Archaeological Commentary
Since October of 2007, ASC Staff Archaeologist Michael Newland has been contributing radio commentaries on the intersections between archaeology and everyday life to the Perspectives Series, broadcast weekly from KQED Public Radio in San Francisco.
The focus of Perspectives is on California in general and the Bay Area more specifically. Mike works with Perspectives editor Mark Trautwein and the KQED recording personnel for each piece. Links for Mike’s commentaries are below.
Each audio file is in MP3 format, about 1.1 MB, and play for just over 2 minutes. They are also available from the KQED audio archives. (Descriptions and audio files provided by KQED.)
Friday September 25, 2009 – 7:37 AM
To Grieve is to Honor – The death of a good friend and colleague lead archaeologist Mike Newland to contemplate the importance of our rituals for the departed.
Monday August 24, 2009 – 7:37 AM
Change or Die – Archaeologists like Mike Newland spend a lot of time studying cultures that have failed. And there's one common theme in those failures that does not bode well for our climate change-challenged civilization.
Thursday June 11, 2009 – 7:37 AM
Sacred – Native American religious sites have legal protection, but archaeologist Mike Newland finds that the nature of those sites and the nature of those legal protections are on a collision course.
Monday April 06, 2009 – 7:37 AM
Purgatory – Mike Newland visits an archaeological site in the Sierra foothills where miners moved tons of stones to little purpose and native villagers once believed that souls lived life in reverse.
Wednesday February 04, 2009
Lost People – As an archaeologist, Mike Newland is used to dealing with lost people. But the strangest lost people are alive and kicking.
Monday December 22, 2008
Gold Rush – Archaeologist Mike Newland finds clues to the meaning of success in the diary of a pair of California miners from Gold Rush days.
Wednesday November 26, 2008
The People at the Table – A curious find reminds archaeologist Mike Newland that it's not the meal that makes Thanksgiving, but the people who made the meal and share it with each other.
Friday October 31, 2008
Graveyards – Fake cemetery paraphernalia are a Halloween tradition, but archaeologist Michael Newland can tell you the creepiest graveyards are the real ones.
Thursday June 19, 2008
Culture Vulture – Archaeologists like Mike Newland once had an unflattering reputation for picking at the bones of native peoples to preserve their history.
Thursday April 10, 2008
A Fixed Point – When Mike Newland works an archaeological dig, he's just as connected to a satellite as he is to an artifact.
Tuesday October 30, 2007
Serious Science – As an archaeologist and teacher, Mike Newland has the answer to the question, "Why study the past?"