The Resurrectionists | A Morbid Archaeology and History Podcast

Megan McGrath
  • 3.7 (3)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to The Resurrectionists, a morbid archaeology and history podcast, hosted by osteoarchaeologist Megan McGrath. Dive into the fascinating history of human remains – from age-old burial customs to cutting-edge forensics. Embark on a bone-chilling expedition every week, as we resurrect enthralling cases of the macabre and morbid from across human history. Whether you're an archaeology enthusiast or simply drawn to history's darker enclaves, this podcast is your gateway. Tune in each week as we resurrect long-buried secrets, one bone at a time.

  1. 2D AGO

    The History of Black Medical Professionals in 19th Century Virginia

    Discover how enslaved and free Black professionals shaped the medical landscape of 19th-century Richmond. In this episode of The Resurrectionist Podcast, I sit down with architectural historian Jacqueline Drayer to peel back the layers of Richmond, Virginia’s complex past. We move beyond the textbooks to explore the "hidden history" of how health, industry, and slavery intersected in the 1800s. From the high-stakes survival of enslaved individuals in the Wickham House to the incredible legacy of Barbary Cousins, a 90-year-old free Black midwife. We discuss the figures who provided care across the color line. We also dive into the fascinating world of 19th-century "medical" professionals: including barbers who pulled teeth and the specific challenges of surviving cholera outbreaks in a pre-sanitation era. 🎧 Love mysteries? Watch more episodes and dive deeper into the stories!https://bit.ly/resurrectionists 👉 Explore more mysteries and exclusive content here!https://linktr.ee/theresurrectionists 💡 Got a case in mind? Suggest new episode ideas here!https://bit.ly/episodesuggestions Guest Info LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelinedrayer/Mulberry History: https://www.mulberryhistory.com/Publications: https://scholarlypublishingcollective.org/msup/jsdp/article/6/3/173/403157/Individuals-Enslaved-at-the-Wickham-House-inhttps://thevalentine.org/explore/richmond-stories/featured-stories/wickham-house-amy-green/https://thevalentine.org/explore/richmond-stories/featured-stories/wickham-house-elizabeth-selden-maclurg-wickham-bettina/ Music Danse Macabre by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?collection=005Artist: http://incompetech.com/

    1h 14m

  2. FEB 9

    "Fish Picklers" and Courtroom Scandals: The Reality of Life in Ancient Thebes

    Think mummification was just a solemn religious ritual? Think again. In this episode, we dive into the gritty, litigious, and surprisingly modern world of Ancient Egyptian mortuary priests. Far from just being "keepers of the dead," these families ran a massive funerary industry involving legal battles, tax receipts, and even "selling" mummies. Join us as Dr. Lauren Dogaer, a research fellow at University College Oxford, reveals the daily drama found in ancient papyrus archives—including the priest who was nicknamed a "fish pickler" by the Greeks and the high-stakes lawsuit that proved documentation beats prejudice every time. 🎧 Love mysteries? Watch more episodes and dive deeper into the stories!https://bit.ly/resurrectionists 👉 Explore more mysteries and exclusive content here!https://linktr.ee/theresurrectionists 💡 Got a case in mind? Suggest new episode ideas here!https://bit.ly/episodesuggestions Guest Info Academia Profile: https://oxford.academia.edu/LaurenDogaer University Profile: https://www.univ.ox.ac.uk/academics/lauren-dogaer/ Website: https://drunkonhistorypodcast.wordpress.com/Instagram Account: https://www.instagram.com/drunkonhistory_podcast/ Spotify-link: https://open.spotify.com/show/56MJF8zcc0rG5LKeJNCglT?si=38ed80141a6d4a3c Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/drunk-on-history/id1870637699 Blog of the Ancient History Research Unit at KU Leuven (in Dutch/Flemish): https://www.oudegeschiedenis.be/Socio-Linguistics Blog on Afro-Asiatic: https://afroasiaticcorner.wordpress.com/Database of Religious History: https://religiondatabase.org/accounts/Lauren_Dogaer_1713619158 Music Danse Macabre by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?collection=005Artist: http://incompetech.com/

