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New Podcast! Your Questions Answered

The first episode of the Time Team podcast for 2025 is a little different. Archaeologists Dr Helen Geake and Dr Derek Pitman answer questions you've been asking on Patreon. From how new technology might change the way archaeologists make discoveries to what happens after the diggers have left a site, Helen and Derek give you their thoughts on what you've been wondering.

New Podcast! Your Questions Answered

Comments

Aside from drums, what musical instruments are used to create the Time Team’s theme music?

Larry Besel, Jr.

Please keep the inclusion of the video footage for the podcast going forward- it adds a superb element to be able to see Helen etc

Carol

Speaking of technology, what discussions might there be about using AI, e.g. categorizing and indexing the huge volumes of artifacts, or quickly sorting the puzzle pieces of bones or very degraded manuscripts? (Understandably, scanning would have to be done, possibly by volunteers. And human review would be essential.) Could there be other uses?

Gloria B

I am late to the show. Just subscribed to Patreon today. Looking forward to catching up.

Donna Oldenkamp

I always tell people 5 years on CDs and DVDs. And of course it depends on the storage conditions, temp and humidity of the area, etc.

Debbie Gerlock

There are assumptions as well about the longevity of media used for storage. We don't have a medium which is guaranteed to maintain state for generational periods. Even CD and DVDs degrade such that in archives they really need re-recording at least every 7 years or so, both because the medium degrades and the devices used to read and write either become defunct or are replaced. S

Simon Lucy

There is also the question of whether people needed to measure or mark time in the way we do, and if so what for? Which would inform how they went about it, if at all.

Geoffrey Moore

Hear, hear!

Geoffrey Moore

A fascinating and thought provoking podcast - thanks. I second the comments made about the vulnerability of digital records. The media and technology changes all the time. Show a young person a floppy disc and they'd be baffled or bemused. And what happens when the electricity is turned off? Also a digital representation of a find cannot be interrogated with physics and chemistry. There is an opinion expressed amongst digital photographers that if you have an image you particularly want to preserve, made a high quality print of it! Moving on to what to do with all the finds and how to store them all: this question loops back to the question about 'dig or don't dig?' Things have been preserved in the ground for 1,000s of years which is how we find them. So that is a 'natural' store for them? Plenty of room! You have a tough decision about how much to disrupt the site and how to get the most information out of it, and what to leave for future study. But rescue archaeology is no-brainer. Thanks, Geoff.

Geoffrey Moore

We hear a lot about the greening of industry, making things more eco friendly and so on. How do archaeologists go about making their work green, minimising the carbon footprint of their activity? And digging up peat may reveal pristine artefacts but is incredibly destructive in an environmental sense, what steps can be taken to reduce the damage?

Michael Crouch

I asked this question before but haven’t heard it answered. If it was, apologies, missed it. In the case where an early bronze kist (sp?) is found near an Iron Age hut and it’s explained as they would have seen it and revered it yet it’s been 2000 +/- years. Wouldn’t it have been covered by dirt and vegetation like Roman times to modern (2000 +/- years)

Debbie Gerlock

We don’t have to imagine what would happen if all digital content is lost. It’s happened in modern times. As an archivist, when this question came up, I’d ask them to insert a floppy disk. Then, Ok, read this sheet of paper. Or a hard drive is wiped only to realize later there were files needed that didn’t get transferred over.

Debbie Gerlock

As long as there has been some kind of money there will have been forgers, I’d imagine. When ancient coins are unearthed, do we have enough examples of any to be able to distinguish the real thing from the fakes? If so, what would be the tell-tale signs you’d be looking for? Thanks, Keith

Keith Jackson

Brilliant - very thought provoking. Good questions submitted re technology, the future and concepts of time 😊👍

Ruth M

Hi Martyn, thank you very much. I have a question for Dr Helen Geake please: how did you arrive at your career in archaeology and what path did you take to get there?

Louise Bates

Thanks Brent!

Martyn Williams

Thanks Kathy. Really glad you enjoyed the podcast. Hopefully your husband enjoyed it too!

Martyn Williams

Thanks Judith

Martyn Williams

Thanks Tim

Martyn Williams

Lovely comments Sarah, thank you

Martyn Williams

Hi Louise, feel free to just comment on this video and we'll see it. Thanks, Martyn

Martyn Williams

And how does one submit a question to be considered for the next podcast please?

