out on fieldwork and passing COVID-19 to primates. We then do a deep dive into her thesis research on microbiomes in chimps. We finish up our conversation talking about her experience in graduate school and Carson gives out some tips on how to make it through!

Literature Recommendations

Guest Contact Info

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ArchPodNet

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University of Sheffield Shutdown of the Archaeology Department - Ep 60

In this special episode, we discuss the potential closing of the Archaeology Department at Sheffield University with Dr. Umberto Albarella and Helen Thompson. Dr. Albarella is faculty in the Archaeology Department and Helen is a Ph.D. student in the program. They fill us in on what's going at the University of Sheffield, the events leading up to this current controversy, and what we can do to help.

Please sign the petition in the description below. Let's do what we can to support our colleagues in the field of archaeology.

Contact For Guests:

Save Sheffield

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Ethnomusicology and Archaeomusicology with Dr. Mason Brown - Ep 59

In this episode, we chat with Dr. Mason Brown, a guest assistant professor for Kathmandu University Department of Music and Affiliate Scholar for the University of Colorado Boulder’s Center for Asian Studies.

We delve into his early interests in ethnomusicology / Tibetan culture and get into the details of what ethnomusicology is.

Dr. Brown talks about music theory, pentatonic scales, and all the instruments he plays. We also talk about some evidence for the earliest musical instruments in the past and finish up with a discussion about the history of fiddle music.

Literature Recommendations

Guest Contact

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Pirates of the World with Dr. Jamie Goodall - Ep 58

In this episode, we are chatting with Dr. Jamie Goodall. Dr. Goodall is currently a staff historian at the U.S. Army Center of Military History and has just released a book about pirates. Her new book is titled, Pirates of the Chesapeake: From the Colonial Era to the Oyster Wars. We grapeshot her with questions about pirates and she enlightens us. So sharpen your sabers and load the muskets, and be prepared for this interview to be pirated across the internet.

Literature Recommendations

Guest Contact

  • Instagram and Twitter: @l_historienne

  • Website: jamiegoodall.com

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Links

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SAA 86th Annual Conference: An Indigenous Response

In this special edition of the A Life in Ruins Podcast, Carlton co-hosts an episode with Emily Van Alst, Ash Boydston-Schmidt, and Kay Mattena. The four discuss the recent SAA controversy surrounding the "Curation, Repatriation, and Accessibility: Vital Ethical Conversations" session. Specifically, the “Has Creationism Crept Back into Archaeology?” presentation.

The four Indigenous scholars discuss their thoughts, feelings, and reactions to the content of the presentation, their disappointment in the SAA for platforming the talk, the future of the SAA, and how the society can improve its ethics and better support its Indigenous scholars.

Lastly, they discuss the fallout from the presentation and how some non-Indigenous scholars are taking advantage of Indigenous trauma to further their own careers, and how non-Indigenous scholars can truly be allies to Indigenous people.

Guests' literature recommendations:

  1. Indigenous Archaeology by Joe Watkins

  2. Archaeologies of the Heart edited by Kisha Supernant, Jane Eva Baxter, Natasha Lyons, and Sonya Atalay

  3. R words by Tuck and Yang

  4. Decolonizing Methodologies by Linda Tuhiwai-Smith

  5. Considering the Denigration and Destruction of Indigenous Heritage as Violence in Critical Global Perspectives on Cultural Memory and Heritage: Construction, Transformation and Destruction by George Nicholas and Claire Smith

  6. We Are Dancing for You Native Feminisms and the Revitalization of Women’s Coming of Age Ceremonies by Cutcha Risling Baldy

  7. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Kimmer

List of scholars to search:

  • George Nicholas

  • Vine Deloria

  • Phil Deloria

  • Roger Echo-Hawk

  • Larry Zimmerman

  • Chip Colwell

  • Steve Silliman

  • Zoey Todd

  • Gloria Anzaldua

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