Ethnocynology with David Ian Howe

In this episode of Ethnocynology, David continues his conversation with Bradley Rydholm of Nature Is Not Metal to discuss animal cognition, ecology, and humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Bradley shares the story behind his popular Instagram page, his work as an outdoor educator, and why he believes wild animals possess rich social lives and individual personalities that are often overlooked.

The conversation explores everything from wolves to topics like anthropomorphism, cooperation in nature, and the emotional lives of animals. David and Bradley also discuss how experiences in the wilderness can change the way people view th...

In this episode of Ethnocynology, David sits down with Bradley Rydholm of Nature Is Not Metal to discuss animal cognition, ecology, and humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Bradley shares the story behind his popular Instagram page, his work as an outdoor educator, and why he believes wild animals possess rich social lives and individual personalities that are often overlooked.

The conversation explores everything from wolves to topics like anthropomorphism, cooperation in nature, and the emotional lives of animals. David and Bradley also discuss how experiences in the wilderness can change the way people view themselves, ot...

In this episode of Ethnocynology, David chats with friend of the show Dr. Alyce Cannon, who is an expert in classics and dogs in the classical world.

The discussion begins with an overview of Alyce’s research an ancient Greece and how dogs appear in pottery after the great Athenian plague.

Then they begin to discuss Odysseus’s dog Argos in Home’s Odyssey: his roles, significance, and sad story. And discussed as well as whether or not he will be in the new Christopher Nolan version of the epic poem.

Towards the end of...

In this Q&A episode of Ethnocynology, David answers listener questions about dogs, archaeology, human evolution, and the ancient past. From whether Neanderthals had dogs, to why humans mourn dogs so deeply, to what ancient people may have named their dogs, this episode explores the relationship between humans and dogs across history. David also discusses archaeological misconceptions, Ice Age societies, ancient dog breeds, civilization, language, and what life may have actually looked like 20,000 years ago.

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In this episode of Ethnocynology, David has a deep discussion with Anjali Ranadive.

Anjali Ranadive is a wildlife conservationist and founder of Women for Wolves, a California-based nonprofit and wolf-dog sanctuary focused on wolf conservation, rescue, education, and human–wildlife coexistence.

Based in El Dorado County, her work bridges conservation, advocacy, policy, and storytelling to protect wolves and reshape how people relate to predators and the natural world.

Anjali studied at the University of California, Berkeley, and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in wildlife conservation. She received the Paul Walker Ocean Lead...

With two new dog genetic and archaeological studies in the news, David briefly overviews his thoughts on them before he interviews the researchers in the coming Episodes. One was found in Britain, and another in Turkey, and they help fill in the gaps of previously published genetic studies.

Secondly, David discusses his newly launched The History of Dogs Course hosted by FluentPet! Check the link below to sign up for the course and to get a special APN listener discount. OR use code DAVIDDOGS at checkout. That is FLUENT.PET / DAVID The History Of Dogs (NOT fluentpet...

In this episode of Ethnocynology, David hosts a panel of guests, including Drs. Shane Miller, Spencer Pelton, Jesse Tune, and Carlton Gover, to discuss the recent Monte Verde paper by Surovell et al.

They discuss the recent paper, the synopsis, and address the many professionally published comments and critiques of the paper, as well as the conversation of the paper on the YouTube video of the previous episode.

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For decades, Monte Verde in southern Chile has been one of the most famous archaeological sites in the Americas. The site was widely accepted as 14,500 years old, making it one of the strongest pieces of evidence for human presence in the Americas before Clovis.

But what if that interpretation was wrong?

In this special episode, I sit down with Dr. Todd Surovell, professor of anthropology at the University of Wyoming, to discuss new research that re-examines Monte Verde using modern geoarchaeological methods. The results suggest that the famous site may actually be much younger than...

In this episode, David sits down in Nashville with archaeologist Aaron Deter-Wolf, a leading researcher in the archaeology of tattooing and co-editor of Ancient Ink: The Archaeology of Tattooing.

They explore how tattoos function as deep cultural expressions across human societies, from Ötzi the Iceman’s 5,000-year-old tattoos to newly documented tattooed mummies in Peru. The conversation dives into experimental archaeology, ancient tattoo tools made from bone and stone, and what tattoos can reveal about identity, belief, and social structure in the past.

Together they discuss how tattoo traditions changed under empires, how archaeologists identify tat...

In this episode of Ethnocynology, David talks about his recent trip to Mexico. Initially, David went to Oaxaca to experience the local culture and take pictures of dogs, and he also spent a lot of time touring mezcal facilities and archaeological sites.

