AI-powered
podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Stuff You Missed in History Class
Unearthed! in Fall/Winter 2023, Part 1
Jan 15, 2024
45:19
Updates on previous episodes, ongoing research on Stonehenge and fossilized footprints, work of W. Montague Cobb, historical findings and discoveries, mysterious Egyptian artifacts at Melville House, ancient diets and culinary practices, renaming of species and listener emails.
Read more
AI Summary
AI Chapters
Episode notes
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Archaeologists discovered 5,000-year-old wine jars in Queen Meritnith's tomb, suggesting she may have been Egypt's first pharaoh.
- A Scottish Bible from 1705, mislabeled as 1605, holds historical significance and was found in a Des Moines retirement home library.
- A silk bustle dress contained hidden pocket notes with a telegraph code, potentially used by the Army Signal Service Corps in 1888.
Deep dives
Discovery of 5,000-Year-Old Wine in Egyptian Tomb
Archaeologists discovered hundreds of wine jars, some still sealed, in the tomb of Queen Meritnith in Abidus, Egypt. The wine dates back 5,000 years and suggests that Queen Meritnith may have been Egypt's first pharaoh.
Unearthing 318-Year-Old Scottish Bible in Iowa
A curator discovered a Scottish Bible from 1705, mistakenly labeled as 1605, in a retirement home library in Des Moines, Iowa. The Bible is believed to have been passed down by the Bennett family and may hold interesting historical significance.
Weather Code Uncovered in Hidden Pocket of Victorian Dress
A silk bustle dress purchased by an archaeologist contained a hidden pocket with notes written in a telegraph code. Further analysis revealed that the notes were weather code observations likely used by the Army Signal Service Corps in 1888.
Renaming Animals for Inclusivity
Recent efforts have been made to rename animals with names that might be exclusionary or offensive. These efforts aim to promote cultural sensitivity and inclusivity in the names of various species, such as insects and plants.
Discovery of Ancient Winery in France
An ancient Roman-era winery was unearthed in southern France, featuring a grape pressing platform, basins for juice collection, and a building for fermentation and storage. The winery provides insights into winemaking practices nearly 2,000 years ago.
We're closing out the last three months of 2023 by talking about things literally and figuratively dug up during that time, kicking it off with lots of updates of prior episodes, things dug up from the garden, edibles and potables, and books and letters.
Research:
- Alberge, Dalya. “That’s not a potato: mystery of Egyptian treasures found buried in grounds of Scottish school.” The Guardian. 11/19/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/nov/19/thats-not-a-potato-mystery-of-egyptian-treasures-found-buried-in-grounds-of-scottish-school
- Anderson, Sonja. “This Mysterious Hillside Carving Is Actually Hercules, Researchers Say.” Smithsonian. 1/2/2024. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/england-cerne-abbas-giant-is-really-hercules-once-used-to-rally-troops-180983522/
- “Runestones reveal the power of a Viking queen.” Phys.org. 10/13/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-runestones-reveal-power-viking-queen.html
- Babbs, Verity. “Archaeologists Discover Ancient Roman Baths Beneath a Museum in Croatia.” Artnet. 12/12/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/roman-baths-split-croatia-2406697
- Babbs, Verity. “The $4 N.C. Wyeth Painting Finally Sold—for Real This Time.” ArtNet. 12/19/2023. https://news.artnet.com/market/wyeth-thrift-store-painting-finally-sold-2411412
- Fordham, Alice. “Fossil footprints in New Mexico suggest humans have been here longer than we thought.” NPR. 10/7/2023. https://www.npr.org/2023/10/07/1204031535/fossil-footprints-in-new-mexico-suggest-humans-have-been-here-longer-than-we-tho
- Innes-Leroux, Matthew. “Evidence from the remains of 1918 flu pandemic victims contradicts long-held belief that healthy young adults were particularly vulnerable.” EurekAlert. 10/9/2023. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1003882
- Jeffrey S. Pigati et al. ,Independent age estimates resolve the controversy of ancient human footprints at White Sands.Science382,73-75(2023).DOI:10.1126/science.adh5007
- Kuta, Sarah. “Metal Detectorist Unearths Bronze Age Jewelry in Swiss Carrot Field.” Smithsonian. 10/20/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bronze-age-jewelry-uncovered-in-carrot-field-in-switzerland-180983109/
- Kuta, Sarah. “New U.S. Quarter Honors Maria Tallchief, America’s First Prima Ballerina.” Smithsonian. 11/3/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/osage-ballerina-maria-tallchief-featured-on-the-us-quarter-180983186/
- Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “How a Scottish Schoolboy Digging for Potatoes Uncovered a Trove of Egyptian Antiquities.” Artnet News. 11/20/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/school-boy-digging-for-potatoes-finds-egyptian-antiquities-2396736
- Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “How Do You Make $191,000 From a $4 Painting? You Don’t.” ArtNet. 11/29/2023. https://news.artnet.com/market/nc-wyeth-thrift-store-painting-didnt-sell-2400888
- Lisbeth M. Imer et al, A lady of leadership: 3D-scanning of runestones in search of Queen Thyra and the Jelling Dynasty, Antiquity (2023). DOI: 10.15184/aqy.2023.108
- Martin, Nick. “The White Sands discovery only confirms what Indigenous people have said all along.” High Country News. 9/24/2021. https://www.hcn.org/issues/53.11/indigenous-affairs-archaeology-the-white-sands-discovery-only-confirms-what-indigenous-people-have-said-all-along
- Matthew R. Bennett et al. ,Evidence of humans in North America during the Last Glacial Maximum.Science373,1528-1531(2021).DOI:10.1126/science.abg7586
- Morcom Thomas and Helen Gittos. “The Cerne Giant in Its Early Medieval Context.” Speculum. Vol. 99, No. 1. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/727992#_i9
- Nowakowski, Teresa. “New Memorial Honors Victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.” Smithsonian. 10/25/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-memorial-honors-the-victims-of-the-triangle-shirtwaist-factory-fire-180983081/
- Olaya, Vicente. “The Roman well-cleaner who lost a sandal 2,000 years ago in Spain.” El Pais. 10/17/2023. https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-10-17/the-roman-well-cleaner-who-lost-a-sandal-2000-years-ago-in-spain.html
- Paterson, Colin. “Shakespeare found, claims Norfolk theatre.” BBC. 10/4/2023. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67007980
- Reed, Betsy. “New Mexico footprints are oldest sign of humans in Americas, research shows.” The Guardian. 10/6/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/oct/06/footprints-humans-americas-oldest-sign-new-mexico
- Richard E. Bevins et al, The Stonehenge Altar Stone was probably not sourced from the Old Red Sandstone of the Anglo-Welsh Basin: Time to broaden our geographic and stratigraphic horizons?, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.104215
- Schrader, Adam. “Hundreds of Artifacts Stolen From the British Museum May Have Been Sold for Scrap.” ArtNet. 12/12/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/british-museum-independent-review-complete-after-massive-theft-2407800
- Sherwood, Harriet. “Archaeologists uncover rare 18th-century cold bath under Bath Assembly Rooms.” The Guardian. 10/8/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/oct/08/archaeologists-uncover-rare-18th-century-cold-bath-under-bath-assembly-rooms
- Smail, Gretchen. “Did Shakespeare Perform on These Newly Discovered Floorboards?” Smithsonian. 10/10/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-shakespeare-perform-on-these-floorboards-180983033/
- The History Blog. “Excavation of 6th c. folding chair complete.” 10/18/2023. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/68535
- The History Blog. “Medieval skeleton with prosthetic hand found in Bavaria.” 8/28/2023. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/68609
- University of Oxford. “New research shows the Cerne Abbas Giant was a muster station for King Alfred's armies.” Phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-cerne-abbas-giant-muster-station.html
- Wade, Lizzie. “Human footprints near ice age lake suggest surprisingly early arrival in the Americas.” Science. 9/23/2021. https://www.science.org/content/article/human-footprints-near-ice-age-lake-suggest-surprisingly-early-arrival-americas
- Wei-Haas, Maya. “New Evidence That Ancient Footprints Push Back Human Arrival in North America.” New York Times. 10/5/2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/science/footprints-tracks-new-mexico-age.html
- Whiddington, Richard. “A Norwegian Family Went Searching for a Lost Earring in Their Backyard. They Found Viking Artifacts Instead.” Artnet News. 10/20/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/norway-viking-brooches-2374065
- Davis, Nicola. “Seaweed was common food in Europe for thousands of years, researchers find.” The Guardian. 10/17/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/oct/17/seaweed-was-common-food-in-europe-for-thousands-of-years-researchers-find
- University of York. “Study reveals our European ancestors ate seaweed and freshwater plants.” Phys.org. 10/17/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-reveals-european-ancestors-ate-seaweed.html
