In this episode of the David Ian Howe Show, I sit down with Dr. Flint Dibble.

Flint Dibble is an archaeologist and classicist best known for his work in zooarchaeology, his educational social media presence, and more recently… the first archaeology MMA match on the Joe Rogan Experience in which he debated Graham Hancock.

Flint has been on a ton of podcasts and interviews since his appearance on JRE, so I wanted to be the first to interview Flint archaeologist to archaeologist. And I was stoked with how well this went.

I’ve been pretty vocal about how I feel that constantly complaining about, ragging on, or even outright insulting Hancock’s character is just NOT the way to go. It’s a bad look for the field and discipline, and only helps him gain more of a controversial following.

In my opinion, Hancock is a person with opinions and ideas that should be heard, and not vilified; it just becomes whining and is not constructive. But instead, (and I have been just as vocal about this) my opinion has been that we need to sit down and talk with people like Hancock; that is way more constructive. So, I was really excited to sit down and talk with Flint, as he is the person who did just that—and changed the game doing so.

The debate and Hancock understandably take up much of the podcast if that’s what you’re wanting to hear. However, what I really wanted to talk to him about was his upbringing, his research, and his opinions on theory and archaeology. And of course, thoughts on animals, and what it means to be human. Please enjoy this episode, and Flint’s answers to these questions.

____________________________________

David

Website: https://www.Davidianhowe.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/davidianhowe

Store: https://www.davidianhowe.com/store

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ethnocynology

Discord: https://discord.gg/WQSt39jHTg

Flint

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FlintDibble

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/flintdibble

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flintdibble

X: https://www.x.com/flintdibble

_________

In this episode of the David Ian Howe Show, I interview my new friend Jonny Devaney (@jauncydev). Jonny is known for his viral skits about dogs, dog breeds, and him dressing up as God (making dogs). My dad actually first showed me Jonny's videos, and my Instagram followers send me them constantly. One day I noticed he followed me on IG, so I shot him a message and then bam, now we are chatting on the pod. Didn't really have a plan for this one...just wanted to get to know another funny dude on the internet, and had a lot of fun doing it. You can follow Jonny's YouTube: ⁠‪@jauncydev‬⁠ ⁠https://www.youtube.com/results?searc...⁠ As well as his Instagram ⁠‪@jauncydev‬⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jauncydev?u...

Dr. Sean Jackewicz is a Lieutenant in the US Navy and currently works as a physician at Walter Reed in Washington D.C.

As you'll hear in this episode, Sean had a very unorthodox way of getting into the world of medicine and went to several schools to become a Physician, where he also won awards for his scientific research. He also joined the US Navy and currently hold the rank of Lieutenant O3.

We talk about his passion for science, his upbringing, living in Savannah, and what led him to his current job. We also discuss among many other things....cloning mammoths, de-extinction, space travel, CRISPR, and medicine in space.

I will have Sean on again to discuss the cloning of dogs!

STEFAN MILO RETURNS

Just kidding.

This is his first appearance on my solo show, but Stefan has been on A Life in Ruins over 5 times. If you don’t already know, Stefan is a YouTuber, author, and overall awesome bloke. He has a YouTube page dedicated to making well-researched and really well-produced archaeology and anthropology videos.

I met Stefan almost 5 years ago now through our artist, Ettore Mazza, and we’ve been friends ever since. We eventually shoot the breeze about the Bronze Age, Homo erectus, and get into modern genetic science. But mainly, I ask Stefan about his current success where he started. We talk about his childhood in the UK, his undergrad at Sheffield, and then his time abroad in Europe.

We then discuss how he came to the US, Portland, and his time working IT at a credit union and how that led to YouTube.

We talk about a lot more, but if you’re a fan of Stefan, I recommend listening to the whole episode because we cover a lot!

I really enjoyed my conversation with Lindsay Nikole (recorded in November), who is a zoologist, author, and TikTok star.

Lindsay makes really fun and entertaining videos on the topics of zoology, paleontology, and animal behavior. Lindsay appeared on an episode of a Life in Ruins where she sat down with Connor, Carlton and I to talk about her life and career.

But today she sits down with me for a 2.5 hour deep dive into many topics. What I really like is that we discuss the idiosyncrasies of being a content creator and how to navigate such a new and exciting (but challenging) field. We also discuss the pressures of wanting to be as accurate as possible, but what to do when we make mistakes and how to handle negative comments. Lindsay and I then talk about her management and talent agency and what we would both like to do with our social media success. I definitely go on several rants about archaeology and prehistory which I think you all might enjoy as well .

And then, as we wrap up, I ask Lindsay some rapid fire questions about zoology (which of course devolves into more fun conversation). If you’ve watched Lindsay’s videos, watched mine, or just genuinely wonder what the day-to-day is like for people like us, I think you’ll really enjoy this episode.

It was fun to realize throughout the episode that we are very similar people and I am glad to call her a friend. Felt like I was talking to someone I’ve known for a long time.

How often do you think about the Roman Empire?

In this episode, I sit down with historic reenactor and influencer, Artur Hulu. Artur recently blew up on social media thanks to his handmade centurion costumes, passion for reenactment, and his absolutely superb meme game. I ask Arthur about his current success and then dive into his Swedish roots and his role in local government in his small town.

