This episode dives into the world of the British Empire - as it is viewed in Britain and the lingering narratives that surround it. Today's guest is Kim A Wagner, Professor of Global and Imperial History, who discusses the reality of the British Empire and challanges the "balance sheet" view of history which sees historical events as simply "good" or "bad". We also get on to the topic of the culture war that seems to be happening in the UK when it comes its own colonial legacy and in...

Today's epsiode is all about mutual aid, anarchism and archaeology. I sat down recently with Aris Politopolis and Colleen Morgan, both of whom are members of The Black Trowel Collective. We discuss what the BTC does and in particular the function of its microgrants, which provide $5-$300 in grants to students of archaeology, with no questions asked. We also talk about the ways in which anarchism has influenced this kind of work and what "anarchaeology" may mean in terms of working with...

Today's episode we talk to Dr Murray Cook about his new book The Anvil of Scottish History: Stories of Stirling. We discuss what makes Stirling a place of deep history and how often this is overlooked. We also discuss excavations during covid and the benefits of being outdoors. You can find his book from where you purchase books or following this link https://www.extremispublishing.com/the-anvil-of-scottish-history.html Dr. Murray Cook also runs Rampart Field School...

This epsode of Modern Myth is all about repatriation, restitituion and the return of artefacts. The Brutish Museums is a new book from Professor Dan Hicks, of the University of Oxford and Curator of World Archaeology at the Pitt Rivers Museum. In this episode we discuss the items that are currently in museums that were obtained during colonial times, under duress or through direct violence. In particular Professor Hicks has been working with the Benin Dialogue Group in order to have the...

It is always important to be open to hearing both when things go well and also when there are serious issues. In the UK, there is a feeling that systemic racism is either overemphasised or poses no real threat. However this ignorance leads to those who experience racism having to be suffer and work harder in order to have a normal life or employment.  In this conversation I am speaking to Phoenix Archer who gained a certification in Conservation with Historic Environment Scotland, a...

This episode was a privileged to record, I sat down with Ajayi Boluwaji, an archaeology based in Nigeria to talk about the similarities and differences when working in that part of the world. We discuss the colonial hangover that has greatly affected the perception of archaeology as well as the perceived economic disadvantage to doing archaeology. Ajayi describes how community archaeology is the way forward, in order to unravel and better interpret the past in Nigeria, by connecting people to...

It's your lucky day, punk. It's time to tear down walls and explore what the meaning of Punk Archaeology is and see what its perspective has to offer archaeology as a whole. I talk to Bill Caraher, who maintains the blog, Archaeology of the Mediterranean World and was also involved in the Archaeology Un-conference that spawned the book Punk Archaeology. We begin with his journey into archaeological through latin classes and then Classics, then after doing exams, decided to be an...

Archaeology around the world may be different but the different ways in which countries operate may surprise you in their similarities, particularly when it comes to the things that could be better. Today's episode I sit down with Michaela Schauer who was one of the founding members of CIfA Deutschland. As a relatively new organization in Germany, CIfA Deutschland used the blueprint laid out by Chartered Institute for Archaeologists in the UK and adapted it to what was needed in Germany. We...

In this episode of Modern Myth I sit down with MA student Amy Nuttall to talk about ADHD and the common myths, and how it has shaped her university experience. She talks about her ungraduate studies, including spending time in a tent on the Welsh coast, in order to dig up ancient sites there. We discuss the ways in which archaeology could possibly be better for people with ADHD and talk about Amy's upcoming MA work that is about bellows and metallurgy.

What time is it? It’s time to Broch! In this episode I speak to Iain Maclean and Kenneth McIlroy of the Caithness Broch Project about building a Neolithic monument, the beginnings of the project and whether you should play music inside a Broch. Find out about the history of this ancient building structure and what the future is in the Caithness area in Scotland.    If you want to find out more you can head on over to their website or follow them on Twitter and Facebook

Content warning : Discussion about Harassment and mentions of sexual assault Today's episode features Rosie Loftus, Assistant Supervisor for CFA Archaeology, based in the UK. She is also one of the founding members of Mentoring Women in Archaeology and Heritage.We discuss the creation of MWAH and the kind of efforts it supports, and explore examples of why such a group may be necessary in our current world.   Information about the award ceremony where Dani Bradford was awarded the Marsh...

Its time for Tristan Vs Tristan! In this classic re-telling of the movie Face Off, Tristan Boyle and Tristan Johnson go head to head to find out who the real Tristan is,. Only kidding, Tristan Johnson is the content creator behidn the Youtube channel StepBack History, which seeks to talk about history in a meaningful way. During this episode Tristan J outlines the reasons why he started the youtube channel and what he aims to achieve; how we reach out to certain audiences, especially those...