- University of Vienna. “Archaeologists discover 5,000-year-old wine at the tomb of Meret-Neith in Abydos.” Phys.org. 10/9/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-archaeologists-year-old-wine-tomb-meret-neith.html
- Schrader, Adam. “Archaeologists Excavating the Tomb of Egypt’s First Female Pharaoh Found Hundreds of Jars Still Holding Remnants of Wine.” ArtNet. 10/18/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/egypt-pharaoh-merneiths-2373062
- Pflughoeft, Aspen. “1,900-year-old winery — that made drinks for ancient Romans — found in France. See it.” Miami Herald via Yahoo News. 11/30/2023. https://news.yahoo.com/1-900-old-winery-made-203204865.html
- University of York. “Early Neolithic farmers arriving on the Baltic coast bucked trends and incorporated fish into their diets.” Phys.org. 10/17/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-early-neolithic-farmers-baltic-coast.html
- Public Library of Science. “Mummified poop reveals pre-Columbian cultures of the Caribbean consumed a diversity of plants.” Phys.org. 11/11/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-mummified-poop-reveals-pre-columbian-cultures.html
- Jelissa Reynoso-García, Jelissa, et al. “Edible flora in pre-Columbian Caribbean coprolites: Expected and unexpected data.” PLoS One. 10/11/2023. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0292077
- Elysha McBride et al, What Bit the Ancient Egyptians? Niche Modelling to Identify the Snakes Described in the Brooklyn Medical Papyrus, Environmental Archaeology (2023). DOI: 10.1080/14614103.2023.2266631
- Winder, Isabelle Catherine and Wolfgang Wüster. “Ancient Egypt had far more venomous snakes than the country today, according to new study of a scroll.” Phys.org. 10/17/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-ancient-egypt-venomous-snakes-country.html
- Binswanger, Julia. “This Ancient Egyptian Burial Chamber Was Filled With Spells to Ward Off Snake Bites.” Smithsonian. 11/14/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ancient-egyptian-burial-chamber-was-filled-with-spells-to-ward-off-snake-bites-180983247/
- Janssen, Tom. “Study shows beavers had a big influence on how people in the Stone Age lived.” Phys.org. 10/17/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-beavers-big-people-stone-age.html
- Siehoff, Jonas. “Early humans hunted beavers, 400,000 years ago.” EurekAlert. 11/29/2023. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1009496
- Langley, Michelle et al. “Bringing a shark to a knife fight: 7,000-year-old shark-tooth knives discovered in Indonesia.” Phys.org. 10/27/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-shark-knife-year-old-shark-tooth-knives.html
- Dietz, Helena. “On the trail of a great mystery.” EurekAlert. 10/24/2023. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1005687
- University of Konstanz. “Origin of ancient mummified baboons found in Egypt” ScienceDaily. 10/24/2023. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231024110554.htm
- Binswanger, Julia. “Ancient Egyptians Kept Baboons in Captivity and Mummified Their Remains.” Smithsonian. 12/11/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/study-shows-ancient-egyptians-worshiped-baboons-but-gave-them-poor-living-conditions-180983391/
- Meiling, Chen. “Archaeologists uncover rare sheep-drawn carriage in Xi'an.” China Daily. 10/26/2023. https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202310/26/WS653a3b80a31090682a5eaf07.html
- Bayarsaikhan, Jamsranjav et al. “The Origins of Saddles and Riding Technology in East Asia: Discoveries from the Mongolian Altai.” Antiquity (2023): 1–17. Web. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/origins-of-saddles-and-riding-technology-in-east-asia-discoveries-from-the-mongolian-altai/95BA971FD64B2A7544D4BEF6694A8E14
- “Earliest 'true' saddle in east Asia discovered.” Phys.org. 11/11/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-earliest-true-saddle-east-asia.html
- Lavery, Ryan. “Researchers, Coast Salish people analyze 160-year-old indigenous dog pelt in the Smithsonian’s collection.” EurekAlert. 12/14/2023. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1010435
- Strickland, Ashley. “Rare ‘treasure box’ of French letters opened and read after 265 years.” CNN. 11/6/2023. https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/06/world/french-letters-national-archives-scn/index.html
- Chien, Min. “French Love Letters, Sealed for 265 Years, Are Opened—and Read—for the First Time.” ArtNet. 11/14/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/french-love-letters-written-during-seven-years-war-read-for-the-first-time-2392940
- Fee, Jenny. “UPDATED: Owner of Pageturners sells mysterious 318-year-old Bible to local collector.” Independent Advocate. 11/12/2023. https://www.indianola-ia.com/news/updated-owner-of-pageturners-sells-mysterious-318-year-old-bible-to-local-collector/article_3cec849e-7698-11ee-8fee-538f106de6d6.html
