The podcast where scientists review movies about prehistoric people! Hosted by Joshua Lindal, Dr. Kimberly Plomp, and Dr. Ross Barnett. New episodes biweekly.
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Do you want to suggest a movie for us to review? Are you an archaeologist or paleontologist and would like to be a guest on an episode? Do you want to let us know that we made a mistake or that our opinions are bad? Follow us on social media or send us an email!
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Previous Episodes:
Episode 52: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
On this episode we’re reviewing the quintessential archaeology movie: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). We had to get to it eventually, even though there isn’t really any archaeology in it, and there isn’t really anything new we can say about it that hasn’t already been said. Ross and Kim think it’s a perfect movie, but Josh plays devil’s advocate and tries to convince them that it is overrated.
On this episode we’re reviewing the quintessential archaeology movie: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). We had to get to it eventually, even though there isn’t really any archaeology in it, and there isn’t really anything new we can say about it that hasn’t already been said. Ross and Kim think it’s a perfect movie, but Josh plays devil’s advocate and tries to convince them that it is overrated.
Get in touch with us!
Twitter: @SotSA_Podcast
Facebook: @SotSAPodcast
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/
Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com
In this episode:
Episode 51: Time Trap (2017)
Today we’re reviewing Time Trap (2017), a movie that features an archaeologist, his students, cavemen, hippies, cowboys, spacemen, Spanish conquistadors, Native Americans, and children, for some reason. It actually makes more sense than you’d expect!
Today we’re reviewing Time Trap (2017), a movie that features an archaeologist, his students, cavemen, hippies, cowboys, spacemen, Spanish conquistadors, Native Americans, and children, for some reason. It actually makes more sense than you’d expect!
Get in touch with us!
Twitter: @SotSA_Podcast
Facebook: @SotSAPodcast
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/
Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com
In this episode:
50th Episode Special: SotSA Tier List!
Today we’ve reached a milestone: 50 episodes! To celebrate, we’re looking back on every movie we’ve watched and giving each one a definitive rating, tier-list style. If you’re a regular listener, you’ll enjoy reminiscing about our best and worst episodes with us, and if you’re new this episode will be a preview to the type of content you’ll find on this podcast.
Today we’ve reached a milestone: 50 episodes! To celebrate, we’re looking back on every movie we’ve watched and giving each one a definitive rating, tier-list style. If you’re a regular listener, you’ll enjoy reminiscing about our best and worst episodes with us, and if you’re new this episode will be a preview to the type of content you’ll find on this podcast.
Get in touch with us!
Twitter: @SotSA_Podcast
Facebook: @SotSAPodcast
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/
Episode 49: The Man from Earth (2007) w/ Dr. Predrag Radović
On this episode, Dr. Predrag (Pedja) Radović joins us to talk about The Man from Earth (2007), the story of an academic who tries to convince his colleagues that he is 14,000 years old. This low budget movie was filmed on camcorders and takes place in a single room, and yet it’s somehow one of the better movies we’ve seen!
On this episode, Dr. Predrag (Pedja) Radović joins us to talk about The Man from Earth (2007), the story of an academic who tries to convince his colleagues that he is 14,000 years old. This low budget movie was filmed on camcorders and takes place in a single room, and yet it’s somehow one of the better movies we’ve seen!
Get in touch with us!
Twitter: @SotSA_Podcast
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Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com
D’Errico et al. (2001). An engraved bone fragment from c. 70,000-year-old Middle Stone Age levels at Blombos Cave, South Africa: implications for the origin of symbolism and language: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003598X00060968
McBrearty and Brooks (2000). The revolution that wasn’t: a new interpretation of the origin of modern human behaviour: https://doi.org/10.1006/jhev.2000.0435
Neanderthals and modern humans share the same FOXP2 “language” gene
Episode 48: Bones S8E11 The Archaeologist in the Cocoon (2013) w/ Prof. Mirjana Roksandic
Prof. Mirjana Roksandic joins us again, this time to discuss an episode of Bones. We’re watching the Season 8 episode The Archaeologist in the Cocoon, in which the eponymous forensic anthropologist procrastinates on her real job to solve a Palaeolithic murder mystery left behind by their archaeologist victim. Mirjana explains to us why everything Bones says is wrong, and warns us about the dangers of over-interpretation in forensic investigation.