We then discuss the nuances of Swedish culture, politics, and how he balances his life as a reenactor and influencer. Arthur and I then dive into what it’s like to be an influencer in today’s cultural climate, and how he navigates that. We also discuss the impact Rome and Italy have had on western and world history.

Then of course we dive into Rome, where I ask him some rapid-fire questions about Rome including: who’s your favorite emperor? Favorite Roman Movie? Have you ever performed testudo? What weapon would you use as a gladiator? What caused the fall of the empire? And more.

You can follow Artur on his Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/gaiusflavius

And his YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@gaiusflaviusvideos

Timecodes

0:00 Teaser reel

1:46 Who is Artur?

2:33 How does success feel?

3:47 Being a Roman reenactor

05:21 Appreciation vs cultural appropriation complaints

07:12 What got you into this?

09:37 Life in the past vs today

14:00 Ikea

15:30 Arthur’s job

18:24 Swedish Government

19:26 Covid

20:48 Cross the Rubicon / European Politics

22:32 David growing up with Italians

23:35 Italy’s impact on the world

25:55 Interconnectedness of the ancient world (Sweden)

28:26 Interconnectedness of the ancient world (China)

31:51 Did you study / Italy central to history

33:01 Latin language

34:27 Reenactments and hard work

41:00 Reenactment Memes on IG

48:30 Going viral / success on IG

52:00 Navigating social media / Influencing

55:09 English and foreign languages

1:03:00 American culture around the world

1:06:21 Roman empire and Latin America

1:07:00 Roman empire trend

1:15:00 FEMBOYS homosexuality in the ancient world

1:19:00 Navigating with fans and community

Rapid fire

1:28:56 TESTUDO

1:34:00 Favorite movie or show

1:36:00 What’s your gladiator weapon?

1:38:00 What happened to the legion of the 9th

1:39:00 You hear an Elephant over the Alps… 1:40:00 Anti-elephant pigs

1:42:26 Jewish revolt and the Coliseum

1:44:08 David’s roman era comedy pitch

1:45:49 Favorite Roman Emperor 1:47:52 What was the downfall of the Roman Empire?

1:53:15 Why couldn’t the Germanic tribes be conquered?

1:56:34 Favorite battle

1:58:40 What’s been the most rewarding experience?

2:00:00 Wrapping up

Donny Dust has been a solid mentor the last few years. Since his TikTok exploded, it's been ironic to watch my caveman sensei(?) amass over 10 million followers on TikTok. All 10mil of whom....in 2023, watch him make stone tools everyday.

Here's us chatting about dogs, rocks, prehistory, and how his time as USMC Counterintelligence kinda made him an applied anthropologist, survivalist, and educator. But mostly about the things mentioned in the title.

You can find his books and classes on his website: https://www.donnydust.com/

Timecodes

0:00 Intro and catching up

07:23 What is Military Intelligence?

09:58 Overt, Covert, Clandestine

11:56 After the service?

15:35 Widow-Maker Heart Attack

20:45 How the Woods are a Reset

21:38 Dogs in the Woods

24:04 What do Dogs mean to you?

25:59 Encountering Moose and Safety Tips

30:07 Have you ever seen a wolf?

32:18 Encountering Cryptids? / Bigfoot

34:15 "Pattern of Life"

36:03 Firearms / Mountainmen

38:44 Craziest Experience/ encounter

39:50 Surviving in the Amazon

42:00 Gathering Local Intel for Survival Tips

43:01 Fungi

44:61 Go-to Meal When in the Woods?

47:48 Survival Mistakes

48:00 T.O.W.E.R.S.

51:00 Deciduous vs. Pine

55:46 DONNY'S BOOKS

57:11 Stone Tools 1:02:00 Artifact Identification

1:06:00 Spirituality

1:08:00 How was Fire Invented?

1:10:00 Did Hominins have Speech?

1:13:00 Teachers

1:22:00 TikTok success and Advice

1:27:00 Your son managed your TikTok??

1:29:00 Video Games as Communication

1:33:00 Alone the Beast

1:36:00 What does it mean to be Human?

1:38:00 RESCUE Podcast

Spencer Pelton, PhD, is the Wyoming State Archaeologist, which is considered one of the most respected positions in North American Archaeology.

Spencer did his graduate research regarding lithic technology and the ways in which ice age peoples tanned and sewed hides. His PhD dissertation focused on understanding human thermoregulation and how the stone tools we find can tell us about daily life and keeping warm in the cold, distant past.

Spencer also spent time doing ethnoarchaeological work in Mongolia, where he interacted with a lot of dogs at a reindeer herding camp. I consider Spencer to be a good friend, but also a mentor. So I hope you enjoy our chat about life in the past and life in the present.

The Foraging Spectrum: https://a.co/d/eAfoBnn

Chapters:

1:21 Introduction of Dr. Pelton

3:05 Working with bears

7:50 When is something considered an artifact?

8:50 What is a State Archaeologist?

13:35 LaPrele Mammoth and Paleoindian tools 18:01 Site interpretation

21:43 Augmented and virtual reality in archaeology

25:45 Sphinx and Graham Hancock

31:22 SCIENCE Thermoregulation, stone tools, and Ice age clothing

42:34 Hunting vs Gathering

49:45 Mongolia fieldwork

51:43 Dogs in Mongolia

58:39 Anthropology and cancel culture

108:00 Anthropology and Social Media

112:00 Conclusion and complex society