Roundup

Win Scutt's 'This Week in Archaeology' [audio 15min @2:30]

Archaeologist Win Scutt reports on the discovery of an accurate portrait of Julius Caesar; the claim by German researchers thaty they have found the Palace of the Queen of Sheba and an altar that may once have held the Ark of the Covenant; the discovery in Korea of what archaeologists think may be the foundations of the oldest wooden Buddhist tower in Asia; the repair work just completed on the largest artificial mound in Europe, in Silbury Hill, Wiltshire, England; a Victorian cobbled street th

Richard Holmes on John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough [audio 18min @ 19:45]

Military historian Richard Holmes talks to Paul Allen about his book Marlborough: England's Fragile Genius (HarperPress), which tells the story of John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough. From humble beginnings he rose to become Britain's finest soldier and a confidant of two monarchs--James II and Queen Anne. Holmes makes the case for John Churchill as Britain's greatest ever soldier. A man who was at the centre of the European stage and a star of its iconic battles like Blenhei

Rick Shenkman: Just how stupid are we? [video 8min]

In this video, historian Rick Shenkman discusses the subject of his new book, Just How Stupid Are We? Facing the Truth about the American Voter (Basic Books, June 2008). Shenkman is an associate professor of history at George Mason University and the editor of this website, the History News Network. H

Anthony Pagden on East vs. West [audio 10min @13:55]

The differences that divide 'East' from 'West' today go deeper than politics or religion, argues the historian Anthony Pagden in his latest book, Worlds at War: The 2,500-Year Struggle between East and West (Oxford University Press). Pagden charts how the current conflict between the two worlds belongs to a far older history of imagery and myth-making, that starts with the Persian Wars on Ancient Greece and progresses through the Christian crusades, the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire

How Madison and Hamilton wrote the Federalist Papers, defined the Constitution, and made democracy safe for the world [video 46min]

Michael Meyerson recounts the writing of the Federalist Papers in his new book Liberty's Blueprint (Perseus Publishing). In it, he profiles the essayists, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, and contends that their writings were widely read and assisted in the understanding of the U.S. Constitution. Meyerson is a law professor at the University of Baltimore. He is the author of Political Numeracy: Mathematical Perspectives on Our Chaotic Constitution. This event was hosted by Ol

Juan Cole and the BBC Doha Debates [video 47min]

The Doha Debates have a local audience and a big student following. They also sponsor a Qatari student debating team. Among the aims of the enterprise is to foster a tradition of Oxford-style debating in the Gulf and the Arab world. Given that Qatar is emerging as a major educational hub in the region, with its innovative Education City Complex, the Doha Debates have taken on an important pedagogical role.

Our skeletons tell story of TB [audio 11min @14:50]

Archaeologists and geneticists are joining forces to try to discover how diseases evolve. By extracting ancient human DNA they are looking to see how tuberculosis developed over the centuries and reveal its ultimate origins. Presenter Quentin Cooper is joined by Professor Charlotte Roberts, Department of Archaeology, University of Durham; and Professor Terry Brown, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester.

Joseph J. Ellis on Thomas Jefferson's character [audio 24min]

As inscrutable as he was influential, Thomas Jefferson casts a mighty shadow on American history. In this lecture, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Joseph J. Ellis explores Jefferson's political ideology and suggests that as the United States emerges from the twentieth century, it may be moving toward a more Jeffersonian ideal of limited government and the primacy of the individual. X is the author of American Sphinx: The character of Thomas Jefferson (Knopf).

Eleanor Robson, Karen Radner & Andrew George on the Library at Nineveh - Treasure trove of Assyrian ideas [audio 43min]

In 1849 a young English adventurer called Henry Layard started digging into a small hill. It was on the banks of the River Tigris in Northern Iraq and underneath it was the ancient city of Nineveh. Layard found extraordinary things--wonderful carved reliefs, ancient palace rooms and great statues of winged bulls. He also found a collection of clay tablets, broken up, jumbled around and sitting on the floor of a toilet. It was the remnants of a library and, although Layard didn’t know it at the t

Gore Vidal on the Bush presidency, history and the 'United States of Amnesia' [video 34min]

With a career spanning more than six decades, Gore Vidal is one of America's most respected writers and thinkers. He has authored more than twenty novels and five plays. His latest book is Point to Point Navigation: A Memoir.

