Curiosity Meets The Past

Episodios

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  One Year Anniversary Update for Curiosity Meets the Past 24.06.2026 7m

  We've been around for 1 year! Sharing some highlights and updates in this bonus episode.Mentioned in the episode:Video on podcasting challenges: https://youtu.be/COOhPl9eEJg?si=gNCIPaVDbARIiTHJCuriosity Meets the Past Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curiositymeetsthepast🎁 Bonus content: https://patreon.com/smitinathan✉️ Get in touch at podcast@smitinathan.com🎙️ Curiosity Meets The Past is a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. Each episode features a 15-30 minute curated conversation with guests who reveal the layered stories behind objects, places, and people.
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  Curiosity Exchange x Broadcast Seeding: Gender Violence in Late Antiquity 19.06.2026 26m

  Mentioned on the show:Full episode (website): https://sowingtheseed.org/podcast/episode-21-gender-violence-in-late-antiquity-with-dr-jennifer-barry/ Full episode (Apple Podcasts): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/broadcast-seeding-ep21-with-dr-jennifer-barry/id1096448667?i=1000734336759 Broadcast Seeding Podcast website: https://sowingtheseed.org/podcast/🎁 Bonus content: ⁠https://patreon.com/smitinathan⁠✉️ Get in touch at ⁠podcast@smitinathan.com⁠🎙️ Curiosity Meets The Past is a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. Each episode features a 15-30 minute curated conversation with guests who reveal the layered stories behind objects, places, and people.
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  Decoding Diaspora Through a Family Scrapbook 16.06.2026 24m

  What can a crumbling family scrapbook reveal about history and the way diasporic communities make meaning? Religious scholar, Dr. Richard Newton, guides us through the surprising story of how a scrapbook handed to him by his mother became the catalyst for an entire research project. In our conversation, he walks us through what he found when he opened the book and how he's making this project accessible to anyone who's curious.Mentioned on the show:• Scrapbook Website: https://decodingdiaspora.org/decoding-diaspora/index• Richard's Website: https://sowingtheseed.org/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seedpods• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/seedpods.bsky.social• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seedpods/• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seedpods📝 Full transcript: https://smitinathan.com/decoding-diaspora-through-a-family-scrapbook/🎁 Bonus content: https://patreon.com/smitinathan✉️ Get in touch at podcast@smitinathan.com🎙️ Curiosity Meets The Past is a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. Each episode features a 15-30 minute curated conversation with guests who reveal the layered stories behind objects, places, and people.
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  The Archaeology Behind the English Alphabet 02.06.2026 29m

  Where did the English alphabet come from, and how do we know? Linguist and writer, Dr. Danny Bate, guides us through the archaeology and linguistic history behind the letters many of us use every day. In our conversation, we explore what various archaeological artifacts reveal about the alphabet's past and what that means about our relationship to the English language today.Mentioned on the show:• Danny's Book: https://bookshop.org/a/115409/9781785307430• Danny's Website: https://dannybate.com/ • Substack: https://dannylbate.substack.com/• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dannylbate/• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:i4oicfdtysshyfxjmvpx2xza• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-bate-b3ba02277/📝 Full transcript: https://smitinathan.com/the-archaeology-behind-the-english-alphabet/🎁 Bonus content: https://patreon.com/smitinathan✉️ Get in touch at podcast@smitinathan.com🎙️ Curiosity Meets The Past is a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. Each episode features a 15-30 minute curated conversation with guests who reveal the layered stories behind objects, places, and people.
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  Rethinking Water History at Shushtar in Iran 20.05.2026 29m

  What can water systems tell us about people in the past and present? Landscape archaeologist, Dr. Mehrnoush Soroush, guides us through the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Shushtar in Iran and how her work is challenging dominant water history narratives. In our conversation, she shares the surprising challenges that come with studying ancient water systems, her somewhat nontraditional approach, and what we can learn about humanity along the way.Mentioned on the show:• Academia Page: https://chicago.academia.edu/mehrnoushsoroush📝 Full transcript: https://smitinathan.com/rethinking-water-history-at-shushtar-in-iran/🎁 Bonus content: https://patreon.com/smitinathan✉️ Get in touch at podcast@smitinathan.com🎙️ Curiosity Meets The Past is a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. Each episode features a 15-30 minute curated conversation with guests who reveal the layered stories behind objects, places, and people.
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  The Curious History and Science of Blimps 06.05.2026 21m

