HeyJaredThis Week in the Ancient Near East
The podcast that takes archaeology precisely as seriously as it deserves. Two real professors of archaeology and one guy from a fake institution discuss cutting edge archaeological discoveries at a high professional level using technical knowledge and stuff.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 4
- Latest publication
- Sep 15, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 21, 2026
Latest episodes
A Judean Pillar Figurine Industry Grows in Jerusalem, or, My Mold Made Head is Up Here Buddy (opens the original)
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The discovery in Iron Age Jerusalem of a mold for the heads of voluptuous Judean Pillar Figurines has us wondering, like, hello, idolatry? After all there are hundreds of these things. Or with a figure like that, is something else going on? Also, who does her hair? Wait, she has hair?
The Case of the Middle Bronze Age Siege That Took Like Ten Days, or War, What Is It Good For, Archaeology (Say It Again) (opens the original)
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A new excavation in northern Iraq at a site with the terrific name of Kurd Qaburstan has revealed evidence of siege warfare. But we sort of knew this already from the stele of King Dadusha of Eshnunna who said that he had conquered the site. In ten days. As always the destruction itself, bad for the locals, good for the archaeologists. But how big was it, really? Maybe the ten days thing wasn’t just Dadusha doing a bit. With special shout outs to Steven Spielberg and a man called Creekmore!
Odyssey? Shmoddesy?, or, The Gang Goes to the Movie (opens the original)
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A low budget art film recently came and went from the theaters. You may have heard of it, The Odyssey? What’s all the fuss about? Is it a deep if selective exploration of Homer’s difficult to understand text or a 21st century sword and sandals epic? Not surprisingly, our contestants disagree, this time in rather epic fashion.
The Roman Mummy Who Swallowed the Iliad, or, Take 1186 Ships and Call Me in the Morning (opens the original)
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A Roman mummy from the fabulously named site of Oxyrhynchus in Egypt has tested positive for the Iliad. But why put a snippet of Homer’s tale on a mummy, especially a fairly dull list of ships and places? Maybe it was to audition for a Christopher Nolan movie?
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