A bumper final episode for the series sees Jim and Brenna joined by returning guest hosts Dr Jennifer Jones and Dr Rick Peterson. Never ones to miss a bandwagon, the team embrace a World Cup theme pitching Spain’s Neanderthals against Wales while proving, along the way, why this is definitely an archaeology podcast and not a football one.

Listeners are also treated to our brand-new theme song by the excellent band STEAL. Stick around to the end for the full track, along with some Season 1 outtakes for those watching the visualised edition.

After introducing the origins of Neanderthals, with Jen representing Spain and Rick championing Wales, the team compare archaeological evidence from across Europe. This raises a key question: were all Neanderthals the same? Rick highlights how Welsh Neanderthal finds are among the earliest in Europe and of international significance, while Jen explores the flexibility of Spanish Neanderthal hunting techniques, including the surprisingly sophisticated capture of rabbits.

The discussion then turns to recent research on Neanderthal cognitive flexibility, including debates about language. This gives Jim the perfect excuse to attempt his best Neanderthal voice. Rick reflects on shifting academic trends with reference to an excellent 1980s cartoon (Little Noise), while Brenna draws connections between “Ned” a famous Neanderthal reconstruction and a well-known Scottish actor.

Finally, in keeping with the football theme, one of Jen’s team gets dramatically “sent off… for cannibalism.

Thank you to everyone for supporting Season 1, we’ll be back after the summer with Season 2.

Our new theme tune... The Archaeology of... Everything

Find out more on Ricks work on Neanderthal’s in Pontnewydd and the Elwy Valley Caves Wales

Jens work on Neanderthals in Spain

The BBCs reconstruction of a Neanderthal’s sound, almost as good as Jims.

A classic Jackanory Little Nose from 1983

The Archaeology of.. is produced by the ⁠⁠Archaeology team⁠⁠ from the University of Lancashire. It is presented by Drs James Morris and Brenna Hassett. Filming and editing by Mariusz Kuczaj.

Human childhood is so unusually long Jim and guest host Dr Jennifer Jones decide a second episode is needed to dive deeper and explore its later stages such as the teenage years. After a book advertising power move, Brenna shocks Jim and Jennifer with orangutangs parenting habits, before moving into the importance of later childhood in knowledge transition.

Ranging from ancient Sumerian tablets to Iron Age salt miners, via Gorilla K-pop boy bands and hot tubbing Brenna discusses how archaeologists are trying to identify childhood and children on archaeological sites. With toys, dolls and footprints all in the mix. Jim and Jennifer are surprised at the jobs children do in ancient Egypt… it involves baboons, and together they discuss the cultural choices we make in children’s education.

Brenna’s book is available from all good and bad booksellers.

The Archaeology of.. is produced by the ⁠⁠Archaeology team⁠⁠ from the University of Lancashire. It is presented by Drs James Morris and Brenna Hassett. Filming and editing by Mariusz Kuczaj.

Friend of the show and original listener Dr Jennifer Jones joins Jim as co-host as Brenna moves across the table to discuss why humans are so weird and outliers in terms of childhood when compared with other mammals.

Starting off by thinking about the biology of childhood allows Brenna to explore how humans ended up with such a long childhood. Along with some excellent puns and some sad stories about animals being abandoned, Brenna asks why human childhood is untethered from how long we live as a species, pointing out it’s all about being a better monkey.

This leads to a big research project Brenna is running using a host of scientific methods exploring how humans started to extend childhood. We return to teeth which Brenna has been thin sectioning to look in depth at individual life events like birth, weaning and disease. Much to Jen’s joy, isotope analysis of these teeth allows archaeologists to investigate even more detail into these events, allowing social practices to be explored. With a digression into the calorific value of Mars bars and how much knowledge of female biology male archaeologists have, Brenna questions if the Neolithic was all about cereals and carbs or did something else push us towards a longer childhood.

Brenna’s book is available from all good and bad booksellers. You can find out more about Brennas project here

The Archaeology of.. is produced by the ⁠⁠Archaeology team⁠⁠ from the University of Lancashire. It is presented by Drs James Morris and Brenna Hassett. Filming and editing by Mariusz Kuczaj.