Episode 2: House of Shields

In the next installment of our archaeology podcast series, we discuss National Park Service archaeologist, Maxwell Forton’s thought-provoking work on the defensive imagery tied to rock shelters at Navajo National Monument in Arizona.

Since the pandemic began, we have all come to understand the struggle of living in a world that’s suddenly shifted off its axis. In our discussion about ancestral peoples within a portion of northeastern Arizona, Maxwell Forton and I discuss evidence that hints at a similar upending and how people dealt with it at that moment in time. We also discuss landscape archaeology and the importance of context in trying to understand the larger picture.

What is Show Me Archaeology?

Henry Glassie, Professor of Folklore and ethnomusicology at Indiana University, wrote, “the old life was simple, we are told. Absurd. Life was anything but simple when people in small groups, interrupted by storms and epidemics and marching armies, managed to raise their own food, make their own clothing, and build their own shelter, while creating their own music, literature, art, science and philosophy” (Glassie 2000:48).

This podcast series, Show Me Archaeology, will explore some of the complexities in the lives of our ancestors around the world, within our own Country, and in the State of Missouri, through research conducted by archaeologists. We, at times, will face questions about our bodies, the ways the landscape and other non-human actors engage with us, and how actions and decisions made in the past influence our present and future. If nothing else, come learn how complicated the past has been, from day one!

We invite you to join us as we dig into exploring our world through the people, places, and ideas that have shaped our society.

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