Prof. Mirjana Roksandic joins us again, this time to discuss an episode of Bones. We’re watching the Season 8 episode The Archaeologist in the Cocoon, in which the eponymous forensic anthropologist procrastinates on her real job to solve a Palaeolithic murder mystery left behind by their archaeologist victim. Mirjana explains to us why everything Bones says is wrong, and warns us about the dangers of over-interpretation in forensic investigation.
Get in touch with us!
Twitter: @SotSA_Podcast
Facebook: @SotSAPodcast
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/
Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com
Green et al. (2010). A Draft sequence of the Neanderthal Genome: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1188021
Fu et al. (2015). An early modern human from Romania with a recent Neanderthal ancestor: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14558
Slon et al. (2018). The genome of the offspring of a Neanderthal mother and a Denisovan father: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0455-x
Hajdinjak et al. (2021). Initial Upper Palaeolithic humans in Europe had recent Neanderthal ancestry: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03335-3
Forensic pathologist Dr. Charles Smith’s testimony helped lock up innocent people for decades
Episode 47: 2012 (2009) with Dr. Andrew Kinkella
In this episode Dr. Andrew Kinkella joins us to discuss 2012 (2009), a summer blockbuster from Roland Emmerich based on Graham Hancock’s Fingerprints of the Gods and a misunderstanding of the Mayan calendar. We get into the truth about the Maya, mutating neutrinos, pseudoarchaeology, and Roland Emmerich’s love of conspiracy theories.
In this episode Dr. Andrew Kinkella joins us to discuss 2012 (2009), a summer blockbuster from Roland Emmerich based on Graham Hancock’s Fingerprints of the Gods and a misunderstanding of the Mayan calendar. We get into the truth about the Maya, mutating neutrinos, pseudoarchaeology, and Roland Emmerich’s love of conspiracy theories.
Follow Dr. Andrew Kinkella:
Kinkella Teaches Archaeology on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KinkellaTeachesArchaeology
The Pseudoarchaeology Podcast: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/pseudo
The CRM Archaeology Podcast: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/crmarchpodcast
Get in touch with us!
Twitter: @SotSA_Podcast
Facebook: @SotSAPodcast
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/
Episode 46: The People that Time Forgot (1977)
The People that Time Forgot (1977) answers the question: what if Star Wars had dinosaurs? and was also terrible? This is the sequel to 1974’s The Land that Time Forgot. The original had some thoughtful philosophical musings on human nature; this one has a lot of cleavage.
The People that Time Forgot (1977) answers the question: what if Star Wars had dinosaurs? and was also terrible? This is the sequel to 1974’s The Land that Time Forgot. The original had some thoughtful philosophical musings on human nature; this one has a lot of cleavage.
Get in touch with us!
Twitter: @SotSA_Podcast
Facebook: @SotSAPodcast
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/
Episode 45: A.R.O.G: A Prehistoric Film (2008)
A.R.O.G (2008), the sequel to G.O.R.A (2004), is the story of a Turkish rug salesman who is sent a million years back in time by an old intergalactic foe, and must help his newfound stone-age friends progress through the technological ages to… eventually invent a time machine to return? That, or win a football match… The logic of it is unclear, but it is very funny and certainly film-literate (if not science-literate).
A.R.O.G (2008), the sequel to G.O.R.A (2004), is the story of a Turkish rug salesman who is sent a million years back in time by an old intergalactic foe, and must help his newfound stone-age friends progress through the technological ages to… eventually invent a time machine to return? That, or win a football match… The logic of it is unclear, but it is very funny and certainly film-literate (if not science-literate).
Get in touch with us!
Twitter: @SotSA_Podcast
Facebook: @SotSAPodcast
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/
Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com
Episode 44: Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) with Fredrik Trusohamn
We’re diving into the depths of pseudoarchaeology this week with Disney’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001). Ross is away but we’re joined by Fredrik Trusohamn, host of Digging Up Ancient Aliens, who helps us navigate the history of the mythological city. Fredrik came prepared with sources, so if you haven’t had enough of Atlantis by the end of the episode, check the links below for further reading!
