Today we’re joined by Dr. Brian Buchanan to review King Arthur (2004), a modern retelling of the ancient myth based on “recently discovered archaeological evidence,” allegedly. Brain leads us on a journey beyond Hadrian’s Wall and helps us tease apart this movie’s tangled mess of Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Picts, Sarmatians, and more.

Follow Brian on Bluesky:

https://bsky.app/profile/archaeobuchanan.bsky.social

Gefrin Trust:

https://gefrintrust.org/

https://www.instagram.com/gefrintrust

Get in touch with us:

Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social

Facebook: @SotSAPodcast

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/

Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com

Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com

In this episode:

Historicity of King Arthur: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_King_Arthur

“Anglo-Saxonism”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxonism_in_the_19th_century

Sarmatians: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarmatians

Picts: https://www.digitscotland.com/who-were-the-picts/

Hadrian’s Wall: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/hadrians-wall/hadrians-wall-history-and-stories/history/

Rome’s Ninth Legion: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-12752497

Battle of Badon Hill: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Badon

Today we’re joined by professor/filmmaker/archaeologist Rob Rownd to review The Dig (2021), a film which tells the (mostly) true story of the Sutton Hoo Anglo-Saxon ship burial excavation of 1939. Find out why we love this movie so much, even though it makes some questionable decisions about the portrayal of real-life archaeologist Peggy Piggot. Check out Rob’s projects:

Sisa: https://deadline.com/2025/01/hilda-koronel-jun-robles-lana-sisa-philippine-american-war-1236252344/

Cinemartyrs: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/support-film-fatales-fund-indie-film-cinemartyrs--2#/

Get in touch with us:

Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social

Facebook: @SotSAPodcast

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/

Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com

Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com

In this episode:

Phillips (1940) The excavation of the Sutton Hoo ship burial: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003581500009677

The True Story Behind the Dig: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/suffolk/sutton-hoo/digging-the-dirt-at-sutton-hoo-the-true-story-behind-the-dig

The Misrepresentation of Peggy Piggot in “The Dig”: https://theheritagehut.wordpress.com/2021/03/23/the-misrepresentation-of-peggy-piggott-in-the-dig/

Stuart Piggot’s Poetry: https://stuart-piggott-poetry.com/stuart%20and%20peggy.html

Artifacts from Sutton Hoo: https://digventures.com/2021/01/16-brilliant-discoveries-from-the-sutton-hoo-ship-burial/

Cornelius Holtorf (2007) Archaeology is a Brand! https://archive.org/details/archaeologyisbra00holt/mode/2up

Today we’ve invited Fredrik Trusohamn of Digging Up Ancient Aliens to help us review Kon Tiki (2012), the true story of Thor Heyerdahl and his adventure on the Pacific Ocean which proved that Polynesia was settled by explorers from Peru... or did it? In this episode we reveal the dark secrets that movie doesn’t want you to know, and identify what Kon Tiki, Ancient Aliens, and Atlantis all have in common (spoilers: it’s hyperdiffusionism!)

Hear more from Fredrik:

Digging Up Ancient Aliens: https://diggingupancientaliens.com/

DUAA on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digging_up_ancient_alien

Get in touch with us:

Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social

Facebook: @SotSAPodcast

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/

Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com

Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com

In this episode:

Watch Kon Tiki (2012) on Plex: https://watch.plex.tv/movie/kon-tiki-2012

Watch Kon Tiki (1950) (the documentary): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvBYfba8nv8

Read The Kon Tiki Expedition (1950) by Thor Heyerdahl: https://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.524366/

Read American Indians In The Pacific (1952) by Thor Heyerdahl: https://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.505573/

Why do waves come in sets? https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/why-do-waves-come-in-sets

Victor Melander (2019) David’s Weapon of Mass Destruction: The Reception of Thor Heyerdahl’s ‘Kon-Tiki Theory’: https://archaeologybulletin.org/articles/10.5334/bha-612

Alexander Ioannidis et al. (2020) Native American gene flow into Polynesia predating Easter Island settlement: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2487-2

Hōkūleʻa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C5%8Dk%C5%ABle%CA%BBa

Czech archaeologists trace ancient sea routes in Neolithic dugout replica: https://english.radio.cz/monoxylon-iii-czech-archaeologists-trace-ancient-sea-routes-neolithic-dugout-8130367

Sarmatian log boat (monoxylon) at Novi Sad Museum: https://europebetweeneastandwest.wordpress.com/2020/10/03/how-will-we-be-forgotten-petrovaradin-of-sarmatians-monoxylon-a-balkan-affair-30/

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are not able to post our regularly scheduled episode today, but in its place we'd like to share a YouTube video Josh made for the ComSciCon Canada conference! You can find it at the following link: https://youtu.be/I_jHuLPhF7I

Please check it out, and leave us a comment letting us know what you think!

ComSciCon Canada: https://www.comsciconcanada.org/

Today we’re reviewing Sasquatch Sunset (2024), the story of a family of Bigfoots searching in vain for more of their own kind while coming to terms with a new threat to their survival: humans. It’s a beautiful, powerful film about grief, uncertainty, perseverance, hope, and poop. Lots of poop.

