The Dirt

27/02/2024

For a long time, people thought the skull you see above, that of "Piltdown Man," was none other than the missing link in the evolution from great apes to modern humans. Discovered in Britain in 1912, this was an explanation that the Brits in particular were ready to accept at face value - and I do mean face value...

The Piltdown Man was a mix of primitive and modern, with a smallish skull, a chimp-like jaw, and both primitive and modern teeth

It turns out the Piltdown Man was such a solid combination of primitive and modern because Charles Dawson, the amateur archaeologist who "uncovered" the remains, had meticulously worn down a hodepodge of human and orangutan bones, stained them with iron and acid to give them an aged appearance, and shoved them together into a single skull; the teeth were held in place with dental putty

The embarrassing part? No one even caught the hoax until 1953 smh

25/02/2024

Every now and then, I think about this and how cool it is that two of my favorite things - ghosts and crime - had a real life team-up

Dreams do come true 🌟

24/02/2024

This fine gentleman is none other than the "Father of the Blues"

W.C. was one of the first to recognize the value of Southern Black music, including the Blues, as an American legacy and dedicated his life to documenting, writing and publishing blues music

If you want to hear what he's all about, try listening to: "St. Louis Blues," "Yellow Dog Blues," and "Beale Street Blues"

13/02/2024

REMINDER:

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day!

If your love language is podcast episodes, then we have the perfect gift for you:

For as low as $25, you can sponsor an episode, meaning we'll cover (nearly) any topic of your choosing!

With no shipping time required, this is a perfect last minute gift! Or perhaps your SO is a minimalist- well, there's no junk here, material or intellectual

Or...maybe...treat yourself (;

P.S. Candy heart designs can be found in the Dirt Shirt Store- link in bio!

12/02/2024

Although people had been arguing about whether animals evolve for decades before Darwin entered the scene, it was Darwin who was able to provide a plausible explanation for HOW species evolve, and then went on to trace the history of life's development using this explanation

In particular, Darwin wrote that evolution was due to two factors:

(1) Each animal is subtly different from its parents, AKA there are a number of variations among each animal type

(2) Although these variations are random, some of them do have distinct advantages that provide the individual to survive within a particular environment, and thus procreate and pass on that same advantageous trait

11/02/2024

What's missing from this lil' infographic is how important the EAR was in the evolution of bipedalism!

For that wild turn of events, you'll have to tune into our most recent episode: NEW OLDS- 5 RECENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES

Don't have time for the full ep? That's okay, 'cause the inner ear is the very first thing we dive into

10/02/2024

We're not entirely sure what the origin of the Lunar New Year looks like, but Chinese archaeologists and historians have traced the Lunar New Year celebrations to the year-end rituals involving sacrifices to gods and ancestors as far back as the Shang dynasty (1600-1050 BCE)

That said, the tradition of conducting the rituals on the first day of the Chinese calendar year began during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty (140-87 BCE) and the celebrations became formalized during the Sui (581-618) and the Tang (618-907) eras

09/02/2024

It's not just pizza Friday, its NATIONAL PIZZA DAY!!!

Pizza is such a quintessential Italian dish, and yet, the tomato didn't even arrive in Italy until the mid-1500s. Like the potato, the tomato originated in the New World, specifically Mexico and Central and South America. Even then, the Italians only used it as decor- yes, DECOR

It wasn't until the late 17th or early 18th century that tomatoes were even incorporated into their cuisine! That said, the earliest record thus far of tomato recipes in Italy were actually recipes obtained from Spanish sources and brought over to Italy

But hey, better late than never, amiright?

07/02/2024

NEW EPISODE!!

Let's chat about some breaking news in the archaeological realm: we're talking inner ears and gibbon arms, medieval dogs, the Ishtar gate of Babylon, ancient p**p and more!

As for a personal update: I just found my new favorite painting. I never realized Sir Lancelot was so relatable 🥲

^^A miniature of Sir Lancelot, in conversation with a lady holding a small dog (c. 1315–1325) ^^

06/02/2024

Excerpt from AZIRU IN EGYPT of the Amarna Letters

(Can you imagine how much it would cost to send a tablet via snail mail these days?!)

04/02/2024

Feel free to share this with your SO if they need a push on the present front 😉

03/02/2024

Hello, friends! We’ve parted ways with Patreon but we still need your support!! We gotta keep the lights on at Dirt HQ, and that means funding from you, our generous listeners. We’ve made it super simple—Subscribe to the Dirtbags Only premium feed at https://the-dirt-podcast.captivate.fm/support for a 7-day free trial of ALL our bonus content, and support the show for just $5/month after that!

Quickly and easily listen and subscribe to The Dirt Podcast for free in your podcast app of choice.

03/02/2024

NEW MERCH DESIGN! Yes, it’s been practically EONS since Anna did any new merch designs, so we had to make sure this one was GOOD. Just in time for Valentines Day, what a way to show your loved one you DO pay attention when they tell you six new facts about their favorite ancient human! Or if *you* love Neanderthals, why not treat yourself to a Neanderthalentine?!?

Available at our Spreadshirt store! Head to thedirtpod.com and click the DIRT SHIRTS link at the top of the page!

02/02/2024

Ah, potatoes. A most delicious, most versatile tuber- the 5th most important crop worldwide!

