Tag: anthropology

Episode 71 Sources: Dead & Buried – The History of Burial Practices with Amy Manlapas

Let’s talk about death, baby! Burying and memorializing the dead is typically thought of as a distinctly human (or at least hominid) act. In this episode, Meagan is joined by Substitute Sister and history teacher, Amy Manlapas, to talk about what that has looked like for the last few hundred thousand years (we’ve been digging graves for a long time!). Starting with the 400,000 year old (and pre-burial-practices) Sima de los Huesos (Pit of Bones) in Spain, we dig through the history of graves leading up to the modern cemetery. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and more.

You can find Amy on TikTok @amymanlapas or through her website: https://amy-elizabeth.net/.

Want to listen without the ads? Check out our Patreon, where you can get ad-free episodes & more! https://www.patreon.com/spookyscipod

Here are our sources:

  1. https://www.sciencealert.com/keith-eggener-ted-talk-on-history-of-the-cemetary
  2. https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/behavior/burial
  3. https://www.talkdeath.com/the-most-fascinating-ancient-burial-rituals/
  4. https://www.americanscientist.org/article/the-latest-on-homo-naledi
  5. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jul/22/small-brained-early-humans-homo-naledi-cleverer-storm
  6. https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/our-strange-unsettled-history-of-mourning
  7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funeral
  8. https://ideas.ted.com/11-fascinating-funeral-traditions-from-around-the-globe/
  9. https://news.wisc.edu/archeologists-uncover-evidence-of-intentional-burial-cave-engravings-by-early-human-ancestor/
  10. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-human-relatives-may-have-buried-their-dead-180982308/
  11. https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/courses/archaeologicaltheory/5144.html
  12. http://www.spoilheap.co.uk/burial.htm 
  13. https://portaltothepast.newsouthassoc.com/sample-page/mortuary-archaeology/
  14. https://pages.vassar.edu/realarchaeology/2015/09/21/rituals-and-remains/
  15. https://www.sciencealert.com/the-oldest-known-burial-site-in-the-world-was-not-made-by-our-species
  16. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03457-8
  17. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/african-genesis/oldest-burials-and-their-significance/1B10F74654E37D2BC17D34C79E819134
  18. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/scientists-discover-oldest-known-human-grave-africa-180977659/
  19. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/scientist-discover-worlds-oldest-burial-site-in-south-africa/2915622
  20. https://www.sutori.com/en/story/the-evolution-of-ancient-burial-practices-and-beliefs-to-the-modern-day–4egVs2akSCxkc2dsHhcr8dwP
  21. https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2023/06/05/homo-naledi-burial/
  22. https://www.sapiens.org/culture/hominin-burial/
  23. https://www.worldhistory.org/tomb/
  24. https://www.worldhistory.org/burial/
  25. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-seeds-of-civilization-78015429/
  26. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/scientists-discover-oldest-known-human-grave-africa-180977659/
  27. https://thenaturalhistorian.com/2014/06/26/pit-of-bones-spain-human-origins-creationism/

Bonus Episode Sources: Surprise! Spooky Caves with Sara Head

Surprise! We’re talking all things spooky caves in this bonus episode we recorded last fall with the incomparable Sara Head of the Archaeological Fantasies podcast. Listen to hear us discuss the use and mythology about caves from prehistory to current-day TikTok conspiracies. This episode is a bit less polished than our regular ones, but we hope you enjoy this deep dive into the creepy world of caves! Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, or iHeartRadio.

You can find Sara on Twitter @ArchyFantasies, or on these podcasts: Archaeological Fantasies, Paranormal Archaeology, and Digging to the Other Side.

View the Missing 411 maps here: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/missing-persons-cave-maps/

Photos of the Crystal Maiden skeleton in the Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-crystal-maiden-of-the-actun-tunichil-muknal-cave-belize

Here are our sources:

  1. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna26208873
  2. https://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Midwest/04/28/cave.deaths/index.html
  3. https://www.archaeology.org/issues/96-1307/trenches/962-greece-portals-underworld-neolithic
  4. https://magazine.mayaluxe.com/articles//cenotes-of-yucatan-sacred-portals-to-the-maya-paradise
  5. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/11-hidden-spots-to-enter-the-underworld
  6. https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2014-5-september-october/green-life/spelunkers-beware-these-are-5-spookiest-caves-america
  7. https://www.ladbible.com/community/weird-conspiracy-theorist-says-people-are-going-missing-in-cannibal-caves-20210525
  8. https://www.thesmokies.com/dennis-martin-feral-humans/
  9. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/02/getting-lost-cave-labyrinth-brain/582865/
  10. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/journey-oldest-cave-paintings-world-180957685/
  11. https://www.science101.com/why-the-catacombs-in-paris-are-dubbed-the-gate-to-hell/
  12. https://drivinvibin.com/2021/05/04/national-parks-home-to-feral-people/
  13. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12520-018-0599-5
  14. https://nypost.com/2018/02/20/theres-a-good-reason-why-people-suddenly-died-near-roman-portal-to-hell/
  15. https://www.cometoparis.com/paris-guide/paris-monuments/the-catacombs-of-paris-s955
  16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catacombs_of_Paris
  17. https://blogs.egu.eu/divisions/ts/2018/02/02/paris-from-quarry-to-catacombs/

Origins of Pop Culture Vampires with Dr. Holly Walters

Edward Cullen and Dracula. Two vastly different characters that have one major thing in common – they vant to suck your blood. If you enjoyed our first episode about vampires, you will love this one! Dr. Holly Walters, cultural anthropologist, author, and knower of all things vampires, joins us to chat about the origins of the modern day vampire. What stories inspired the young, sexy, blood-sucking vampire that we know and love today? Are Meagan and Paige embarrassed by the poor taste in vampire fiction? Listen now to find out!

You can find Holly at her blog or on Twitter!

To see our sources for this episode, head to our website at spookysciencesisters.com. Hit subscribe to be notified of future episodes, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@SpookySciPod), and Facebook (@SpookyScienceSisters) for even more spooky content! Help us grow by sharing with a friend and leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support the show further by buying us a “spirit”!

Spooky Science Sisters is a member of the Straight Up Strange Podcast Network.