Material Culture, Microhistory and Mayhem. The Past and Stuff is a casual and irreverent podcast by Dr. Ashley Bozian and Dr. Tracey Cooper. Each week we challenge each other to identify an historical object, and then discuss what it can tell us as a unique window on the past. Expect an unexpected mesh of connections and terrible jokes, as a two very serious academics (not!), one a Armenian-American millennial and the other a British Gen Xer, have too much fun while trying to understand each other and the history of the world.

Angeline Tubbs: The Witch of Saratoga – sorting fiction from fact

Read Blog Here

Anti-Witch Craft Device Commonly Known as a Witch bottle

Listen to Epiosde 20 here

Aztec Obsidian Mirror – Scrying Device and Symbol of Tezcatlipoca, The Lord of Smoking Mirror

Listen to Episode 20 here

Grýla: An Orgress, her man-eating cat, and her thirteen thieveing sons walk into an Icelandic Christmas.

Read the blog post here.

Kreepy Krampus: Better not be Naughty

Listen to Episode 19

Two Non-Voodoo Dolls

Part One: N’kisi N’Kondi

Mangaaka Power Figure

Listen to Episode 19

Blog Post Coming Soon

Two Non-Voodoo Dolls

Part One: Creepy Incel Louvre Love Magic Doll

Thanksgiving Fiascoes: Super Scary Clowns and Escapee Ballons

Blog: The Blessing of the Spider Grandmother in Native American Mythology

Read Here

The Skull and Brain Endocast of Taung Child: Most Significant Discovery of the Twentieth Century?

Listen to Episode 14

Blog: Mad Honey and the Poisoner King (Coming Soon)

Blog: Why is Earl Grey Tea called Earl Grey?

Read Here

The World’s Oldest Tea

Episode 10

Blog: One Glorious Tile at the Topkapi Palace

Love Letter from Roxelana to Suleyman the Magnificent Reveals Affection of the Slave become Queen: Episode 5

Evidence of Necromancy in a Late Roman/Early Byzantine Context in Te’Omim Cave in Israel: Episode 5

Female Masking in Sixteenth Century England, Paris and Venice: Elites and Sex Workers: Episode 4

Egyptian Perfume Bottle: Doesn’t Everyone Want to Smell Nice?Episode 4

. Skull of the Razboinichya canid indicating sampling location for 14C AMS dating (black arrow)..

The earliest dog skull – 33,500 years ago humans were domesticating their best friend and dogs was domesticating theirs: Episode 3

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Woman headed birds on a Ukrainian Woman’s Temple Pendant from the Period of Kyivan Rus’ – and a bad-ass woman’s revenge: Episode 3

Where the past is stuff and stuff is past