This is a very special episode of Modern Myth. We are talking all about foreign policy, what it is, how it affects our lives and why it is important that we are open about it. In this episode I talk to the youngest foreign policy advisor in the United States of America, Dylan Burns about foreign policy and its connection to heritage and history. We discuss modern conflicts and the relations between countries as well as what it means for repatriation in the future.  Also at the end of the...

To welcome in the new year, Tristan speaks to Dr. Michael Rivera, who is the creator of the Archaeology and Anthropology Podcast. We discuss the process leading up to the podcast’s creation, how to think about and plan ahead and be ready to release episodes. Michael explains the purpose of his podcast as well as the benefit of getting a diverse set of voices broadcast to a wide audience.  The Arch and Anth podcast releases 3 times a week, featuring guests from all areas exploring humanity’s...

Archaeology is not just about buried treasure, post-excavation analysis or even what issues exist in modern academia. Sometimes in order for us to understand where we are, we must walk in someone else’s shoes or hear from their perspective. This month’s Modern Myth Episode, I speak with Arie Akkermans, art critic, lecturer and expert in classical Greek history. Arie lives in Turkey, on the Princes Islands and gives us an ear to the ground with respect to the modern and present conflicts in...

Spooky Scary archaeologists! This podcast is an anthology of creative stories, all within the theme of Halloween and a little bit of heritage. Content Warning: Body Horror, Depressive thoughts, violence. The first story is "Mud", written and narrated by Tristan Boyle, it is the story of a field archaeologist who is confronting a sickening realisation. The next piece is a song called Nan Tuck, by Chalk Horse Music. Liz (of Chalk Horse Music) describes a witch legend in the County of Sussex...

Warning this episode contains a lot of fun, Foregoing a special American holiday, Tristan speaks with pseudo-archaeologist debunker, Sara Head, also known as ArchyFantasies of the ArchyFantasies podcast. We debate skepticism, pseudo-archaeology, podcasting, archaeogaming and much much more, Links Twitter : @anarchaeologist  @ArchyFantasieshttps://archyfantasies.com/Music Credit: All music in this episode was created by Danny Boyle“Alone at bar at 3am” are both copyright to Danny Boyle –...

This episode is about the Modern Myth of genetics, race and archaeology that permeates through far right online spaces. Discussions over one’s personal ancestry from DNA testing kits, the fall of Rome and modern migration into Europe. Dr. Susanne Hakenbeck is a senior lecturer in historical archaeology at the University of Cambridge and her recent paper, Genetics, archaeology and the far right: an unholy Trinity identifies the ways in which extremist online spaces foster racist ideas about...

n this episode of Modern Myth, we begin to unravel the lesser known history of colony and the nuacned ways  in which people occupied the British Imperial space. Talking with Cambridge Reader, Dr. Priyamvada Gopal about her new book Insurgent Empire, Tristan asks what voices are unaccounted for in traditional retellings of the British Empire and why does that have an effect on the modern narrative. The many modern myths of colony are outlined and discussed as well as what the future holds in...

Another Modern Myth Moment, the bitesize version of the Modern Myth Show. Repatriation isn't just a feelgood measure, it has many effects and needs to be discussed far more in society, Inspired by a heated debate on Twitter, Tristan outlines his views on repatriation and why it links to foreign policy. 

Ok, before you type your strongly worded tweet or you decide to #cancel me please give me a moment to explain. As has been highlighted recently, archaeology has a problem with impact with getting the information out there. Perhaps there’s nothing wrong with the food, its just the service isn’t what you want. With his new book released graham hancock appeared on the Joe Rogan show and obviously talked at length about his book, he made some salient points and importantly he tied himself to...

Quick, Marty, we gotta save the world! From what!? From nuclear annihilation. Perhaps not so grand, but in this Modern Myth episode we get to grips with the ideas behind nuclear weapons and the boogeyman of radiation, Martin Pfeiffer is a PhD student researching nuclear anthropology and loves going into musems to #LickTheBomb, (he tells us how their casings taste) and what it means to be an activist for denuclearisation of the modern world. Links Carol Cohn - “Sex and Death in the World...

Brexit, it's a word we hear all too often, no doubt we are fatigued by it. But in the cusp of its realization perhaps we should look how we got here. What helped create the narrative and  what information was drawn upon in order to make it seem that leaving the EU was the decision to vote for, at least for three majority of people. I speak to Kenny Brophy from the University of Glasgow about his paper Brexit And Prehistory about the ways in which narratives were created and how people use...

Bring yourself online.....  The HBO drama Westworld has entered its second season, dealing with a robot revolt and what it means to be Artificial Intelligence and by extension, human. All against a backdrop of America's favourite cultural setting, the Wild West. Tristan uses Westworld to introduce his multi episode series on virtual archaeology and the importance of thinking about representation of archaeology; do we want a fun and engaging history that allows people to explore or should we...