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Hello and Welcome back for Episode 27 of The Struggling Archaeologist’s Guide to Getting Dirty “Ranger Danger!”

It’s the end of field season, so it’s time to discuss field work do’s and don’ts and then get safety conscious with a talk about the dangers of field archaeology. I had a fun time discussing this topic with some of my archaeology internet friend-type people, who contributed some of their horror stories from the field. It’s hard out there for an arch sometimes, but don’t let that scare you, it’s still an exciting and rewarding career that will keep you on your toes no matter where you’re working!

I was so jazzed about this topic that I created a little infographic for you to demonstrate what I’m talking about and present some of the info from the pod in a more streamlined manner. Here it is, and yes, that is me in the purple shirt and camo hat! It’s hard finding royalty free pictures of archaeologists in proper field gear, so I had to use myself as the model. I think I really make the whole infographic

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• Fieldwork Opportunities
• Women in Archaeology Episode 8 – What’s in Your Pack
• Health and Safety Information for Archaeologists
• Archaeology Trowels and Other Gear
• Glacier Archaeology Program

So that’s it for the show folks. Hope you liked it and feel a little bit more confident heading out into the wide world to do your thing. Remember to check out this and other great archaeology podcasts on the Archaeology Podcast Network. And as always, contact me at:

guidetogettingdirty@gmail.com

http://thestrugglingarchaeologist.tumblr.com/

@strugglingarch on Twitter

facebook.com/guidetogettingdirty

McNiven Out!

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HEY! It’s me, Jenny, and I’m back baby! It’s time for episode 24 of The Struggling Archaeologist’s Guide to Getting Dirty, and this one is the MOTHER of all archaeology podcasts.

I can say that because I gave birth in the middle of this podcast. You’ll have to listen to it to find out exactly how that went down, but I promise you it was pretty exciting. SO, where have I been for the last oh, I don’t know, 6 months??? Really really pregnant for 3 of them and trying to clean spit-up out of my clothes and hair for the other 3. Having a baby is hard work, and so while my attention has been elsewhere for a while I have been continuing to keep up with the archaeology world at large and thinking of lots of great podcasts to bring you in 2016.

This podcast continues on the theme of pregnancy/childbirth that I started last episode. But this time I’m tackling pregnancy within the field, as a struggling and very pregnant rchaeologist. For those of you who wonder about whether you can start a family while working, or worry about how you will be treated as a big old preggo in the field- tune in to hear all about my personal experience during this past year.

Then it’s time to review two of the biggest news stories in archaeology during 2015: is there a hidden chamber in King Tut’s tomb? And what’s up with this new hominin Homo naledi?

To read more on the Homo naledi discovery click here and here! To read more on King Tut’s tomb click here! Also, don’t forget to check out this and other great archaeology podcasts on the Archaeology Podcast Network!

I would write more, but there’s a baby gnawing on my left hand and typing is kind of difficult. #mommyproblems

Here’s a picture of me in the field at 7 months pregnant, and the adorable archaeobaby that has stolen my heart… and time and energy.

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Cheers, McNiven out!

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Welcome to Episode 23 of The Struggling Archaeologist’s Guide to Getting Dirty!

I’m Jenny, a big old history nerd with a dramatic streak and a lack of creative outlets. Hence the podcast. The show has taken a little bit of a hiatus while I figure out some life things, and for that I am sorry. But, if it makes you feel any better, my “life things” turns out to be a pretty cool development. He’s about 7 months along right now and getting ready to pop this fall. That’s right! I’m expecting a little shovelbum and couldn’t be more excited for this most excellent adventure. But enough about me, let’s get back to the archaeology! So here’s what to expect in this episode:

• We learn about Pictish forts being discovered by adventurous archaeologists in Scotland
• I decide that somehow I’m vaguely connected to Pictish history because I’m from New York
• Next it’s time to a new segment “Stories that Shaped the World” where we talk about how mythology influenced life in the past
• Because I’m preggo I decided to look into childbirth in Egyptian mythology
• I have an update for you on The Struggling Archaeologist Book Club!

So that’s it for now, here are some pictures of the Scottish forts mentioned in this episode. Enjoy and be sure to check out the other awesome archaeology podcasts on the Archaeology Podcast Network, new episodes out weekly!

McNiven OUT!

Twitter @strugglingarch

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Welcome to a new episode of The Struggling Archaeologist’s Guide to Getting Dirty!