Louise Bates

Thank you so much for taking the time to make these podcasts, they are very much appreciated. I particularly liked seeing the participants and their various reactions to patreon questions. Please use this format again!

Louise Bates

Such an excellent episode! Loved the question about how people measured time in the past, & also Dr. Geake’s point that people in the future may not ask the same questions people today are asking of history- very insightful and thought-provoking. Very much appreciate your thoughtfulness & good humor. Keep up the good work! Thank you for all you do! ❤️🙏🏼

Sarah Pethan

I think the Egyptians also had water clocks…. Not sure which kingdom tho

Debbie Williams

Fascinating!!!!

Olivia McGerty

Just great to listen to!Thanks!

Jenny

Great podcast as ever. Could the technique being used for the Red Sea scrolls be use on this. Could small cores be taken like the ice cores be useful in sampling large sites using all the new sampling techniques

Garry Matthews

A very enjoyable podcast, informative and thought provoking.

Tim Cox

Thanks Team Podcast. A really informative and thought provoking programme. Looking forward to more.

JUDITH COOKE

Love the visual podcast format. Hopefully this option will continue...

Steve Mikre

How do we get discord access?

Stephanie

I love the podcasts and the greater amount of time devoted to considering the questions, discussing news, interviewing people, etc. Such a gift.

Fiona D

This was absolutely brilliant. Great questions from fellow patreon members, and such thoughtful answers. And having longer time for questions was a boost enabling greater back and forth between everyone. I so enjoyed this. I sat and listened with a few family members, and your discussions were so thought provoking, they inspired several pauses to talk amongst ourselves. So yes, please do more of these! And as always, a huge thank you to the Lord and Lady of archaeology taking time to answer our questions.

Elaine P

This was beyond wonderful!! I kept stopping the recording to tell my husband what you were saying. I was fascinated by the discussion on spending time slowly at a dig, giving yourself time to think as you puzzle out what you're looking at. I could go on and on here. I'm a retired professor of English literature, and I know from my experience that the slow process of analyzing a text, in the classroom or on one's own, is like that. If AI tells me what to think about the text, I don't puzzle it out for myself. Please forgive the long comment--I will watch this again and take notes. Thanks for waking up my sleepy brain!! Brilliant--all of you!!!

Kathy Carlson

On the climate change issue - the scale of current change is outside that since the last ice age. Previous interglacials (Boxgrove man) provide a better guide. In the last interglacial things changed so fast that Neanderthals didn't get over Doggerland before it flooded - but elephants, rhinos, hippos and lions did - to the location of Trafalgar Square. This is (just) archaeology rather than palaeontology.

Paul Bivand

Oh, what we ben! Great to hear that Helen is a Ridley Walker fan. May I point you to the fantastic episode of the Backlisted podcast where my other half is talking about (and reading from) it. It was recorded at the Port Eliot festival way back time back. https://www.backlisted.fm/episodes/9-russell-hoban-riddley-walker

Matthew Adams

As others have said a marvellous podcast with very thought provoking questions and discussions of them. Thank you and a very happy new year to all.

Rosemary Cormack

Don't forget the animals. Early societies watched them and migrations and mating in the natural world were good 'time' markers.

Dorothy Africa

Wow, what an interesting podcast! Every question and every answer got me thinking. Thank you all, and Happy New Year.

Wessex-Wyvern

The podcasts are really great. It was nice to see video this time, too! I really look forward to new episodes. The TT podcast is at the top of my list of favorites. Thank you for the work you put into these.

Brent Bossom

Everything we do, is governed by time. It controls everything we do. We depend on it.

Alan McMillan

What a great way to start my day! Thanks all. That was brilliant.

Mark & Jill Jefson

Modern technology? I can't help noticing tophe size of your mics!

Alan McMillan

Excellent episode. The questions were very thought provoking. Well done to the Patreon members who asked them, and thanks to the team for answering them (and in some cases leaving an even bigger question for the future to answer!)

Kerry Hennigan

Hello everyone. Happy New year!

Alan McMillan

Brilliant as always guyz, thank you so much... Take care...

Chris Bate

Thank you- very interesting!

Mary Barber


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