  Where did blimps come from, and why are we fascinated by them? Geneticist and blimp enthusiast, Dr. Alex Dainis, guides us through the history of these sky vessels, the science behind their design, and what it feels like to ride inside one. In our conversation, she shares what blimps reveal about the way we see the world around us and why they are still around today. Mentioned on the show:• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexdainis• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AlexDainisPhD/• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexdainis📝 Full transcript: https://smitinathan.com/the-curious-history-and-science-of-blimps/🎁 Bonus content: https://patreon.com/smitinathan✉️ Get in touch at podcast@smitinathan.com🎙️ Curiosity Meets The Past is a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. Each episode features a 15-30 minute curated conversation with guests who reveal the layered stories behind objects, places, and people.
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  What Archaeology Can Bring to the Classroom (and Beyond) 21.04.2026 20m

  What can archaeology bring to the classroom and beyond? Archaeologist and filmmaker, Marc Barkman-Astles, guides us through the workshops he runs across England and Wales, the challenges he's encountered, and some of the delightful moments along the way. In our conversation, we explore how public archaeology can help us connect with the world around us.Mentioned on the show:Website: https://archaeosouptowers.wordpress.com/YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Archaeos0upTik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@archaeos0up📝 Full transcript: https://smitinathan.com/what-archaeology-can-bring-to-the-classroom-and-beyond/🎁 Bonus content: https://patreon.com/smitinathan✉️ Get in touch at podcast@smitinathan.com🎙️ Curiosity Meets The Past is a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. Each episode features a 15-30 minute curated conversation with guests who reveal the layered stories behind objects, places, and people.
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  The Ancient Deities People Called Upon 08.04.2026 20m

  Which deities did ancient people call upon when they needed help? Assyriologist and public educator, Megan Lewis, guides us through some of the surprising sources scholars use to understand the gods and goddesses people turned to in the past. In our conversation, she shares what these sources reveal about how both people and deities have changed over time and why their stories still feel surprisingly familiar today.Mentioned on the show:Website: https://www.digitalhammurabi.com/YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DigitalHammurabi📝 Full transcript: https://smitinathan.com/the-ancient-deities-people-called-upon🎁 Bonus content: https://patreon.com/smitinathan✉️ Get in touch at podcast@smitinathan.com🎙️ Curiosity Meets The Past is a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. Each episode features a 15-30 minute curated conversation with guests who reveal the layered stories behind objects, places, and people.
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  The Making and Remaking of the Zodiac in Roman Egypt 25.03.2026 28m

  What can ancient astrological handbooks tell us about the lives of women around 2000 years ago? Egyptologist, Dr. Lingxin Zhang, guides us through fragmented papyri, recycled temple documents, and what one woman did when she learned her family's fate. In our conversation, she shares what these texts reveal not only about the inner workings of the zodiac and astrosciences in Roman Egypt, but also aspects of our humanity.Mentioned on the show:https://www.instagram.com/guancientegypt/📝 Full transcript: https://smitinathan.com/the-making-and-remaking-of-the-zodiac-in-roman-egypt🎁 Bonus content: https://patreon.com/smitinathan✉️ Get in touch at podcast@smitinathan.com🎙️ Curiosity Meets The Past is a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. Each episode features a 15-30 minute curated conversation with guests who reveal the layered stories behind objects, places, and people.
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  What 3D Modelling Reveals About the Past 10.03.2026 27m

  What can we uncover about the past when we look at it in three dimensions? Archaeologist, Madeline Robinson, guides us through a shipwreck, ancient temples in Malta, and very tiny stone tools she has studied through 3D modelling. In our conversation, we explore what these methods reveal not only about the past, but also about who gets to access and engage with it.Mentioned on the show:Malta Article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212054818300523Photogrammetry Book: https://sydneyuniversitypress.com/products/9781761540431Madeline’s Website: https://madeline7850.wixsite.com/madelinegprobinsonIf you’re having any issue accessing Maddie’s publications, you can contact her directly - https://madeline7850.wixsite.com/madelinegprobinson/contact📝 Full transcript: https://smitinathan.com/what-3d-modelling-reveals-about-the-past/🎁 Bonus content: https://patreon.com/smitinathan✉️ Get in touch at podcast@smitinathan.com🎙️ Curiosity Meets The Past is a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. Each episode features a 15-30 minute curated conversation with guests who reveal the layered stories behind objects, places, and people.
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  When Egyptian and Canaanite Temples Met 24.02.2026 28m