- D'Angelo, Bob. “Bible printed in 1705 discovered in Iowa retirement home.” Boston 25. 11/15/2023. https://www.boston25news.com/news/trending/bible-printed-1705-discovered-iowa-retirement-home/3TCHA336WVHFTEZKF7XSP5SWZ4/
- KCRG Staff. “Bible older than the US found in Indianola retirement home.” https://www.kcrg.com/2023/11/15/bible-older-than-us-found-indianola-retirement-home/
- Rivers Cofield, Sara. “Bennett's Bronze Bustle.” Commitment to Costumes blog. 2/17/2014. https://commitmentocostumes.blogspot.com/2014/02/bennetts-bronze-bustle.html
- “'Cryptogram' in a silk dress tells a weather story.” 12/14/2023. https://www.noaa.gov/heritage/stories/cryptogram-in-silk-dress-tells-weather-story
- The History Blog. “3rd c. Roman shipwreck recovered whole from seabed.” 10/9/2023. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/68464
- Kuta, Sarah. “100-Year-Old Shipwreck Discovered 800 Feet Below Lake Superior.” Smithsonian. 10/17/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/100-year-old-shipwreck-discovered-in-lake-superior-180983083/
- Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. “Shipwreck Society Discovers a World War One Era Steel Bulk Freighter 100 Years after it sinks.” https://shipwreckmuseum.com/shipwreck-society-discovers-a-world-war-one-era-steel-bulk-freighter-100-years-after-it-sinks/
- Williams, Ashley R. “‘An incredible find’: Florida road crews discover 19th-century boat buried in St. Augustine.” CNN. 10/14/2023. https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/14/us/florida-19th-century-boat-st-augustine-trnd/index.html
- Kuta, Sarah. “Father and Daughter Discover 152-Year-Old Shipwreck While Fishing in Green Bay.” Smithsonian. 12/18/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/father-and-daughter-discover-152-year-old-shipwreck-while-fishing-in-green-bay-180983468/
- “San Jose galleon: Shipwreck to be recovered with billions in treasure.” 11/12/2023. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/67342273
- Shuttleworth, Peter. “Newport medieval ship's timber dated to within months.” BBC. 11/3/2023. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-67302907
- Bryant, Miranda. “‘We have a lot of cracks’: Swedes seek to save Vasa warship – again.” The Guardian. 12/26/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/27/we-have-a-lot-of-cracks-swedes-seek-to-save-vasa-warship-again
- Kuta, Sarah. “117-Year-Old Shipwreck Found in Puget Sound.” Smithsonian. 11/27/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shipwreck-in-puget-sound-180983317/
- Kuta, Sarah. “Anchor From 1906 Shipwreck Found in Florida.” Smithsonian. 12/8/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/anchor-from-1906-shipwreck-found-in-florida-180983394/
- The History Blog. “Obsidian from Neolithic shipwreck recovered off Capri.” 11/23/2023. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/68849
- The History Blog. “Europe’s oldest functioning compass found in Estonia wreck.” 11/25/2023. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/68863
- Cascone, Sarah. “A Secret Room in a 16th-Century Italian Chapel, Where Michelangelo Hid—and Drew—for Months, Opens to the Public.” Artnet. 10/31/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world-archives/michelangelo-secret-room-museum-of-medici-chapels-2387647
- Olson, Amy. “A 15th century French painting depicts an ancient stone tool.” EurekAlert. 10/17/2023. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1005048
- Key, Alastair et al. “Acheulean Handaxes in Medieval France: An Earlier ‘Modern’ Social History for Palaeolithic Bifaces.” Cambridge Archaeological Journal (2023): 1–17. Web. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/cambridge-archaeological-journal/article/acheulean-handaxes-in-medieval-france-an-earlier-modern-social-history-for-palaeolithic-bifaces/14EF16E3BBAAE1A14CEA98BB3997C6C3
- Whiddington, Richard. “This 15th-Century Painting Might Actually Depict a Prehistoric Tool, New Research Suggests.” Artnet. 10/29/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world-archives/prehistoric-hand-axe-fouquet-painting-2383607
- National Trust. “The devil in the detail: A fiend re-emerges from the canvas of a painting by Joshua Reynolds.” 10/30/2023. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/services/media/fiend-re-emerges-from-the-canvas-of-joshua-reynolds-painting
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Get the Snipd
podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered
Discover
highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any
moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share
& Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered
podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover
highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode