How often does this podcast release new episodes?

This podcast updates bi-weekly.

Where can I listen to this podcast?

This podcast is available on 8 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.

Does this podcast accept guests?

No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.

Archaeology Books for Fun

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by Florida Public Archaeology Network - North Central

5.0(18 reviews)

62 episodes

Updated Bi-weekly

Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸

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FairBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more

Quality39

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Podcast Overview

An archaeology podcast and book club where archaeologists Barbara and Tristan read and discuss archaeology books that make the ancient past approachable and fun. This bi-weekly archaeology podcast draws on over 40 years of combined experience. Archaeology Books for Fun explores ancient civilizations, archaeological mysteries, “lost” cities, and popular myths. Topics range from the illicit artifact trade to ancient aliens and Atlantis, from high-tech LiDAR discoveries to the occasional murder mysteries. Winner of the 2024 Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation Education Award.

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🇺🇲

Publishing Since

9/12/2022

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Beta

FairBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more

Quality39

Social0

YouTube86

Engagement71

Learn more

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excellent

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49 minutes

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Every 27 days

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Recent Episodes

Episode thumbnail for Volunteers Helped Uncover 50 New Nazca Lines | Archaeology from Space, Part 5 | Looting, the Antiquities Black Market, Satellites, & Citizen Science

August 1, 2026

Volunteers Helped Uncover 50 New Nazca Lines | Archaeology from Space, Part 5 | Looting, the Antiquities Black Market, Satellites, & Citizen Science

How did online volunteers help uncover 50 previously unrecorded Nazca lines? In this series finale of Archaeology Books for Fun, archaeologists Barbara and Tristan close out Archaeology from Space by Sarah Parcak with its most hopeful idea: that anyone can join the search. Through crowdsourcing projects like her own GlobalXplorer°, volunteers scanning satellite imagery helped record 14,000 new sites in Peru, including 50 Nazca lines nobody had documented before. The finale also turns to the darker side of the field, from satellite-tracked looting in Egypt to the collectors who quietly drive the antiquities black market. A must-listen for anyone curious about the Nazca lines, satellite archaeology, and how the public can help discover and protect the past. WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE:<ul><li>The series finale (chapters 10–12): the profession's challenges around diversity and access, satellite-tracked looting, and the book's closing argument that "space archaeology" can be for everyone</li></ul> <ul><li>Citizen science and crowdsourcing: how projects like Galaxy Zoo/Zooniverse and Parcak's GlobalXplorer° turn thousands of volunteers loose on scientific data</li></ul> <ul><li>A what-archaeologists-actually-think moment: why the collectors who create the demand, not the local diggers who take the risks, are the real drivers of looting, plus the Hobby Lobby / Museum of the Bible case where smuggled artifacts were mislabeled as "roof tiles"</li></ul> <ul><li>Florida connection: FPAN's Heritage Monitoring Scouts, a real citizen-science program where trained volunteers document and monitor archaeological sites threatened by hurricanes and erosion</li> </ul>ABOUT THE BOOK: Archaeology from Space: How the Future Shapes Our Past by Dr. Sarah Parcak. Parcak is a pioneer of satellite archaeology who wrote the first textbook on the subject, a National Geographic Explorer, and a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is the 2016 TED Prize winner and founder of GlobalXplorer°, a citizen-science platform that invited anyone to help spot potential archaeological sites in satellite imagery. RESOURCES & LINKS:<ul><li>Part 1 of our Archaeology from Space series: "Space Archaeology Found 18,000 Hidden Sites" - <a href="https://youtu.be/-0QkJZfJBf4" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/-0QkJZfJBf4</a></li></ul> <ul><li>Zooniverse: the citizen-science hub that grew out of Galaxy Zoo - <a href="https://www.zooniverse.org" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.zooniverse.org</a></li></ul> <ul><li>Eyewire: a citizen science game that we... must... not... play right now - <a href="https://eyewire.org/explore" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://eyewire.org/explore</a></li></ul> <ul><li>FPAN Heritage Monitoring Scouts: help document and monitor Florida sites - <a href="https://www.fpan.us/training-courses/hms-florida/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.fpan.us/training-courses/hms-florida/</a></li></ul> <ul><li>Support the show: <a href="https://www.fpan.us/give/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.fpan.us/give/</a></li></ul> Coming up next: We're starting Where the Moon Stands Still: Revealing the Cosmic Genius of Ohio's Indigenous Earthworks by James W. Graham - an advance copy the author sent us ahead of its release. We'll cover the first six chapters, and it keeps our accidental space streak alive: it's all about how the Hopewell earthworks align with the cycles of the moon. New episode drops on the 15th.#ArchaeologyBooksforFun #ArchaeologyfromSpace #NazcaLines

July 15, 2026

The Future of Archaeology: Drones, Robots, & AI | Archaeology from Space (Part 4 of 5)