We’re diving into the depths of pseudoarchaeology this week with Disney’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001). Ross is away but we’re joined by Fredrik Trusohamn, host of Digging Up Ancient Aliens, who helps us navigate the history of the mythological city. Fredrik came prepared with sources, so if you haven’t had enough of Atlantis by the end of the episode, check the links below for further reading!
Listen to Fredrik’s podcast, Digging Up Ancient Aliens: https://diggingupancientaliens.com/
Check out his website: https://www.ancientapocalypse.net/
Get in touch with us!
Twitter: @SotSA_Podcast
Facebook: @SotSAPodcast
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/
Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com
Fredrik’s Sources:
Blavatsky, H. (1888). The secret doctrine: the synthesis of science, religion, and philosophy: https://universaltheosophy.com/hpb/secretdoctrine.html
Card, J. (2019a). America Before as a Paranormal Charter: http://onlinedigeditions.com/article/America+Before+as+a+Paranormal+Charter/3531896/634462/article.html
Card, J. (2019b). Spooky Archaeology: Myth and the Science of the Past: https://www.unmpress.com/9780826359148/spooky-archaeology/
Card, J. and Anderson, D.S. eds., (2016). Lost City, Found Pyramid: Understanding Alternative Archaeologies and Pseudoscientific Practices: https://muse.jhu.edu/book/46406
Cicirello, C. and Curry, T. (2022). The Grand Unified Theory of Bullshit: https://www.amazon.com/Grand-Unified-Theory-Bullshit/dp/B09TDW7RSR
de Camp, L.S. (1975). Lost Continents: The Atlantis Theme in History, Science, and Literature: https://store.doverpublications.com/0486147924.html
Donnelly, I. (1882) Atlantis: The Antediluvian World: https://www.sacred-texts.com/atl/ataw/
Donnelly, I. (1887) Ragnarok: The Age of Fire and Gravel: https://www.sacred-texts.com/atl/rag/index.htm
Feder, K.L. (2010). Encyclopedia of Dubious Archaeology from Atlantis to the Walam Olum: https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofdu0000fede
Feder, K.L. (2020). Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/frauds-myths-and-mysteries-9780190096410
Jordan, P. (2001). The Atlantis Syndrome: https://archive.org/details/atlantissyndrome00jord/page/n1/mode/2up
López de Gómara, F. (1922). Historia general de las indias: https://archive.org/details/historigeneralde02lprich/page/248/mode/2up
Roding, C.B. ed., (2019). Editor’s Corner: The SAA Archaeological Record: http://onlinedigeditions.com/publication/?i=634462
Sarmiento de Gamboa, P. (1907). History of the Incas: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/20218/pg20218.html
Staudenmaier, P. (2010) Between Occultism and Fascism: Anthroposophy and the Politics of Race and Nation in Germany and Italy, 1900-1945: https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/17662/Staudenmaier%2C%20Peter.pdf
Steiner, R. (2021). Cosmic Memory (1959): https://rsarchive.org/Books/GA011/English/RSPI1959/GA011_index.html
Stevenson, D.C. ed., (2009a). Critias by Plato: http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/critias.html
Stevenson, D.C. ed., (2009b). Timaeus by Plato: http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/timaeus.html
Episode 43: Horror Express (1972)
Horror Express (1972) tells the tale of an anthropologist who discovers a frozen hominin in China which, unbeknownst to him, is possessed by a telepathic extraterrestrial life form. It’s basically The Thing on a train. Ross was so excited when he discovered this one that he couldn’t wait until Halloween.
Horror Express (1972) tells the tale of an anthropologist who discovers a frozen hominin in China which, unbeknownst to him, is possessed by a telepathic extraterrestrial life form. It’s basically The Thing on a train. Ross was so excited when he discovered this one that he couldn’t wait until Halloween.
Get in touch with us!
Twitter: @SotSA_Podcast
Facebook: @SotSAPodcast
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/
Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com
Optography - How Forensic Scientists Once Tried to “See” a Dead Person’s Last Sight
Early calculations of the age of Earth
How the human brain gets its wrinkles
Dmanisi – the first humans outside Africa
The history of human origin studies (Including Java Man, the Piltdown hoax, and the Taung Child)
Episode 42: Troll (2022)
To kick of 2023 we’re reviewing Troll (2022), a Norwegian movie in which the government enlists the help of a paleontologist to stop a rampaging troll. We dig into mythology, tooth ontogeny, and sexual dimorphism, and determine that taxonomically trolls are monkeys.
