Author: N. Friedline, Word Count: 666Featured in The Spooky Archaeological Tales: Live Stream - Halloween 2021 I walked along a wooded path, the trees twisted and gnarled by the western wind. It was deep in the continent where no ocean would ever reach and only a few scattered settlements remained. Things grew old here. The path began to narrow, just as the villages warned. The once vibrant forest was now... Continue Reading →
Not Odin! | Hallowe’en 2021
Author: E. Winter, Word Count: 666Featured in The Spooky Archaeological Tales: Live Stream - Halloween 2021 “So you’re saying it’s not a temple to Odin.” “No, it’s an Anglo-Saxon site, so they would have been worshipping Woden if they were pre-Christian. There’s no reason to think it was a temple, and anyway, the date is... Continue Reading →
The Archaeology of Star Wars strikes back! (Comparing Jakku & the Battlefields of WWI)
“Conflict archaeology in a galaxy far far away.” In 2013 I wrote an essay about the archaeology of Star Wars. In it, I explored the extant remains of ‘Tatooine’ in Tunisia as being archaeologically valid in the 'real' world. I suggested that they are ‘culturally significant imaginings’, an extension of the more traditional archaeology of ‘culturally... Continue Reading →
The Archaeology of Star Wars “These are not the ruins you’re looking for!”
The Lars Homestead ‘igloo’, home to the Skywalker clan. Image courtesy of Rä di Martino “These are not the ruins you’re looking for!” In 2012 Italian photographer Rä di Martino spent more than a year wandering the desert towns of Morocco and Tunisia, on her journey she came across the curious remnants of another world… ‘A long... Continue Reading →
Black History Month 2020 at ‘Soup Towers
This month I am diving in to my love of Halloween and having a lot of fun extending beyond the usual 'Halloween Week'. It's great.However, since 1987, October has also been Black History Month in the UK and as much as I enjoy Halloween, I also want to acknowledge this annual opportunity to reflect and... Continue Reading →
Shaking the Tree! Prohibiting a ‘Safe Space’ for Ahistorical Hatred
Since I made a (slightly sarcastic) 'Cultural Marxist' satirical confessional video, I've seen a small dribble of lost Likes, Follows and Subs across Archaeosoup's Social Media (about 20 people so far), accompanied by what I refer to as various 'loud leaving' comments and messages. These are typically insults and pearl clutching comments along the lines... Continue Reading →
Dyslexia: Giving Myself Permission to ‘Cheat’!
It is so important to regularly stop and examine of the truths we carry with us every day. That familiar sack of behaviours, received wisdom and lessons-learned may have served you well so far, but is there something weighing you down? Holding you back? Something which doesn't belong in the sack any more? In my... Continue Reading →
Pride & Black Lives Matter: Why isn’t My Hand Up?
This morning I received an email which stopped me in my tracks and hasn’t quite let me go. It asked a simple question, which boils down to this: Why isn’t your hand up? The email was from a young woman asking why is it that Archaeosoup hasn’t publicly expressed support for #blacklivesmatter or Pride Month... Continue Reading →
A Miasma for Modern Times?
In my experience, it is not uncommon for archaeologists to develop a range of skills and habits from abstract creativity to focused critical thinking. Though in recent days, one of the more basic archaeological skills has come in extremely handy... Survey! "I suspect archaeologists had a bit of a head start when we were asked... Continue Reading →
‘Social Distancing’: An archaeologist’s thoughts on the space between us…
"Place is space objectified"Richardson 1989 CC-Zero-badge, Wikimedia Commons This week, I find myself reflecting on the meaning we assign to one of the more relatable forms of 'nothing' we all come across every day, space. Or rather the space between us!If Archaeology has taught me anything, it is that humans are excellent 'meaning-makers'!If there's a... Continue Reading →