Win Scutt 's 'This Week in Archaeology' [audio 15min @2:30]

Archaeologist Win Scutt reports on the completion of the first season of excavation in an ancient city in Iran; a police guard protecting a site from "tombaroli" after builders stumbled upon a series of ancient tombs in Italy; archaeologists who have been digging on the edge of the Sussex Cliffs at Peacehaven Heights, England; a Viking sword that has been found in the Isle of Man, UK; archaeologists excavating a 1000-year-old canoe in Florida; and divers planning to search the Danube f

Marking the French social revolution of '68 [audio 8min]

Forty years ago, millions of French workers joined protesting students in a general strike that paralyzed the country and nearly brought down the government. A few weeks later, the May 1968 protests fizzled out, but French society was radically changed. Sylvia Poggioli, Senior European Correspondent, NPR, explores what contributed to a moment "An archaic society was swept aside."

Native American boarding schools haunt many [audio 8min]

In 1886, the government published the Annual Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to the Secretary of the Interior. It established the attitudes of Indian Affairs Agents in the early days of federal boarding schools. The report was a compilation of agent reports; the agents largely saw Indians as savages who should be compelled using whatever means necessary to send their children to schools. Throughout the history of the Native American boarding schools, the U.S. government has weighed

Vivian Nutton, Jonathan Sawday & Marina Wallace on the brain: A history - Food for thought [audio 43min]

In the 5th century BC the Greek physician Hippocrates confidently asserted:"Men ought to know that from the brain and from the brain only arise our pleasures, joys, laughter and jests, as well as our sorrows, pains, grieves and tears." This might suggest that people have never doubted the importance of the brain, but for Aristotle the heart was the ruler of the body and the seat of the soul. Despite dissections of brains both human and animal throughout the following centuries, in 1669 the Danis

Sixties girl groups' success crossed ethnic lines [audio 30min]

Tracey McLeod recalls the girl groups of the 1960s, an infectious genre of pop music and a vinyl source of inspiration for teenage girls. Image was of paramount importance and ranged from the leather-clad look of the Shangri-Las to the high glamour of the Supremes, led by Diana Ross. Contributors include writer Charlotte Greig and producer Pete Waterman.

Win Scutt 's 'This Week in Archaeology' [audio 15min @2:30]

Archaeologist Win Scutt discusses a search for diamonds off the coast of Namibia, which has led to the exciting discovery of Africa's oldest colonial shipwreck, an analysis of sculptures and carvings of Akhenaten, which reveals that he wasn't the manliest of Pharoahs; a large Roman cemetery that has been uncovered in Herefordshire, England--with some stunning finds; a mass Roman grave excavated in Gloucester in 2005, which may have contained the victims of a plague; experts' conservation of a re

That's All Folks! The Mel Blanc Story [audio 30min]

Jimmy Hibbert, an English television writer and voice actor, tells the story of the 20th century's greatest cartoon voice. Mel Blanc provided the speech for countless animated cartoon characters, including Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker, Daffy Duck, Tweety Pie and Sylvester. His career spanned seven decades and he continued to work up to his death in 1989. The Bugs Bunny catchphrase 'That's All Folks' appears on his gravestone.

Miami Arena may regain shine as architectural gem [audio 4min]

In Miami, a coalition including preservationists and architects, known as Friends of Miami Marine Stadium, has taken up the cause of preserving the local landmark. The group, with the support of the Dade Heritage Trust, is lobbying the City of Miami and working to get the stadium designated a historic site in the hope of building public momentum for its restoration. Don Worth, who helped start the preservation group, says the Marine Stadium also has a rich cultural history. An Elvis Presley movi

London's St Paul’s Cathedral celebrates 300 historic years in 2008 [audio 12min @19:30]

As St Paul’s Cathedral celebrates its 300th birthday this year, writer Leo Hollis talks about the life of the building, reconstructed in the aftermath of the great Fire of London. He uncovers the history of the Cathedral by examining the lives of the men whose ideas and inventions helped to build it. The Phoenix: St Paul’s Cathedral and the Men Who Made Modern London is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson (forthcoming in the USA as London Rising: The Men Who Made Modern London publi

Investigating African-American spiritual practices [audio 5min]

An ongoing archaeological project in Annapolis, Md., is revealing what life was like for African-Americans before and after slavery. Many of the finds detail how Africans were able to preserve their various religious beliefs while assimilating to American society.