To kick of 2023 we’re reviewing Troll (2022), a Norwegian movie in which the government enlists the help of a paleontologist to stop a rampaging troll. We dig into mythology, tooth ontogeny, and sexual dimorphism, and determine that taxonomically trolls are monkeys.
Get in touch with us!
Twitter: @SotSA_Podcast
Facebook: @SotSAPodcast
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/
Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com
The Myth and Mystery behind Norwegian Trolls
Iceland diverts roads around elf homes
Episode 41: A Flintstone Christmas (1977)
This holiday season we’re traveling back to the town of Bedrock for A Flintstone Christmas (1977), a slapdash holiday special featuring everyone’s favourite modern Stone Age family. In this episode we ask hard-hitting questions, like why or how does this pre-Christian society know about Christmas, and why does Santa exist in the Stone Age with 1970s technology? But in the end, this special left us with more questions than answers.
This holiday season we’re traveling back to the town of Bedrock for A Flintstone Christmas (1977), a slapdash holiday special featuring everyone’s favourite modern Stone Age family. In this episode we ask hard-hitting questions, like why or how does this pre-Christian society know about Christmas, and why does Santa exist in the Stone Age with 1970s technology? But in the end, this special left us with more questions than answers.
Get in touch with us!
Twitter: @SotSA_Podcast
Facebook: @SotSAPodcast
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/
Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com
Episode 40: The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010)
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010) is the story of a badass woman archaeologist from Belle Époque France. Well, she’s really more of a journalist and grave robber, misappropriating ancient knowledge for personal reasons. Still, it’s the only movie I know of that has resurrected Egyptian mummies, pterodactyls, and nuclear-physics-based telekinesis!
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010) is the story of a badass woman archaeologist from Belle Époque France. Well, she’s really more of a journalist and grave robber, misappropriating ancient knowledge for personal reasons. Still, it’s the only movie I know of that has resurrected Egyptian mummies, pterodactyls, and nuclear-physics-based telekinesis!
Get in touch with us!
Twitter: @SotSA_Podcast
Facebook: @SotSAPodcast
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/
Episode 39: Ammonite (2020)
Ammonite (2020) is a fictional historical love story based on the lives of two real Victorian paleontologists, Mary Anning and Charlotte Murchison. Kim has a bee in her bonnet about this movie: too much hot sex and not enough paleontology! We’re definitely earning our “explicit” tag on this episode!
Ammonite (2020) is a fictional historical love story based on the lives of two real Victorian paleontologists, Mary Anning and Charlotte Murchison. Kim has a bee in her bonnet about this movie: too much hot sex and not enough paleontology! We’re definitely earning our “explicit” tag on this episode!
Get in touch with us!
Twitter: @SotSA_Podcast
Facebook: @SotSAPodcast
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/
Episode 38: Mammoth (2006)
Mammoth (2006) is a made-for-TV Sci-Fi Channel original in which a frozen mammoth becomes possessed by an extraterrestrial being, and the Men in Black enlist the help of a local paleontologist to save the town from total annihilation. This movie asks many important questions, like: How do mammoths behave in the wild? Do they attack? And were they really wiped out by a pathogon? The answers to these questions and more on this episode of Screens of the Stone Age!
Mammoth (2006) is a made-for-TV Sci-Fi Channel original in which a frozen mammoth becomes possessed by an extraterrestrial being, and the Men in Black enlist the help of a local paleontologist to save the town from total annihilation. This movie asks many important questions, like: How do mammoths behave in the wild? Do they attack? And were they really wiped out by a “pathogon”? The answers to these questions and more on this episode of Screens of the Stone Age!
Get in touch with us!
Twitter: @SotSA_Podcast
Facebook: @SotSAPodcast
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/
Episode 37: The Thaw (2009)
Today we’re getting into the Halloween spirit with The Thaw (2009), a climate change horror movie in which a parasitic plague is unleashed from a thawed mammoth. In this episode we talk climate change, virus evolution, and glacial archaeology, and since we are all pandemic veterans by now, we are thoroughly unimpressed by these scientists’ quarantining skills.
