Forensics, archeology, genealogy, and genetics are devoted to figuring out what really happened. In this hour of Radiolab, digging up the past leads to some very unexpected finds.
We begin at a trash dump in Egypt, where we find Jesus, Satan, sissies, and porn. Next, a goat on a cow leads us to hundreds of old letters scattered on the side of Route 101. And lastly, a blood-sampling tour of Asia reveals a prolific baby-maker...and potentially a world conqueror.
What can a 1,000 years worth of trash tell us about ancient human behavior? Dirk Obink, Director of research and professor of papyrology and classics at Oxford, tells us about the "motherload" of 2,000 year old paper found in Oxyrhynchus, Egypt in 1896 by two Oxford graduate students , B. ...
Producer and gumshoe Laura Starecheski brings us along on a hunt that traverses the country, and time. The mystery to unravel? A box of old letters found on the side of the road by Erick Gordon. Git your teeth ready for a nail-bitin' chase through clues and suspects--a ...
By looking at our genes we can link ourselves to our parents, grandparents, and ancestors long long ago. Tatiana Zerjal and Chris Tyler Smith tell the tale of discovering the genetic relation of over 16 million men in Central Asia.
Comments [6]
I to was intrigued by the musical interlude in this episode. If anyone knows what it is, please post.
What's the musical interlude at the end of the "greatest hits of ancient garbage" segment, before "Goat on a cow"-- sounds kind of like Steve Reich on zithers? Really neat musical piece, I'd like to hear more of it.
I loved this episode (particularly Goat on a Cow). MYSTERY! The heart of so many good stories. How great would it be to revisit this theme again (and perhaps even get listeners to ask everyone they know if they know of any good real-life detective stories?)...actually, this theme alone could be a program in itself...maybe one day I'll win the lottery and fund one.
Adam--That is exactly what makes them credible. Is it not amazing to think that we could read the first draft of the Bible. If the author did reject 616, it raises the question "Why?"
Maybe all my nerdy, Catholic school love of Bible scholarship is coming out, but working out why some works were rejected while others became canonical is a fascinating study.
Adam, you bring up a good point, however, what do we throw away today? Everything eventually gets into the garbage, newspapers, antiques, books, stuff we consider old but may have more value then we are aware of etc etc. Not all trash contains false information. I think that makes it part of the mystery. At the very least it opens up another point of view. As they say, the winner writes the history, maybe by looking in old trash we can open up a broader understanding of the past.
I know this podcast is a few years old, But I had a question and comment about the findings in Egypt buy the University of Oxford.
Especially when they said "The Beast" was called 616 and not 666.
I would like to point out that these papers were found in a garbage pile.... Could that not then by why it was thrown out?
Did they account for that? like these findings may not be credible?
Leave a Comment
Register for your own account so you can vote on comments, save your favorites, and more. Learn more.
Please stay on topic, be civil, and be brief.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. Names are displayed with all comments. We reserve the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the Comment Guidelines before posting. By leaving a comment, you agree to New York Public Radio's Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use.