In this episode we’re going Paleo…Paleo diet that is! There’s been a bit of controversy concerning this “lifestyle” from the anthropological community. So I thought we’d examine the concept of the diet and what it does and doesn’t have to do with the lives of our paleolithic ancestors. Also, (to be read with your best Jerry Seinfeld impression) what, is the deal, with Paleo muffins?

Here are some links you might be interested in checking out from the episode:

• Loren Cordain’s Website
• Christina Warriner’s “Debunking the Paleo Diet” TedTalk
• The Top 25 Paleo Bloggers
• Kerin O’dea Article on Aboriginal Australian Hunter-Gatherers
• WHO Article on Pacific Islanders and the Western Diet

Thanks for listening everyone, you can always download the podcast on iTunes or at the Archaeology Podcast Network website!

Feel free to get in touch at guidetogettingdirty@gmail.com, thestrugglingarchaeologist.tumblr.com, and @strugglingarch on twitter

McNiven OUT!

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Welcome to Episode 21 of The Struggling Archaeologist’s Guide to Getting Dirty “The Archaeology of Alcohol: Ancient Ales Edition!”

I suggest you sit back, pop open a cold one, get a little toasty, and enjoy this generally informative fun-times podcast.

So, our ancestors have been making alcoholic concoctions for thousands of years, and thanks to science and archaeology we now have the ability to reconstruct the recipes to some of these awesome drinks. I thought it would be interesting to find out about how alcohol has evolved from its early days to what we are familiar with today, so that’s what today’s podcast is about!

I had a lot of fun recording this episode because it also gave me an excuse to drink some delicious beer, so thanks Beer Gods! In the podcast you’ll learn about:

• How Dogfish Head collaborated with biomolecular archaeologist Patrick McGovern, director of the archaeology project for cuisine, fermented beverages and health at the University of Pennsylvania museum, to create their line of ancient ales based on reconstructed recipes from archaeological discoveries around the world!
• A background on the origins of drinking and producing alcohol, and how drinking helped civilizations develop around the world!
• How some monks in the Middle Ages started changing the face of ale and created some of the first modern beers. Then, how Germany regulated the crap out of it!

Finally, on a non-alcohol related front, I decided to start a book club for people who enjoy books about history, like me! Our first read is a historical fiction novel called All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, a WWII story about a young blind French girl and a German boy whose lives intersect in the midst of the devastation of war. Get your hands on the book and give it a read, then we’ll discuss it on the social medias and youtubes! For more books I’m thinking about reading for the club, check out my goodreads bookshelf called struggling arch book club. Feel free to send me suggestions too, I’d love to hear them!

So that’s it, enjoy the episode and enjoy some great beer while listening. Here are some links from this podcast that you may want to visit-

Dogfish Head Ancient Ales

Pat McGovern’s Website

History of Trappist Monks and Beer Here and Here

Beer and the History of Civilization

The Archaeology of Alcohol Here and alcohol-archaeology-i-recreate-beverages-with-heritage.html?cmpid=RSS%7CNSNS%7C2012-GLOBAL%7Cmagcontents#.VKZMSyvF98E">Here

Check out The Struggling Archaeologist on the new Archaeology Podcast Network, along with lots of other great archaeology podcasts. And, as always, follow me on twitter, tumblr, and facebook, because that’s what the cool kids do.

McNiven OUT!

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Welcome back! It’s Episode 20 of The Struggling Archaeologist’s Guide to Getting Dirty, “What’s Next?”

So, I thought I’d catch you up on recent events relating to grad school and my career(Spoiler: I’m graduating, yay me!). That turned into the perfect opportunity for me to dispense some sagely advice about going out into the job market and figuring out what to do after school. If you’re looking for some great sources to look for jobs or learn about how to get jobs, I suggest you check out some of the sources I listed in the podcast, such as-

• Archaeologyfieldwork.com
• Shovelbums
• llc.com/podcast/">CRM Archaeology Podcast and the llc.com/blog/">Random Acts of Science blog

There are lots of great resources out there if you need some guidance, and many great archaeology blogs that cover these types of topics. But remember to take advantage of the people you know (ooh, that sounded weirder than I meant), and ask for advice!

This episode also features another segment of “Back to Basics with Jenny!” This time, I wanted to do an Anthro 101 Introduction to Human Origins review. If you’ve taken a bioanthropology course you will have probably heard all of this, so if it’s repetitive I apologize, but I wanted to include it so that listeners who haven’t explored these kinds of topics could learn more about it. You’ll hear about primate evolution, scientific dating methods, paleoanthropology, and genetics. So, you know, totally easy to understand non-scientific type stuff Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions, I’m not a bio or a paleo specialist, but I really enjoyed studying evolutionary theory so I love talking about it.

