In this episode, the team discusses a new paper on why Clovis hunter/gatherers selected certain types of stone for their points and blades. Then the team welcomes archaeologist Scott Ashcraft to discuss his complex federal whistleblower case against the U.S. Forest Service.

Scott Ashcraft attended Western Carolina University, earning a degree in Physical Geography. In the summer of 1989, he was hired for a major archaeological excavation ahead of the construction of a new elementary school within the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians' Qualla Boundary.

After graduating from WCU in 1990, Ashcraft immediately enrolled in a University of North Carolina-Charlotte field school at a large WNC Mississippian site. Over the next three years, Ashcraft worked on a variety of archaeological contract projects from Mobile, AL, to New York City. During occasional work breaks, he returned to Asheville, NC, to assist Dr. David Moore with large salvage excavations at Mississippian town sites across western North Carolina.

In 1993, Ashcraft was hired by the USFS (NFsNC), beginning a 32-year CRM career that eventually broadened to include complementary research and investigative interests. In 1994, Ashcraft founded the North Carolina Rock Art Project, eventually increasing the state's recorded petroglyph and pictograph sites from seven to more than 120. He also advanced major rock art conservation efforts, including Judaculla Rock—the most densely carved petroglyph in the eastern U.S.—and Paint Rock, among the region's oldest pictograph sites.

Another primary career passion for Ashcraft was Wildfire Archaeology, a specialized field he helped pioneer by integrating archaeologists into active wildfire operations to assess and protect important cultural resources. This position required intensive firefighter training and physical conditioning so that archaeologists could play an active role in protecting significant sites during the often chaotic initial attack phase of fire conditions. As the specialty matured, Ashcraft was invited to co-instruct the National Interagency Fire Archaeology Course over several years.

Working closely with Tribal partners—especially the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians—was among the most meaningful aspects of his later career, including many collaborative projects important to the Cherokee.

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Why did Clovis toolmakers choose difficult quartz crystal?

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In this episode, the team talks with Jason Pentrail about his new two-volume set, Adena: Moundbuilders of the Ohio Valley. The books are available in hardcover and eBook formats through Amazon.com.

Adena: Mound Builders of the Ohio Valley is a richly detailed, accessible exploration of one of North America's earliest mound-building societies. Drawing on archaeology, early surveys, and modern research, these books trace the rise of the Adena people from scattered Woodland communities into a tradition defined by monumental earthworks, long-distance exchange networks, and complex ceremonial life.

Readers are guided through the construction and meaning of conical burial mounds, sacred circles, and ritual landscapes that still mark the hills and river valleys of Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and eastern Indiana. The book examines Adena lifeways—craftsmanship, mortuary practices, belief systems, and social organization—while carefully separating evidence from long-standing myths and outdated interpretations.

Special attention is given to the transition from Adena to Hopewell traditions, showing how ideas evolved rather than vanished. Case studies of well-known and lesser-known sites bring the past into sharp focus, revealing what these ancient earthworks tell us about memory, power, and community.

Written for both general readers and serious enthusiasts, Adena Mound Builders of the Ohio Valley offers a grounded, respectful portrait of a culture whose legacy still shapes the American cultural landscape.

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ADENA: Mound Builders of the Ohio Valley

In this episode, the team reunites to discuss news from the world of archaeology, including Pre-dynastic Egyptian drilling technology and the discovery of cordage from the end of the last Ice Age in Oregon. The team is then joined by Dr. Michael Waters to discuss the 2026 PaleoAmerican Odyssey Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico, along with several other incredible archaeological subjects.

Dr. Michael Waters is the Director of the Center for the Study of First Americans and the Executive Director of the North Star Archaeological Research Program. He is known for his expertise in First American studies and geoarchaeology. Dr. Waters has conducted archaeological and geoarchaeological investigations in the United States, Mexico, Russia, Jamaica, and Yemen. His current research projects include the investigation of the Debra L. Friedkin site and Hall's Cave, Texas, as well as a continental-scale project to radiocarbon date Late Pleistocene megafauna to determine the timing and tempo of extinctions and the role of humans in the demise of these animals. He has authored and co-authored numerous journal articles, book chapters, and books, and is the author of Principles of Geoarchaeology: A North American Perspective. In 2017, Dr. Waters was named a Texas A&M University Distinguished Professor, and in 2023, he was named a Texas A&M University System Regents Professor.

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5,300-Year-Old Pre-Dynastic Drilling Artifact

12,000-Year-Old Discovery of Cordage From Oregon Cave

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PaleoAmerican Odyssey 2026