Featured Archived
Seasons Episodes
Table of contents
Introduction 0 Why Write for the Public? 1 What to Expect, from Pitch to Publication 2 How to Write a Pitch 3 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 1: Structure 4 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 2: Style 5 Navigating Ethics and Reducing Harms 6 Habits of Thriving Public Anthropologists 7 Cultivating the Craft of Writing 8
Table of contents
Introduction 0 Why Write for the Public? 1 What to Expect, from Pitch to Publication 2 How to Write a Pitch 3 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 1: Structure 4 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 2: Style 5 Navigating Ethics and Reducing Harms 6 Habits of Thriving Public Anthropologists 7 Cultivating the Craft of Writing 8
Announcement

After ten years of exploring humanity in all its diversity, SAPIENS has concluded its publishing chapter.

While the magazine has closed, its living archive endures—open to all and preserving the many ideas, voices, and discoveries that deepen our understanding of what it means to be human.

At the Heart of It All

In the third episode of season 4 of the SAPIENS podcast, an archaeologist and community historian share the difficult stories of identifying and protecting unmarked graves at Indigenous boarding schools and a historic African American cemetery threatened by development.

A Lens on Cyprus Reunification

An anthropologist walks around the circumference of this Mediterranean island, photographing people separated by political conflict and reflecting on the ties that bind divided communities.

How “Wilderness” Was Invented Without Indigenous Peoples
New research reveals how human activity need not always damage nature and may even benefit conservation—a message tied to Indigenous understandings that runs counter to the West’s longstanding myth of “pristine wilderness.”
Redrawing the Boundaries

The second episode of season 4 of the SAPIENS podcast features stories about what it means to unearth African history on the Caribbean island of St. Croix and why Black archaeologists are searching for sunken slave ships.

Egyptology Has a Problem: Patriarchy

An Egyptologist reflects on the angry responses she’s received to her recent book, The Good Kings, and what they reveal about male power and minority rule.

What Egyptian Pharaohs Can Tell Us About Modern Tyrants

A new book connects the dots between ancient Egyptian kings’ power plays, patriarchy, and the current rise of authoritarianism around the world.

Raiding Graves—Not to Rob but to Remember

Two archaeologists offer surprising new data suggesting people in medieval Europe took items from graves as heirlooms.

How Filipino Sailors—and Coconuts—Helped Create Mexico’s National Drink

Most people see tequila and mezcal as quintessentially Mexican spirits—but recent research has uncovered their unlikely connection with the Philippines.

A Hidden Figure in North American Archaeology

A Black cowboy named George McJunkin, who died 100 years ago, found a site that would transform scientific views about the deep history of Native Americans in North America.

Guided by the Past

Hosts Dr. Ora Marek-Martinez and Yoli Ngandali share how they found their way to archaeology and what it means to be Black and Indigenous archaeologists. From defying the status quo in a classroom to diving through sunken ships, Ora and Yoli bring listeners on a journey of reclaiming stories and reimagining history.