Tea-Break Time Travel
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time? Back to the mediaeval period, to see the earliest printing press or spinning wheel? To the Bronze Age, watching from the sidelines as a blacksmith hammers out a beautiful leaf -shaped blade? How about the early Neolithic, to learn how to knap that perfect stone hand axe? Or even all the way back to the Palaeolithic, to witness the creation of the earliest ever clay object? Well, you’re in luck! My name is Matilda Siebrecht and I will be hosting a brand-new monthly series called Tea-break Time Travel. Every episode I will be joined on my tea break by a guest with expert knowledge on a particular archaeological object. Together, we will travel back in time, discussing the object itself as well as the cultures and environments surrounding its creation and use. So plug in your headphones, grab your hot beverage of choice, and settle down for a journey back in time!
Episodes
This episode is a little different to usual, as Matilda discusses her background in archaeology and how she got to where she is today, as well as her inspiration for starting the podcast and how her experience has been for the last two years. Most importantly, she ends with the announcement that due to personal and professional priorities, Tea-break Time Travel will be taking a break, to launch with a fresh season-centered format i...
The board is set as Matilda chats with Dr Alice Blackwell from National Museums Scotland all about the beautiful and iconic Lewis chess pieces. They’re one of the most recognisable objects at the museum, but how much do we actually know about them? Who made them and played with them? How similar was medieval chess to our modern version? And what does a modern whiskey distillery have to do with early medieval research? Listen in to ...
It’s time for the last in our series on dating methods for Tea-break Time Travel Training, and this time Matilda discusses the most common for of relative dating - stratigraphy. But what exactly is stratigraphy? Why are there so many rules and principles to something that seems extremely self-explanatory? And what does any of this have to do with dusty shelves? Listen it to find out!
Transcripts
- For a transcript of thi...
This month we’re getting elite as Matilda chats all about chieftain burials with archaeologist, curator, editor, and model Dr Sasja van der Vaart-Verschoof (also known on her online platforms as The Overdressed Archaeologist). Well, they’re talking about one chieftain burial in particular - that found in Oss in the Netherlands - and they’re especially talking about why the burial included a large and beautifully made iron sword ben...
In this month’s Tea-break Time Travel Training, Matilda is looking at yet another scientific dating technique used in archaeology: Thermoluminescence Dating! What is thermoluminescence? How you can use it to date ancient pottery? How does it compare to previous dating methods covered on the podcast? And are dreams made of atoms? Listen in to find out!
Transcripts
- For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www....
Matilda is joined this week by Raven Todd DaSilva (who you might recognise as the face behind the very popular “Dig It With Raven” YouTube channel), to talk about the colossal stone heads of the Olmec Culture. Why were these huge heads made? What do they have to do with rubber? And why hasn’t Raven posted a video on her channel for a year? Find out the answers to these questions and more by tuning in today!
Transcripts
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It's time for the next installment of Tea-break Time Travel Training and this month we're showing the trees some love and looking into the details of dendrochronology! It seems like a simple concept but how much do you really know about tree rings? How do they form? How can we use them to date a site that's thousands of years old? And what does all this have to do with solar flares? Tune in to find out these answers and more!
Tr...
What’s the link between two dirt balls, a bundle of five silver arm-rings, and a golden bird pin? They were all found in the Galloway Hoard! This month, Matilda is joined by Dr Adrián Maldonado, a medieval archaeologist who is currently researching this unique and fascinating find. Tune in to find out the difference between medieval history and medieval archaeology, why people buried things in the ground in the past, and what any o...
It’s time for the first episode of our Tea-break Time Travel training series, where we cover all of those essential theoretical and methodological backgrounds that every time traveller needs to have under their belt. This month, we’re kicking things off with one of the most popular archaeological dating methods: radiocarbon dating. But what exactly is radiocarbon dating? How do you do it? And why does it matter if people in the pas...
Meet Tilly, the amazing host of Tea-Break Time Travel, and co-host of the And My Trowel podcasts. She is also the woman behind the @the_archaeologists_teacup Instagram account, and all the APN social media! Today we chat with her about her all podcasts, as well as her areas of expertise: microwear analysis and experimental archaeology. Finally, she lends her expert opinion on a recent news article that used some cutting edge micro...
Can you believe that Tea-break Time Travel has now been running for two whole years? For this very special 25th episode, Matilda does a bit of time travelling of her own, looking back at what’s happened in the podcast so far, and also sharing the future of the series.
Transcripts
- For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/teabreak/25
Links
Not all that glitters is gold… Sometimes it’s silver! In today’s episode, Matilda is joined by Egyptologist and Jewelery Historian Sigrid van Roode, to talk all about that most magical of materials: silver. Together, they discuss all the questions about silver that you didn’t even know you had: Why did people used to regularly cut up silver bracelets? What did political issues in central Asia have to do with the Viking raids in Nor...
This year is the 25th anniversary of the 1999 classic starring Brendan Fraser - yes, we’re talking about The Mummy - and to celebrate, Matilda is joined today by object conservator Jessica van Dam to talk all about mummies! How old is the oldest mummy? Why were some mummies wrapped in red bandages? Were there mummies found in the pyramids? And what exactly is an object conservator? Find out the answers to these and more in this mon...
It’s time to come out of the dark ages this month with one of the most famous British archaeological sites: Sutton Hoo. This episode, Matilda is joined by Natasha Billson, a professional archaeologist and presenter, to chat all about the amazing Sutton Hoo helmet. Why is this object so important to our understanding of the past? What does it have to do with Sri Lankan garnets? And how can archaeologists engage with pseudoscience? T...
After chatting with Danny all about the tools and techniques used in ancient tattooing, it’s time to talk about the tattoos themselves! For that, Matilda enlisted the help of professional archaeologist Aaron Deter-Wolf, who specialises in the study of ancient tattoos all around the world. But how exactly can you identify tattoos on badly preserved skin? Why were people tattooing in the past? And how can you juggle independent resea...
There are so many things that don’t survive the thousands of years between the past and present, and so many crafts and skills that are very difficult to identify from a material point of view. Luckily, we have expert artists who can help us out! This month, Matilda is joined by professional tattoo artist Daniel Riday, who will be chatting all about the tools and techniques used in ancient tattooing. What’s the difference between u...
You thought that last month was a short trip back in time, but this month is an even shorter trip as we travel to the Edo period of Japan with special guest Tehya Nakamura - otherwise known as TK and host of the podcast “For the Love of History” - to chat all about netsuke. But what are netsuke? How do you wear them? What do they have to do with big sleeves and pockets? And what is the link between Blackbeard and female samurai? Li...
In this month’s episode we take a very short trip back in time, because we’re looking at the Bayeux Tapestry. Joining me is professional embroiderer and textile archaeologist Dr Alexandra Makin, and together we chat about the story and context of this intriguing object. Who made the tapestry and why? How does it compare to other embroidery of the time? And can I persuade Alex to get off the fence and say something outrageous? Tune ...
In this month’s tea-break, Matilda is joined by Andrew Meirion Jones, Professor of Archaeology at Stockholm University and one of several researchers who have attempted to unravel the mystery of the elusive Scottish Carved Stone Balls. If you’re looking for a definitive answer, then this isn’t the episode for you (or the podcast really!), but tune in if you’re interested in hearing about the different theories, learning how they we...
I hope that you have something appropriate to wear, because this month Matilda chats to textile archaeologist Ronja Lau all about that most essential of tools - the mighty sewing needle. Have you ever wondered what the earliest needles would have been made from? How colourful the past really was? The significance of a ring covered in horse hair? Then put on your glad rags and listen in to this month’s episode!
Transcripts
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