  What can we learn when we look closely at temples that deviate from the “norm?" Archaeologist and Egyptologist Dr. Brooke Norton guides us through certain sacred spaces where we see a spectrum of ancient Egyptian and Canaanite traditions. In our conversation, we explore what these temples reveal not only about architecture and ritual, but also about the people behind them.Mentioned on the show:Brooke’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebookofbrookeBrooke’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-norton-54b2a73b/📝 Full transcript: https://smitinathan.com/when-egyptian-and-canaanite-temples-met🎁 Bonus content: https://patreon.com/smitinathan✉️ Get in touch at podcast@smitinathan.com🎙️ Curiosity Meets The Past is a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. Each episode features a 15-30 minute curated conversation with guests who reveal the layered stories behind objects, places, and people.
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  Inside the Physics of Past Textile Techniques 10.02.2026 29m

  What can we learn when we look at the physics of past textile techniques? Physicist, Dr. Sabetta Matsumoto, takes us inside the inner workings of an Egyptian knitted sock and other historical textile techniques, including embroidery and smocking. In our conversation, we explore what physics can reveal not only about the fabrics we create, but about the people behind them.Mentioned on the show:Sabetta Talks Math: https://www.youtube.com/@sabettatalksmath/ Research group website: https://research.gatech.edu/people/sabetta-matsumoto📝 Full transcript: https://smitinathan.com/inside-the-physics-of-past-textile-techniques🎁 Bonus content: https://patreon.com/smitinathan✉️ Get in touch at podcast@smitinathan.com🎙️ Curiosity Meets The Past is a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. Each episode features a 15-30 minute curated conversation with guests who reveal the layered stories behind objects, places, and people.
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  Curiosity Exchange x History Daily: The Pirate Trial of 1720 27.12.2025 16m

  Mentioned on the show:https://www.historydaily.com/ 🎁 Bonus content: https://patreon.com/smitinathan✉️ Get in touch at podcast@smitinathan.com🎙️ Curiosity Meets The Past is a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. Each episode features a 15-30 minute curated conversation with guests who reveal the layered stories behind objects, places, and people.
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  Curiosity Exchange x Legends and Lectures: Artifacts & Us 23.12.2025 26m

  Mentioned on the show:Legends and Lectures full episode: https://youtu.be/3BNMMNliFiw?si=_H9eKZo3LlUW5at8Legends and Lectures podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhxPuNyz2_A9PvhtZ6y7w2EO9vSRVw5pU&si=qKOIIYNV6tpvrQVk 🎁 Bonus content: https://patreon.com/smitinathan✉️ Get in touch at podcast@smitinathan.com🎙️ Curiosity Meets The Past is a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. Each episode features a 15-30 minute curated conversation with guests who reveal the layered stories behind objects, places, and people.
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  2025 Year-End Updates for Curiosity Meets the Past 22.12.2025 5m

  Sharing some quick year-end updates as we close out 2025!🎁 Bonus content: https://patreon.com/smitinathan✉️ Get in touch at podcast@smitinathan.com🎙️ Curiosity Meets The Past is a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. Each episode features a 15-30 minute curated conversation with guests who reveal the layered stories behind objects, places, and people.
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  Unsealing the Past 17.12.2025 23m

  What can small lumps of clay reveal about the past? Archaeologist Dr. Siobhan Shinn takes us inside her work on clay sealings from sites in Egypt and Sudan. These unassuming objects once secured letters, containers, and buildings, but they also preserve subtle traces that help us understand ancient administrative practices and the people behind them. In our conversation, we explore how careful observation and giving things a second glance can open up new ways of seeing the past.Mentioned on the show:https://www.ladyarch.org/https://www.instagram.com/archaeologistatlarge/📝 Full transcript: https://smitinathan.com/unsealing-the-past/🎁 Bonus content: https://patreon.com/smitinathan✉️ Get in touch at podcast@smitinathan.com🎙️ Curiosity Meets The Past is a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. Each episode features a 15-30 minute curated conversation with guests who reveal the layered stories behind objects, places, and people.
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  The Sound of Living Heritage 03.12.2025 18m

