The Good Witches of Cornwall, UK: The Saveock Water Archaeology Project
October 31, 2012
Hosted by Dr. Joseph Schuldenrein
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Guest Information
Episode Description
A Mesolithic site in Cornwall provided evidence of human habitation along a marshy streambed in Cornwall. Its spring-fed waters preserved a sustained record of human occupation through the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. However, the site is best known for a series of animal pits whose contents vary but are characterized by similar shapes and contents for the interval A.D. 1640-1970. The earliest pits were lined with swan feathers and small stones. The latter were imported from a source 15 miles away. Through time, the remains changed and included cats, pigs, and dog teeth, with eggs and the typical small stones as well. The most recent of these pits contained plastic artifacts dated to the 1970's, suggesting that these practices are still in force in Cornwall. Our special guest is Dr. Jacqui Wood who runs an archaeological field school in Cornwall dedicated to uncovering the secrets of the pits and tracking their contemporary analogues.
Indiana Jones: Myth, Reality and 21st Century Archaeology
Archives Available on VoiceAmerica Variety Channel
This show targets an audience interested in archaeology. It explores myths surrounding this exotic, often misunderstood field and acquaints listeners with the contemporary practice of unearthing the human past. Themes range from Dr. Schuldenrein’s own “Indiana Jones”-like adventures in the land of the Bible to his team’s archaeological forensics effort to unearth Kurdish mass graves in Iraq. That undertaking helped convict Saddam Hussein in 2006. Topical issues contribute to the evolution vs. creationism controversy based on updated fossil records and innovative DNA studies. An episode highlights the main funding source for archaeology in the U.S. (Hint: the oil and gas industry). Experts reveal the latest high-tech approaches to buried archaeological landscapes that provide clues to understanding climate change, past, present and future.
Dr. Joseph Schuldenrein
Joseph Schuldenrein is president and senior scientist of Geoarcheology Research Associates (GRA) in Yonkers, New York. He has been a Visiting Scholar at New York University since 1996. His professional expertise is in geoarchaeology, a sub-discipline that introduces earth science techniques to traditional archaeological excavation. Joe has worked extensively across North America and the Old World. He received his doctorate in 1983 at the University of Chicago. Recent research in North America has concentrated on the urban archaeology of New York City and Native American landscapes of the Atlantic Coast. Joe’s projects in South Asia have ranged from Human Origins investigations to the beginnings of civilization of the Indus Valley. During the Iraq war Dr. Schuldenrein’s team helped direct a forensic archaeological mission in support of the Saddam Hussein prosecution. His newest venture is an assessment of Cultural Heritage Sites in war-torn Afghanistan (2011). Dr. Schuldenrein publishes widely in numerous archaeological and geological journals. He is a reviewer for American Antiquity, Geoarchaeology, and Quaternary Science Reviews. He has acted as Principal Investigator or Consulting Scientist for grants awarded by the National Science Foundation, Wenner-Gren, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute for Aegean Prehistory. Dr. Schuldenrein has been interviewed for PBS, as well as national and regional TV and radio outlets over the past 30 years.
