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Seasons Episodes
Anthropology Magazine
Cultural heritage - In 2012, Islamic extremists severely damaged nine historic mausoleums in Timbuktu, Mali. Local masons, like the man shown here, rallied to rebuild them before they were further degraded by exposure to the elements.
column / The Dirt

The Problem With Heritage

Joe Watkins
From Palmyra in Syria to Timbuktu in Mali, a wave of destruction has erased monuments to humanity’s past. Does their loss really matter?
The “domestication” of water has been central to the development of agriculture.
column / The Dirt

Domesticating Water

Joe Watkins
For thousands of years, humans have worked to control water. But how will the looming water crisis change our trajectory?
Lucas van Valckenborch painted a cold winter landscape set near Antwerp, Belgium, in 1575. Europe was then in the midst of the Little Ice Age.
column / The Dirt

Cold Enough for Ya?

Joe Watkins
Archaeology gives us the ability to see the impacts that natural events like the little ice age can have on human culture.
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Past Imperfect

Joe Watkins
Genetics can offer scientific answers to questions about biological relationships, but archaeology provides deep insight into people’s cultural lives.