In this episode, take a step back from the hustle and bustle of daily life to practice a little bit of self care and join Matilda and her guest Katie Chin-Quee in this latest exploration of the archaeology of everyday things. Katie shares the many twists and turns of the path that led her to a career in archaeology, and how she became involved with the particular topic of ancient skin-care. Together, they chat about the issues with supposedly “feminine” research topics, and why branching out on digital platforms can be a great way to develop your science communication skills.
May 19
33 min
It’s time for part two of Matilda’s discussion with Jessica van Dam all about the archaeology of knitting! This time, the two discuss the social history of knitting and how it is perceived in the modern world, as well as the importance of maintaining crafting traditions and physical communities.
May 5
40 min
Following on in the same theme as the last few episodes, Matilda chats with guest Jessica van Dam all about the crafting practice and archaeology of knitting. Tune in as they discuss different knitting techniques and approaches, share insights into the oldest physical and written evidence for knitting, and come up with a brand new experimental archaeology project focused on knitting needles!
Apr 21
39 min
It’s time for part two of Matilda’s chat with textile archaeologist Ronja Lau! After discussing the background to Ronja’s current work in the Duerrnberg salt mines, the two delve deeper (pun intended) into the most interesting and surprising results of the project. Spoiler alert: it turns out that Iron Age Duerrnbergians enjoyed the look of a purple pin-striped suit!
Apr 7
31 min
It’s time to venture into the mines! But make sure you are well dressed… This episode, Matilda chats with textile archaeologist Ronja Lau all about her work looking at Iron Age clothing from the Duerrnberg salt mines. Tune in to hear all about the history of textile archaeology, the importance of salt in preserving clothes, and why you should support archaeological research!
Mar 24
33 min
As the seasons change, it’s time to swap out your wardrobes for those clothes that have been stuffed at the back of the shelf or in a box in the attic. And to celebrate this activity, Matilda dives this episode into the archaeology of clothing! But what actually is clothing? What is the oldest evidence we have for the creation of clothing? And what is the link between a bog, an artic tundra, and a desert? Tune in to find out!
Mar 10
33 min
It’s time for part two of Matilda’s chat with ex-gladiatrix Svenja Fabian all about the topic of gladiatorial training! But how exactly would gladiators have trained in the past? Could anyone have become a gladiator? And what’s the ancient Roman equivalent of a sport’s bra? Listen in to find out the answers and much more!
Feb 24
32 min
Let’s get down to business, to talk about gladiatorial training! In this episode, Matilda is joined by Svenja Fabian, who is a retired gladiatrix, or female gladiatorial re-enactor. Svenja’s shares her experiences in this particular field of re-enactment, and helps to bust some myths about gladiators in ancient Rome. But what actually is a gladiator? Did women really fight in gladiatorial battles? And why is it unlikely that people would have used the thumbs up/thumbs down signals? Tune in to find out!
Feb 10
32 min
Following the popularity of the previously coined “Tea-break Time Travel Training”, Matilda focuses in this episode on a commonly used method in archaeological research: Experimental Archaeology. Listen in to hear what experimental is, its origins and development, its strengths and weaknesses, and how it all started for Matilda with an afternoon of throwing prehistoric spears in a public park in Aberdeen!
Jan 27
36 min
To celebrate 10 years of the APN, Matilda joined the #APN10 live event on 24th November 2024 to record a very special episode called “Tea-break 20 Questions”! Spoiler alert - get used to seeing this format pop up a bit more regularly for live events because it was a lot of fun! Joining the episode were Emma Jones (of Ancient Craft UK / Prehistoric Jewellery) and Raven Todd DaSilva (of Dig It With Raven), who each tried to guess which object the other had brought in. Tune in for an episode filled with fun, frustration, and fantastic questions!
Dec 30, 2025
32 min
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