Although the potato is so widespread, and it's often associated with the Irish Famine, it actually sprouted from the Andes. Heck, 18th century westerners found the tuber straight up frightening at first

And ya know what? It IS frightening! Not only can we cook SO. MANY. THINGS. with it, but it built whole empires- the incredible productivity of potato crops meant that the rapidly growing populations of Westerners across the world had a steady food source to keep them going

28/01/2024

Long before we anatomically modern humans roamed the earth, Homo erectus was trekking across and out of Africa, eventually spanning over two continents

Because there became so many far flung, separated populations of Homo erectus, these populations began to evolve into new species of their own:

Homo floresiensis of Indonesia; Homo luzonensis of the Philippines; and Homo naledi of South Africa are just a few ancestors who may have sprouted from this expansion. Interestingly, all three of these species are muuuuuch smaller than Homo erectus, which may be indicative of one of the traits that originally helped Homo erectus survive in those environments in the first place. Thus, shorter stature was evolutionarily "chosen" for and contributed to the future distinction between species.

As a 4' 11" anatomically modern human, I sometimes wonder if I was born at the wrong time smh

27/01/2024

Did you know that the famous adage "Damned if you do, damned if you don't" was part of a larger chant popular in the early 19th century?

A Methodist preacher named Lorenzo Dow traveled across New York State, dismissing the Calvinist notions of a God who awards or denies one's salvation before they're even born. He used the above quip to draw attention to the paradox of a condemned man still having free will

So, you'll be damned if you [follow God's word],
And you'll be damned if you don't

GOOD LUCK!

22/01/2024

Stay tuned for more random things you never cared to know!

past

20/01/2024

We were just getting started on Wednesday- sign up for our premium feed to dive deeper into what makes us, our genus, "human"

Your first week of the premium feed is FREE, so go start your trial now and learn about tool use as one particular "hallmark of human-ness"...

Or is it?

17/01/2024

HUMAN EVOLUTION 101

This week, Anna takes us on a crash course of human evolution. Specifically, we take a look at our own genus - Homo - and the importance of tool use. Come along and get to know the ancestors!

14/01/2024

HOWEVER, exceptions are made for horses and mules. But be warned: he who engages in sexual sin with horses or mules shall not approach the king, nor shall he become a priest

BONUS: Sexual acts are sinless if performed with a deceased individual- male OR female!

xoxo
King of Hatti

13/01/2024

Sure, scary stories with the bros are mad fun, but that lore is doing a whole lot more than just keeping you occupied

Check out our Spooktober episode to learn more about its impact

11/01/2024

Among the remains of the archaeological site of Mitla, Oaxaca there stands a Catholic church and beneath the main altar of this church is a hidden entrance to the underworld: Lyobaa

As early as 2,000 years ago, Mitla was a significant religious site for the Zapotec people. But Spanish invaders drove the inhabitants away and destroyed the site...
..except, perhaps, that entrance to the underworld, which is said to have been sealed by the invaders

Lyobaa - Zapotec for "place of rest"- is said to be “A vast subterranean temple consisting of four interconnected chambers, containing the tombs of the high priests and the kings of Teozapotlán. From the last subterranean chamber, a stone door led into a deep cavern extending thirty leagues below ground. This cavern was intersected by other passages like streets, its roof supported by pillars.”

If the local/oral traditional knowledge of this place wasn't enough to convince you, then consider the fact that the quoted description above is the Dominican father Francisco de Burgoa's 1674 account

If you're someone for whom only the cold hard facts matter, then I'll let you know now that geophysical research methods have confirmed "the existence of a large void located right beneath the main altar"

I don't know about you, but I'll personally be a-VOID-ing this particular tourist destination 😉

10/01/2024

El Castillo (AKA The Temple of Kukulcan) is a Mayan step-pyramid constructed sometime between the 8th and 12th centuries AD in what is currently Mexico

Around the equinoxes, the late afternoon sun casts a series of triangular shadows against the northwest balustrade, consequently creating the illusion of Kukulcan, the feathered serpent deity, "crawling" down the temple

All four sides of the temple have 91 steps which, when added together plus the temple platform on top as the "final step," equals a total of 365 steps- 365 is the same number of days in the Haab' year and further suggests that this temple was significantly related to rituals.

09/01/2024

The tablets known as the Amarna Letters are small enough to be handheld, certainly making their transportation less of a nuisance

They're smaller than a poptart and bigger than a frosted mini wheat- they're kind of like a cellphone, but one of those newfangled ones that hardly fit in your pockets. Can you picture it?

past

08/01/2024

It's cuffing season! Which of the three flavors of ghost do you want to call "BOO?"

06/01/2024

Shout out to Homo erectus, the hominin ancestor archaeologically associated with the first major innovation in stone tool technology: the handaxe

To be fair, the handaxe in the photo is actually manufactured with a hippo's leg bone rather than stone, but at a whopping 1.4 million years old it's certainly proof that Homo erectus had considerably sophisticated and versatile technology

05/01/2024

The Amarna Letters are a collection of tablets sent between Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Mittani, Arzawa, Alashiya, Hatti, and numerous smaller city-states for diplomatic purposes over about a 30-year span during the mid-14th c. BC

The above is just one little example of nearly 400 letters written between the various leaders

You can bet your bottom you'll now be randomly seeing more of these babies popping up on your feeds- you're welcome (:

04/01/2024

I HOPE THIS TABLET FINDS YOU WELL 💕

Come along with us this week as we travel back to Bronze Age Anatolia to visit with our dear friends in the land of Hatti

19/12/2023

That's right, you can now access our back catalog of $20 Patreon tier content for the whopping price of $FREE.99!!!

But since it's physically impossible to listen to all of that bonus content within 7 days, you can join our new membership platform over at Captivate for $5/month once your trial runs out

In addition to the backlog, $5/month gives you access to upcoming Old News, Deep Cuts, and Dirt After Dark episodes!