Today we’re getting into the Halloween spirit with The Thaw (2009), a climate change horror movie in which a parasitic plague is unleashed from a thawed mammoth. In this episode we talk climate change, virus evolution, and glacial archaeology, and since we are all pandemic veterans by now, we are thoroughly unimpressed by these scientists’ quarantining skills.
Get in touch with us!
Twitter: @SotSA_Podcast
Facebook: @SotSAPodcast
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/
Episode 36: Trog (1970)
We’re getting into the spooky season with Trog (1970), a British horror movie about a thawed caveman who goes on a murderous rampage, and an anthropologist who wants to study him for reasons which are not always clear. Is this a B-movie classic or does it take itself too seriously to be campy? Find out what we think in this episode!
We’re getting into the spooky season with Trog (1970), a British horror movie about a thawed caveman who goes on a murderous rampage, and an anthropologist who wants to study him for reasons which are not always clear. Is this a B-movie classic or does it take itself too seriously to be campy? Find out what we think in this episode!
Get in touch with us!
Twitter: @SotSA_Podcast
Facebook: @SotSAPodcast
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/
Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com
Joan Crawford’s final film
“Troglodyte” just means “cave dweller”
Neander-Jin has a 7.7 on IMDB; go watch it and then rate it accordingly!
Episode 35: Inherit the Wind (1960)
Inherit the Wind (1960) is a fictional retelling of the Scopes “Monkey” Trail of 1925, the seminal case which pitted science vs. religion. Turns out the movie is actually a parable for McCarthyism, and there is barely any evolution in it at all. In this episode we talk about evolution anyway, and finally settle the debate between evolution and creationism once and for all :P
Inherit the Wind (1960) is a fictional retelling of the Scopes “Monkey” Trail of 1925, the seminal case which pitted science vs. religion. Turns out the movie is actually a parable for McCarthyism, and there is barely any evolution in it at all. In this episode we talk about evolution anyway, and finally settle the debate between evolution and creationism once and for all :P
Get in touch with us!
Twitter: @SotSA_Podcast
Facebook: @SotSAPodcast
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/
Episode 34: Skullduggery (1970)
Today we’re reviewing the most problematic movie we’ll ever recommend you watch (but only once, and then never again): Skullduggery (1970) stars Burt Reynolds as a charismatic misogynistic capitalist who manipulates an anthropologist into accidentally discovering a living missing link, whom he enslaves, and whose humanity he later tries to prove in a court of law. If that sounds unbelievable, you may not be prepared for the twists and turns this movie takes.
Today we’re reviewing the most problematic movie we’ll ever recommend you watch (but only once, and then never again): Skullduggery (1970) stars Burt Reynolds as a charismatic misogynistic capitalist who manipulates an anthropologist into accidentally discovering a living missing link, whom he enslaves, and whose humanity he later tries to prove in a court of law. If that sounds unbelievable, you may not be prepared for the twists and turns this movie takes.
Get in touch with us!
Twitter: @SotSA_Podcast
Facebook: @SotSAPodcast
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/
Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com
In this episode:
Bonus Episode: Indy-anna Jones and the Tower of Ivory - Chippin’ Away
On this special bonus episode, we’re excited to present the other side of our crossover with the Chippin’ Away Podcast:
From the South of Asia to the North of America, we discuss the influence of popular culture on archaeology and the study of the past. If you started following archaeology after Indiana Jones' movies, Lara Croft Tomb-Raider, or the likes; this episode is for you!
Join us as we interview Josh Lindal (co-host of the podcast "Screens of the Stone Age"). We discuss films, archaeology, and how the field and popular culture represent each other.
Send your comments and inputs to us at chippinawayind@gmail.com and keep the conversation alive on Twitter and Instagram @chippinawayind
https://chippinaway.buzzsprout.com/
On this special bonus episode, we’re excited to present the other side of our crossover with the Chippin’ Away Podcast:
From the South of Asia to the North of America, we discuss the influence of popular culture on archaeology and the study of the past. If you started following archaeology after Indiana Jones' movies, Lara Croft Tomb-Raider, or the likes; this episode is for you!
Join us as we interview Josh Lindal (co-host of the podcast "Screens of the Stone Age"). We discuss films, archaeology, and how the field and popular culture represent each other.
Send your comments and inputs to us at chippinawayind@gmail.com and keep the conversation alive on Twitter and Instagram @chippinawayind