Visit our new website! https://screensofthestoneage.com

Get in touch with us:

Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social

Facebook: @SotSAPodcast

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/

Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com

In this episode:

Ross’ yeti paper: Edwards & Barnett (2015). Himalayan ‘yeti’ DNA: Polar bear or DNA degradation? A comment on ‘Genetic analysis of hair samples attributed to yeti’ by Sykes et al.(2014): https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.1712

Sasquatch Birth Journal 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVTw2w6MiFw

Riley Keough – Creatures of Nature – grunt version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGlueLd7Kqo

Number sense in animals: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_sense_in_animals

The Patterson Gimlin film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q60mSMmhTZU

Wild chimps play with dolls: https://www.npr.org/2010/12/21/132231422/wild-chimps-may-play-dolls

Sometimes a Great Notion (1971) - drowning scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W3sZedBfIM

Bigfoot behaviour: https://www.bfro.net/gdb/show_FAQ.asp?id=587

Why do chimps throw poop? https://www.livescience.com/66042-why-chimps-throw-poop.html

Bowland et al. (2025). The evolutionary ecology of ethanol: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2024.09.005

Did ‘shrooms send Santa and his reindeer flying? https://www.npr.org/2010/12/24/132260025/did-shrooms-send-santa-and-his-reindeer-flying

Ghosts is a BBC sitcom about a young couple who inherit a mansion which happens to be haunted by a cast of spirits from various periods of Britain’s history—including the Stone Age. Today we’re reviewing the character Robin, who is some sort of caveman ghost who has been haunting the grounds since long before Button House was built. His is a tragic story of extreme loneliness and solitude, but through it all he’s developed a strong sense of humour, a sage-like wisdom, and an appreciation of bums.

Visit our new website! https://screensofthestoneage.com

Get in touch with us:

Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social

Facebook: @SotSAPodcast

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/

Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com

In this episode:

9 minutes of Robin chaos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrgFgyTGKwI

Roger Clark (2012) A Natural History of Ghosts: 500 Years of Hunting for Proof: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Natural_History_of_Ghosts

Greyfriar’s Kirkyard: https://greyfriarskirk.com/visit/kirkyard/

Ghosts of Roman soldiers haunt ancient city of York: https://www.upi.com/Archives/1977/01/19/Ghosts-of-Roman-soldiers-haunt-ancient-city-of-York/6631571073639/

Jaubert et al. (2016). Early Neanderthal constructions deep in Bruniquel Cave in southwestern France: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature18291

The BBC article about the “highly inbred” Neanderthal woman from Denisova Cave: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-25423498

Live from New York: It’s the Stone Age! Today we’re reviewing an anthology of sketches from Saturday Night Live, the long-running American variety show, featuring Cockney cavemen, osteological phobias, Nile Valley girls, a real banger about Ancient Rome, and a lot of celebs humping each other.

Visit our new website! https://screensofthestoneage.com

Get in touch with us:

Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social

Facebook: @SotSAPodcast

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/

Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com

In this episode:

Watch our Stone Age SNL playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MDF68rM3VM&list=PLzzOAyef3Dyrhg07MnEfFircHodV_OPjj

Don’t You Go Rounin’ Round to Re Ro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6p0W4ZsLXw

The earliest known fermented beverage: https://historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=3424

Moosa et al. (2021). Sexual dimorphic parameters of femur: a clinical guide in orthopedics and forensic studies: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8811676/

The March of Progress: https://bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/sites.wustl.edu/dist/1/1202/files/2018/10/MarchofProgressComplete-192k4uo.png

Sapolsky and Share (2004). A Pacific culture among wild baboons: https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.0020106

Maya vs. Aztec Calendar: https://mymayansign.com/blog/aztec-vs-mayan-calendar/

Ancient Rome Meme: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2023/09/21/tiktoks-roman-empire-meme-explained/

Hadrian was hella gay: https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/antinous-and-hadrian

Eosimias: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eosimias

Orang Pendek: https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Orang_Pendek

Today we’re playing Caveman Movie Bingo again! Creatures the World Forgot (1971) is another 70s caveman-sploitation film that’s heavy on the stereotypical tropes and light on plot. Despite the name, it might be most notable for not featuring any forgotten creatures.

Visit our new website! https://screensofthestoneage.com

Get in touch with us:

Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social

Facebook: @SotSAPodcast

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/

Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com

In this episode:

Watch Creatures the World Forgot on Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/creatures-the-world-forgot

Play Caveman Movie Bingo: https://bingobaker.com#681e1d01d32b436e

Ostrich eggshell beads: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostrich_eggshell_beads

Ostrich egg water bottles: https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/213331

Elephant bird eggshells: https://www.colorado.edu/today/2023/02/28/ancient-eggshells-unlock-discovery-extinct-elephant-bird-lineage

Formicola and Buzhilova (2004) Double child burial from Sunghir (Russia): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15197816/

Dance of the Tiger (1995) by Björn Kurtén: https://www.ucpress.edu/books/dance-of-the-tiger/paper

The Asaro Mudmen of Papua New Guinea: https://www.tribes.world/en/community/who-are-the-asaro

The Dogon People of Mali: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogon_people