Midwestern Archaeology Podcast

In this episode of the Midwestern Archaeology Podcast, we discuss the food cultures of the far-flung Polynesian communities of the vast Pacific Ocean. We cover Captain Cook, gendered food labor, and much more in this episode of MAP!Interested in learning more about Midwestern history and archaeology? Check out the Archaeology Research Institute here.

In this episode of the Midwestern Archaeology Podcast, I sat down with Dr. Metin Eren of the Kent State University Experimental Archaeology Lab to discuss the various avenues of research he has been pursuing. This episode is the second part of the interview we recorded back in November.We discuss atlatl use by men and women, the problem of equifinality, cultural evolution, knives made out of feces, and much more in this episode!Interested in learning more about Ohio River Valley Archaeology? Check out the Archaeological Research Institute here!

Welcome to the first episode of 2026! In this episode we are going to South America to look at the Wari culture of Southern Peru with the senior curator of the Archaeology of the Americas at the Royal Ontario Museum, Dr. Justin Jennings. We discuss the coalescence and beginnings of the Wari state, politics, noble houses, and psychedelic feasting in this episode.After this episode we will return to the interview I did with Dr. Metin Erin. Stay tuned for how you can listen to MAP episodes early!Check out the Royal Ontario Museum's upcoming exhibit on the History of Psychedelics this summer in June, 2026. Find more details here.Check out more of Dr. Jenning's work here!Interested in learning more about Midwestern Archaeology? Check out the Archaeological Research Institute and how you can get involved here.

This is the first episode in a series of three I recorded with Dr. Metin Eren of Kent State University! In this episode we discussed his beginnings in the field of archaeology, Darwinian understandings of culture, and much more! This is the last episode of 2025, thank you everyone for listening and sharing!!!Interested in learning more about Midwestern Archaeology? Check the Archaeological Research Institute's website here!Check out the Kent State Experimental Archaeology Laboratory website here.

In this episode of the Midwestern Archaeology Podcast I sat down with the curator for the Evansville African American History Museum Tory Schendel-Vyvoda to discuss Evansville Indiana's rich history. We discussed her background and beginnings in museum studies, the origins of Evansville's Baptist-Town, the Bloody Race Riot of 1903, and much more!If you would like to see more of Tory's work check out her personal website here:www.toryvyvoda.comInterested in the archaeology of the Midwest and want to get more involved? Check out the ARI's website here:The Archaeological Research Institute | Cincinnati, OH

In this episode I sat down with archaeologic illustrator Ren Harvey to discuss her journey as an artist, her beginnings as an elite college athlete/coach, and her fascination with the Pre-Contact world! We experienced some lag during our call so there's some delay in our conversation.Check out Ren Harvey's Facebook here!

In this episode I sat down with University of Southern Indiana professor Dr. Michael R. Strezewski to discuss the archaeology of the fascinating Hopewell Mann complex of Southwest Indiana.The Hopewell Mann gets its name from the eponymous Mann site located just outside of the modern-day town of Mt. Vernon, Indiana. Situated at the confluence of the Ohio and Wabash Rivers, the Mann Site existed at the cultural borders between the Hopewellian Midwest and the Southeast. What resulted was one of the most intriguing examples of cultural melding in all of the Midwest.Want to learn more about the Hopewell Mann? Check out Dr. Strezewski's new book "The Mann Phase: Hopewell Culture in Southwest Indiana" here. If you are interested in learning more about the Archaeological Research Institute, click here!

In this episode I sat down with Dr. Timothy R. Pauketat to discuss the incredible Mississippian city of Cahokia. We explored the incredible beginning of the polity, the vast spread of its cultural influence, and much more! Check out Dr. Pauketat's new book "Gods of Thunder: How Climate Change, Travel, and Spirituality Reshaped Precolonial America" Interested in learning more about archaeology in the Midwest? Check out the Archaeological Research Institute here.

In this episode I sat down with Dr. Cheryl P. Claassen and discussed the Archaic of Kentucky and Tennessee, training to be an archaeologist as a woman in the 70s, ancient feasting practices, and more! Check out Dr. Claassen's forthcoming new book "Women, Fertility, and North American Archaeology." If you would like to learn more about archaeology and ARI check out our website here.

On this episode of the Midwestern Archaeology Podcast, I sat down with archaeologist David Ian Howe to discuss the shared history of humans and dogs. We talk about how dogs evolved barking, the earliest evidence for dogs in the Americas, and more! If you would like to learn more about ARI or local Midwestern Archaeology follow this link!

This episode we discuss the long and mysterious Archaic Period of Midwestern Precontact history! If you are wanting to know more about this period or about archaeology in the Midwest, check out exploreari.org to learn more!

This episode I spoke with Dr. Brenda Hunda, the head curator for the invertebrate paleontology collection at the Cincinnati Museum Center. Join us as we discuss the how the Appalachian Mountains formed, what earth looked like during the Ordovician, and how Dr. Hunda got started in paleontology!

In this episode we discuss the Late Pleistocene, the Peopling of the Americas, the Clovis Culture, and a few Paleo-era sites.Check out exploreari.org to learn more about ARI and Midwestern Archaeology!

This episode we discuss the history of archaeology as it emerged out of antiquarianism and developed into the academic field that we recognize today! If you are interested in the blog post that accompanies this episode or are interested in learning more about archaeology or ARI check out our website at exploreari.org.

Welcome to the Midwest Archaeology Podcast! In this episode we introduce ourselves and discuss the four primary periods of Pre-Contact Native American history in the Mid-West.