After Oaxaca, David then took a bus to Mexico City, where he gave a talk about his upcoming book at UNAM, the largest university in Latin America.

As well, David details how incredible the Museum of Anthropology is and takes you on a tour of the museum through his words, describing what he...

In this episode of Ethnocynology, David talks about the book he's writing, reflects on the recent passing of his dog and his uncle, and what those have in common. With an upcoming trip to Mexico to research dogs in ancient and classical Mexican culture, David weaves in themes of dogs as spiritual constants and symbols of death around the world, including ancient Persia and China. He also asks the audience to consider how dogs and death may go hand in hand in their own lives.

Transcripts

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www...

In this episode of ethnocynology, David gets back to dogs!

Ever wanted to hear his full manifesto on dogs, culminating nearly a decade of research? Well, here it is!

What are dogs, where do they come from, and why are they so prevalent in history, legend, and mythology?

Transcripts

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/ethnocynology/29

Links:

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What if one of the most important technologies in human history wasn’t a spear, a stone tool, or writing, but a bone needle?

In this episode of Ethnocynology, David sits down with Dr. McKenna Litynski, an interdisciplinary anthropologist, to explore how sewing needles, clothing, and thermoregulation fundamentally reshaped human survival during the Ice Age. And helped Homo sapiens expand across the globe.

This conversation is both a deep dive into Ice Age archaeology and a clear, behind-the-scenes walkthrough of how you actually earn a PhD in anthropology, from preliminary exams to dissertation defense. This ep...

As the APN takes a break this holiday season we’re taking this opportunity to bring you episodes of shows you may not be aware of. Today we have an episode from The Archaeology Show about lost cities.

The Archaeology Show: Lost City or Lost Cause? Diving Into the Latest Atlantis Claims

In this episode of The Archaeology Show, we kick things off with a look at the recent discovery of a treasure-filled tomb belonging to the first known ruler of a Maya city in Belize, shedding light on ancient Maya leadership and ritual. In se...

Do you have your pens at the ready? It’s pop-quiz time! Since David’s away for this episode, he’s given you a refresher on why bone needles are so important! This may or may not relate to a certain episode sequel he’s been working on…

Here’s a recap of Episode 9!

In this episode of Ethnocynology, David highlights a recent paper published about a bone needle he helped excavate in the summer of 2022.

While David wasn’t an author on the paper, he was there when it was excavated, recorded the moment, an...

Please enjoy this Promo episode from the Great Plains Podcast this week!

In this episode, I sit down with Nebraska archaeologist Nolan Johnson to talk about his work uncovering and interpreting the state’s rich historic past. We begin with the Beaver Creek Trail Crossing, a site that offers a glimpse into the experiences of travelers along the overland trails and the material traces they left behind. Nolan shares the story of how the site was investigated, what artifacts reveal about life on the move, and why these places remain important today.

In the second ha...

In this episode David sits down with Zach Lindsay, a Mayanist archaeologist and board member of the Institute of Maya Studies, to explore the intersection of Mesoamerican archaeology, art, mythology, and—of course—dogs! From the monumental pyramids of Teotihuacan to the symbolic underworld journeys of ancient Maya souls, Zach brings a journalist’s curiosity and an archaeologist’s precision to one of the world’s oldest human–dog relationships.

Transcripts

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/ethnocynology/27

Links:

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In this third installment of the “Horse Series,” David sits down with Dr. Carlton Shield Chief Gover to explore the intersections of Indigenous oral traditions, radiocarbon dating, and the archaeology of horses across the Great Plains and the Caribbean.

Carlton shares how Pawnee oral traditions align with archaeological evidence, revealing new insights into the transitions from hunter-gatherer to agricultural societies. The conversation expands into how the reintroduction of horses revolutionized Plains warfare, movement, and culture — transforming not just how people traveled, but how they defined bravery, honor, and trade.

The episode then dives underwater — literally — as Carlton...

Remembering Jane Goodall with Primatologist Carson Black

In this deeply heartfelt episode, David speaks with Primatologist, Biological Anthropologist, and Conservationist, Carson Black, who has spent her academic career studying chimpanzees in Senegal and howler monkeys in Costa Rica.

Together, they reflect on the life and legacy of Jane Goodall, the “living Darwin of the modern era,” and how her groundbreaking work continues to shape the way we understand both chimpanzees and ourselves.

Carson shares vivid stories from the field—bucket showers under the Milky Way, mischievous chimps throwing rocks, and the humbling power of see...