Don’t forget that the Archaeology Podcast Network is now up and running, so go on over to the website to check out all of the fun-times shows going up this month. And as always, follow me on twitter, tumblr, and facebook.

Peace Out my Nerds!

Jenny

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Welcome back to The Struggling Archaeologist’s Guide to Getting Dirty! This is episode 19 of the podcast “Caen you handle this? It’s France, part Deux!”

In this, the second installment of Jenny’s French adventures, we talk about my time in Paris and the Normandy region. Some of the things I waxed on about in this episode include:

• What’s up with city planning and historical relevance in Paris?
• Saint Denis Paris? Really? His name is Denis…
• Jenny’s movie recommendation for the month: Midnight in Paris
• Guess the obscure musical and I’ll get you a rescue puppy! (have your pets spayed and neutered people!)
• William the Conqueror’s total badassery
• The Bayeux tapest…embroider…thingy
• Jenny’s fun-times guide to D-Day and other depressing places like the La Cambe German cemetery…
• Really dude… your parachute got stuck where? FAIL.

And if you think I forgot that I owed you “La Vie En Rose” in French think again, enjoy the subtle stylings of Jenny-Radio (disclaimer- I was coming down with a cold when I recorded this so it’s not my best, I know- you’re disappointed, well I’m only human people!)

I’ll leave you with some pictures from this part of my trip. Be sure to leave me a comment if you liked what you heard, or email me at guidetogettingdirty@gmail.com. I can, as always, be found on tumblr, twitter, and facebook. Merci beaucoups mes amis!

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It’s the Amelie place, It’s the Amelie place! (well, the St. Denis place I guess… if you’re being technical)

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Did I mention that I accidentally discovered Jean Francois Champollion’s house? Oh yeah, I accidentally happened upon Jean Francois Champollion’s house (the Egyptologist to first decipher hieroglyphs from the Rosetta Stone in 1822)

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Robert Langdon are you there?

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It’s the almost non-existent evidence of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette’s execution in the Place de la Revolution!

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Did you know you can climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe? You can and it’s lovely!

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It’s William the Conqueror’s 11th century castle in the middle of Caen!

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This is the Bayeux Cathedral, where they kept the Bayeux Tapestry/Embroidery/thingy for hundreds of years!

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Gold Beach (I think, they all looked alike!) on the Normandy Coast

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Welcome “at” our liberators from a local café… they tried people, let’s give them that…

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Omaha Beach from the National American Cemetery

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The National American Cemetery and Memorial

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The cliffs of Pointe du Hoc.. and I mean, goddamn they were steep!

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A ravaged landscape, the craters of Pointe du Hoc

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German bunkers on Utah Beach

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The Navy Memorial on Utah Beach

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La Cambe German Cemetery, final resting place to 21,000 German soldiers

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Look at that guy, talk about FAIL! The St. Mère-Église cathedral featuring Private John Steele hanging from the steeple by his parachute (he’s actually really brave and wonderful, no offense to all of you Steele lovers)

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The stained glass window honoring the 82nd and 101st airborne paratroopers at the St. Mère-Église cathedral

That’s all for now folks, tune in next time for more of The Struggling Archaeologist’s Guide to Getting Dirty!

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Bonjour mes amis! Et bienvenue to episode 18 of The Struggling Archaeologist’s Guide to Getting Dirty, “Béarnaise Awesome-Sauce!”

You may have noticed that I’ve been gone for the last three weeks (yeah, sorry about that), well it’s because I’ve been in France! So I thought now that I’ve returned to my native soil I would tell you all about my travels and the fun and fascinating things I learned while exploring the beautiful land of baguettes, burgundy, and béarnaise sauce!

This will be a two-part series because there’s just so much to talk about; I wanted to have a whole episode for my time in the French Basque Country as well as my visit to Normandy for the 70th anniversary of D-Day. Don’t worry, it’s not just me talking about the crazy-fun times I had, I really wanted to talk about the people and cultures of these distinct regions and their place in French history.

So this episode is all about Southwestern France, the Pyrénées, the Béarn region, and Basque Country. Enjoy and stay tuned for the next episode in our “Jenny does France” series!

Check out my tumblr blog for more pictures, and follow me on twitter!

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