Will robots and drones replace archaeologists? In this episode of Archaeology Books for Fun, archaeologists Barbara and Tristan dig into "Archaeology from Space" by Sarah Parcak and her vision of the field's high-tech future, from "dig bots" and machine learning to thermal imaging and portable chemical scanners. They also follow her satellite hunt for a lost Egyptian capital, where space-shuttle elevation data revealed a forgotten channel of the Nile before rampant looting shut the dig down. A must-listen for anyone curious about the future of archaeology, remote-sensing technology, and ancient Egypt. WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE:‣ The future of archaeology (chapter 9): camera drones and "dig bots," machine learning, thermal infrared imaging, and portable X-ray fluorescence, kicked off with a sci-fi story that ends with an archaeologist applying to dig in outer space. ‣ The satellite find (chapter 8): using space-shuttle elevation data to reveal a lost, unrecorded channel of the Nile while searching for an Egyptian Middle Kingdom capital, and how deep core sampling revealed a site 5 meters (16 feet) under the surface. ‣ A what-archaeologists-actually-think moments: why perfect 3D-printed replicas won't end looting, why "instant" robotic DNA analysis would complicate descendant and tribal consultation, and the overlooked Quftis, Egypt's expert excavators long labeled "foremen" rather than archaeologists. ‣ Florida connection: Florida fieldwork as a yardstick, meter-deep shovel testing versus Egypt's deep alluvial sediment, and teams from the recent the First Lego League robotics challenge trying to protect us from the heat, a real threat for archaeologists. ABOUT THE BOOK:"Archaeology from Space: How the Future Shapes Our Past" by Dr. Sarah Parcak. Parcak is a pioneer of satellite archaeology who wrote the first textbook on the subject, a National Geographic Explorer, and a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is the 2016 TED Prize winner and founder of GlobalXplorer°, a citizen-science platform that invites anyone to help spot potential archaeological sites in satellite imagery. RESOURCES & LINKS:Part 1 of our "Archaeology from Space" series: "Space Archaeology Found 18,000 Hidden Sites" - https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/VUoNwGddM4b Part 1 of our "Four Lost Cities" series which elaborates on the ideas of chapter 8 in this episode: "Çatalhöyük" - https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/vAMp55sdM4b Our recent interview with the "Continuing Studies Podcast": "Beyond the Interview: Using a Book Club Podcast to Bring Academic Expertise to the Public" - https://bit.ly/44wJs9D GlobalXplorer° — Parcak's citizen-science satellite archaeology platform: https://www.globalxplorer.org The Vesuvius Challenge - the effort to read charred, rolled scrolls that Tristan references from recent news - https://bit.ly/4hdH6nu Support the show: https://www.fpan.us/give/ #archaeologybooksforfun #ArchaeologyFromSpace #FutureOfArchaeology

July 1, 2026

Satellites Mapped an Entire Buried Egyptian City | Archaeology from Space (Part 3 of 5)

What does an entire buried city look like from space? In this episode of Archaeology Books for Fun, archaeologists Barbara and Tristan dig into "Archaeology from Space" by Sarah Parcak and the chapter where satellite imagery uncovers the buried Egyptian city of Tanis (the real city Indiana Jones races to find in Raiders of the Lost Ark) revealing its streets, suburbs, and houses from orbit. They get into how fancy techniques, moisture, and time of year expose buried mud-brick architecture, why the book's globe-trotting "Grand Tour" chapter struggles without a core idea to hold it together, and a closing chapter that sets the satellites aside for a historical-fiction portrait of one woman's life as drought and famine bring down Egypt's Old Kingdom.A must-listen for anyone curious about satellite archaeology, remote sensing, and ancient Egypt. WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE:How satellite imagery mapped the entire buried city of Tanis in "Digging in the Wrong Place" (chapter 5), the chapter the hosts thought finally delivered the "space" the book promised.The technique behind it: combining multispectral and high-resolution satellite imagery (down to 0.3 m) to detect buried mud-brick architecture, and how moisture, season, and time of day change what the satellites can actually see, plus why ground-truthing still matters.A what-archaeologists-actually-think moment: Barbara and Tristan diagnose why the book struggles, it has a subject (satellite archaeology) but no core idea or organizing theme to guide itFlorida connection: a visiting underwater archaeologist at the University of West Florida (UWF) demonstrating how photogrammetry turns shipwreck photos into 3D models in hours, work that used to take weeks of hand-drawing ABOUT THE BOOK:"Archaeology from Space: How the Future Shapes Our Past" by Dr. Sarah Parcak. Parcak is a pioneer of satellite archaeology who wrote the first textbook on the subject, a National Geographic Explorer, and a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is the 2016 TED Prize winner and founder of GlobalXplorer, a community-science platform that invites anyone to help spot potential archaeological sites in satellite imagery. RESOURCES & LINKS:Part 1 of our Archaeology from Space series: "Space Archaeology Found 18,000 Hidden Sites" - https://youtu.be/-0QkJZfJBf4Part 2: "Hunting Vikings with Satellites" - https://youtu.be/IF9nxTp4TVk[FPAN resource — e.g., a page on remote sensing, satellite archaeology, or how archaeologists locate sites: add link]GlobalXplorer - Parcak's citizen-science satellite archaeology platform: https://www.globalxplorer.orgThe real Tanis (San el-Hagar) and the treasures of Psusennes I - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TanisSupport the show: https://www.fpan.us/give/ #archaeologybooksforfun #ArchaeologyFromSpace #AncientEgypt

62 total episodes available

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What is Archaeology Books for Fun?: An archaeology podcast and book club where archaeologists Barbara and Tristan read and discuss archaeology books that make the ancient past approachable and fun. This bi-weekly archaeology podcast draws on over 40 years of combined experience.

Archaeology Books for Fun explores ancient civilizations, archaeological mysteries, “lost” cities, and popular myths. Topics range from the illicit artifact trade to ancient aliens and Atlantis, from high-tech LiDAR discoveries to the occasional murder mysteries.

Winner of the 2024 Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation Education Award.
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates bi-weekly.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 8 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.

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