In this episode of Ethnocynology with David Ian Howe, I sit down with my good friend and former graduate school cohort member Cassidee Thornhill, Collections Manager at the University of Wyoming Archaeological Repository.

Cassidee’s research dives into the early contact era in Wyoming, focusing on the arrival and spread of horses before and during European colonization. We discuss her fascinating thesis work on the Black’s Fork River site, where a young foal was found buried alongside three coyote skulls—an extraordinary archaeological discovery that sheds light on early human–horse relationships on the Plains.

Topics...

In this episode of Ethnocynology, host David Ian Howe sits down with archaeologist and anthropologist Dr. William Taylor (University of Colorado Boulder), author of Hoofbeats: How Horses Shaped Human History.

While this show usually focuses on dogs, today we shift to the other animal that transformed humanity: the horse. Dr. Taylor walks us through the evolutionary history of horses, their domestication on the Eurasian steppe, and their reintroduction to the Americas after the Ice Age. Together we explore how humans first interacted with horses—as prey, symbols in cave art, sources of milk and meat, and eventually as...

In this episode of Ethnocynology, host David Ian Howe sits down with friend and creator North02 to dive into one of North America’s most fascinating and overlooked archaeological stories—the Old Copper Culture.

Together, they explore how Native communities in the Great Lakes region began shaping some of the world’s earliest metal tools and weapons, thousands of years before metallurgy took hold in Europe. From massive copper swords and fishing hooks to spear throwers and intricate ornaments, this culture reveals a technological world far beyond the usual “stone tool” narrative.

We discuss:

On this episode of A Life in Ruins Podcast, David and Connor talk to Dr. Angela Perri about her lengthy CV and her academic/professional career. Dr. Perri is currently the top researcher in the world in terms of understanding the relationship between humans and dogs in the ancient world. So clearly, David's ears perked up.

As usual, we first dive into Angela's early life and career in anthropology, and talk about her interesting transition from a Las Vegas bartender and Oregonian undergrad, to being a PhD student in the UK.

We then discuss her...

An Anthro Chat With Stefan Milo.

In this episode of ethnic psychology, David sits down with good friend Stefan Milo, archaeologist, YouTuber, and overall outstanding chap.

David and Steve catch up on recent anthropology news and discussed the recent archaeological findings at White Sands national Park, as well as the recent genetic findings surrounding Dragon Man, the Denisovans, and the peopling of the Americas.

David and Stefan also discuss the growing concern among content creators regarding automated intelligence and whether or not the recent advancements with AI video generation will put people like...

On this episode of A Life In Ruins podcast, David interviews his former advisor Dr. Todd Surovell. Todd served as an advisor to David and was a committee member for David and Connor‘s MA theses.

David begins interviewing Todd about what archaeology means to him, and a discussion of his early life. The conversation later turns into how Todd found his way into anthropology, and his work in graduate school.

And in the third segment, Todd and David discuss Clovis archaeology, Clovis and Folsom culture, and megafaunal extinctions. Todd also discusses what it means to...

In this episode of ethnic psychology, David sits down with a friend of the pod, Artur Hulu. But you may know him by his Instagram pseudonym Gaius Flavius.

Arthur is a prolific memes it is pretty tapped into the cultural Zeitgeist of the Internet. Well, most of his memes have to do with ancient Rome and classical history, they are successful because he understands the complex history of memes and modern internet culture.

David and Arthur discuss different memes that have done well, their strategies for posting, and why this is important for science and...

In this episode of Ethnocynology with David and Howe, David sits down with good friend Jonny Devaney! Jonny recently got back from an extended trip to Italy with his family, where he went to Pompeii, Naples, Venice, Rome, and got to see a mass run by the new Pope Leo.

They first start by catching up with each other and then quickly get into the trip.

Jonny spent the most time in Rome and Naples, but also got to see lots of Venice and was given a personal tour of Pompeii by an archaeologist.

In this episode, David answers questions he received from a Q&A on Instagram. While some are archaeological, most are on dogs. The questions range from dogs in the Americas, to dog burials in Europe, why are some wolves black? Why are there so many arrowheads in Wyoming? And were dogs really eaten?

David answers these questions, and does his usual rant and tirades in between questions about current anthropology, the Colombian exchange, and people that annoy him on Instagram.

Transcripts

In this episode, David finally discusses the 2018 film “Alpha.” Alpha is a movie that takes place 20,000 years ago in France, in which a boy is separated from his hunting party, and has to survive on his own to get home. That is until he meets a wolf, and the two of them then have to survive together to make it home. It is a story of survival, but also the first domestic dog.

David reviews the movie scene by scene and adds anthropological context and discusses the accuracies and inaccuracies using examples from real archeology.

Tran...

In this episode, David reads some selected short stories and posts from his Instagram that helped build his account.  If you've been following him for a while, you'll recognize some of these posts, and more importantly you'll recognize the illustrations done by Ettore Mazza.

Many of these posts have to do with dogs, wolves, and anthropology but the final one has to do with tattoos and the Lord of the Rings.

David stresses that these posts were originally a lot longer pieces of work, but had to be cut down to only 2,200 characters to fit w...

In this episode of Ethnocynology, David chats with friend, colleague, and former A Life in Ruins host, Dr. Carlton Shield Chief Gover.

David and Carlton do a brief catch up before diving right into the recent paper released by Colossal Biosciences and a team of researchers regarding newly researched direwolf genetics.

David and Carlton discuss the ethics of release the un-peer reviewed paper only after the huge media push, as well as Carlton gives a an analysis of the statistics in the paper.

Links:

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In this episode, David talks about the recent news about the direwolves that were “brought back from extinction.” However, as he explains, no direwolves were brought back from extinction, and it seems the company is intentionally lying to the public for one reason or the other. David talks biology, speciation taxonomy, and why it seems the public is being duped.

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In this episode of Ethnocynology with David Ian Howe, David sits down with friend and wildlife photographer Hannah Rheaume.

Hannah, born in Maine, but residing in the Pacific Northwest today, frequently travels to Yellowstone to photograph wolves in the wild.

David asks her about her childhood, what led her to photography, and what it must be like to get so close to wolves and understand their behavior.

You can follow Hannah on her Instagram and on her website linked below.

Hannah’s IG: Instagram (@hannahrheaume)

Hannah’s website: Hannah's Came...

David then discusses the Bellemeade Mansion and the Hermitage in Nashville, and how these powerful Southern families partook in the war.

But mainly, David speaks candidly about how these historic sites have evolved (and not evolved) in their ways of including the story Black Americans and those of the African Diaspora into the landscape of these histories

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In this Episode, David discusses his recent travels to California and Connor’s visit to Nashville the week before.

David and Connor met up with Aaron Deter-Wolf of Archaeology Ink and Danny Riday of Totemic Tattoo in Nashville, who gave David and Connor hand-poked tattoos with bone and stone. David discusses the artistry, history, and process behind Danny’s work and his hand-poked tattoo, that is a memorial to his late dog, Strider.

David then discusses three Civil War era sites he and Connor toured in the Nashville area called the Carter House, Carnton Plantation, the...

As laid out in Episode 4, David will be doing deep dives into movies, TV shows, and books that have to do with anthropology and dogs in the apocalypse. In this episode, David does a deep dive on a film called “Children of Men” directed by Alfonso Cuarón.

Children of Men explores a near-future where men and women have become infertile, and no one is able to reproduce. In this story, dogs play a role in substituting for children, which is uniquely explored in the film through its cinematography.

Some of the things David discusses are t...

In this episode of Ethnocynology, David highlights a recent paper published about a bone needle he helped excavate in the summer of 2022.

While David wasn’t an author on the paper, he was there when it was excavated, recorded the moment, and recently conducted interviews with the two leading authors of the paper.

David discusses how he read a comment on his post about the needle that made him stop to think about how important such a small item could be to people on the ice age plains.

David discusses how to read an...

In this episode, David chats with good friend and guest Jonny Devaney.

David had interviewed Jonny on the David Ian Howe Show a few months ago and on that episode talked about possibly doing another, and being one of the first guests on Ethnocynology.

David and Jonny begin the episode by catching up and talking about dogs. And then Jonny begins his deep dive into his obsession with Salukis and begins their very interesting history.

After the break, David talks about facts about German Shepherds.

Transcripts

For this episode of Just the Boyz, we kick off our series on animal domesticates, starting with the oldest known domesticated animal: the dog. We are fortunate to have David as a one of the hosts as he is one of the leading public scholars when it comes to the relationship between dogs and humans throughout human history. We chat about the earliest evidence for dog domestication, the leading theories behind Howe and why dogs were domesticated, and delve into a discussion about the Siberian Fox Domestication experiment and animal research ethics.

Literature recommendations

1) "Dogs"...

In this month's episode, Matilda chats with fellow podcaster and well-known YouTube anthropologist David Ian Howe all about ancient arrowheads. Probably everyone knows what an arrowhead is, but what's the story behind the use and development of arrowheads? And most importantly, what's the link between arrowheads and smartphones? Listen in to find out all this and more!

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