  What can the sounds of everyday life reveal about the past? Podcast producer and host of ReCurrent, Jaime, brings us inside his storytelling process that connects sound and living heritage. Through examples from the field and from his own life, Jaime shows us how sound can bridge memory, identity, and place in ways we often overlook. Along the way, we explore how documenting the present, listening closely, and meeting people where they are allows us to keep the past present in meaningful and unexpected ways.Mentioned on the show:ReCurrent podcast: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/recurrent/📝 Full transcript: https://smitinathan.com/the-sound-of-living-heritage/🎁 Bonus content: https://patreon.com/smitinathan✉️ Get in touch at podcast@smitinathan.com🎙️ Curiosity Meets The Past is a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. Each episode features a 15-30 minute curated conversation with guests who reveal the layered stories behind objects, places, and people.
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  How Archaeologists Are Rethinking 5,200 Andean Holes 18.11.2025 27m

  What can over 5,200 holes carved into an Andean hillside reveal about ancient life? Digital archaeologist, Dr. Jacob Bongers, takes us inside his team’s new research at Monte Sierpe in Peru, including how their emerging hypothesis reshapes long-held ideas about the site’s purpose. And along the way, we talk about how archaeologists follow curiosity through evidence, collaboration, and community engagement.Mentioned on the show:Jacob and his team’s publication: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/indigenous-accounting-and-exchange-at-monte-sierpe-band-of-holes-in-the-pisco-valley-peru/41D83389D230D99CFF18194CF274A9A3Jacob’s website: https://jacobbongers.weebly.com/📝 Full transcript: https://smitinathan.com/how-archaeologists-are-rethinking-5200-andean-holes/🎁 Bonus content: https://patreon.com/smitinathan✉️ Get in touch at podcast@smitinathan.com🎙️ Curiosity Meets The Past is a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. Each episode features a 15-30 minute curated conversation with guests who reveal the layered stories behind objects, places, and people.
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  Reconnecting with Archaeology Through Giving Back 04.11.2025 25m

  How can volunteering become a way back into archaeology? Archaeologist and research analyst, Dr. Sneh Patel, shares how volunteering in her hometown of Nashville helped her reconnect with teaching, community engagement, and the practice of archaeology itself. From guiding students through hands-on programs to navigating questions about science and ethics, we explore how public service can spark new connections between people and the past and why representation and curiosity matter just as much as discovery.Mentioned on the show:https://youtu.be/tknGiqtlB_I?si=yp8z_uYLgDlieX9s📝 Full transcript: https://smitinathan.com/reconnecting-with-archaeology-through-giving-back/🎁 Bonus content: https://patreon.com/smitinathan✉️ Get in touch at podcast@smitinathan.com🎙️ Curiosity Meets The Past is a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. Each episode features a 15-30 minute curated conversation with guests who reveal the layered stories behind objects, places, and people.
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  What Tiny, Overlooked Bones Reveal About the Paleolithic 21.10.2025 26m

  What can tiny, overlooked bones tell us about Paleolithic life, technology, and art? Archaeologist and paleoanthropologist, Dr. Giulia Gallo, reveals how these fragile fragments hold clues to both our past and that of our ancient relatives. From evidence of fire use to the burning of specific animal bones, we explore why these materials were once disregarded and how new techniques like ZooMS proteomics are transforming what we know.Mentioned on the show:Giulia’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giuliatgallo/Giulia’s Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/giuliagallo.bsky.socialMore about ZooMS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loAgeUuK08g📝 Full transcript: https://smitinathan.com/what-tiny-overlooked-bones-reveal-about-the-paleolithic/🎁 Bonus content: https://patreon.com/smitinathan✉️ Get in touch at podcast@smitinathan.com🎙️ Curiosity Meets The Past is a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. Each episode features a 20–30 minute curated conversation with guests who reveal the layered stories behind objects, places, and people.