    1h 3m

  3. JAN 26

    The Hidden History of Victorian Funeral Fashion

    What Victorians wore in death reveals shocking truths about class, gender, and mourning.In this episode of The Resurrectionists, I speak with Frances Harvey about burial dress in the Victorian era. They explore how burial practices shifted from simple shrouds to personal clothing, and what these changes reveal about death, identity, gender roles, and social class in 19th-century Britain.The discussion covers the rise of the commercial funeral industry, strict Victorian mourning etiquette, and the often-overlooked role women played in preparing bodies for burial. Frances also explains how socioeconomic status and cultural beliefs shaped burial attire, and why conversations about death and burial clothing still feel taboo today.🎧 Love mysteries? Watch more episodes and dive deeper into the stories!https://bit.ly/resurrectionists👉 Explore more mysteries and exclusive content here!https://linktr.ee/theresurrectionists💡 Got a case in mind? Suggest new episode ideas here!https://bit.ly/episodesuggestionsGuest Infohttps://www.instagram.com/byfrancesharveyMusicDanse Macabre by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?collection=005Artist: http://incompetech.com/

    1h 8m

  4. JAN 19

    Sold via DMs: The Social Media Market for Human Remains

    "You're commodifying someone else's ancestors."In this conversation, Dr. Damien Huffer discusses the complex issues surrounding the sale of human remains online, the role of social media platforms in facilitating this trade, and the efforts of the Alliance to Countercrime Online to combat these issues. He emphasizes the need for better legislation and public awareness to address the ethical concerns related to the commodification of human remains and the challenges posed by jurisdictional mismatches in laws governing these practices.🎧 Love mysteries? Watch more episodes and dive deeper into the stories!https://bit.ly/resurrectionists👉 Explore more mysteries and exclusive content here!https://linktr.ee/theresurrectionists💡 Got a case in mind? Suggest new episode ideas here!https://bit.ly/episodesuggestionsGuest Infohttps://www.linkedin.com/in/damien-huffer-aa1059b/https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=pbSef1kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=aohttps://www.wildlifecrimeresearchhub.org/teamhttps://www.counteringcrime.org/https://mola.omeka.net/MusicDanse Macabre by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?collection=005Artist: http://incompetech.com/

    1h 26m

  5. JAN 12

    Walking Dead: From Medieval Texts to Modern Media

    In this episode of the Resurrectionist podcast, host Megan McGrath interviews Polina Ignatova, a medieval historian with a focus on the narratives of the walking dead in medieval English texts. The conversation explores Polina's research on the symbolic roles of aquatic animals, the differences between medieval walking dead and modern zombies, and the complexities of ghost narratives. They discuss the origins of the walking dead, the agency of the undead, and archaeological insights into burial practices. The episode also touches on romantic relationships between the living and the dead, revealing the fascinating intersections of history, literature, and horror studies.🎧 Love mysteries? Watch more episodes and dive deeper into the stories!https://bit.ly/resurrectionists👉 Explore more mysteries and exclusive content here!https://linktr.ee/theresurrectionists💡 Got a case in mind? Suggest new episode ideas here!https://bit.ly/episodesuggestionsGuest Infohttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ignatova/https://ecp.ep.liu.se/index.php/ircc/article/view/1166https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/renaissance-quarterly/article/abs/companion-to-death-burial-and-remembrance-in-late-medieval-and-early-modern-europe-c-13001700-philip-booth-and-elizabeth-tingle-eds-leiden-brill-2021-xviii-511-pp-229/CEDF8E4D775664DB2D928D422736ED20MusicDanse Macabre by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?collection=005Artist: http://incompetech.com/

    1h 10m

  6. JAN 5

    Ancestors or Artifacts? The Fight Over Fossils and the Dark Side of Science

    Who owns human remains and fossils and who decides?In this episode of The Resurrectionists, we examine the legal and ethical debates surrounding fossils, human remains, and cultural heritage with legal researcher Paul Stewens. From blood amber mined in war zones to hominin fossils held in European museums, we explore how law, science, colonialism, and ethics collide.We discuss fossil ownership, repatriation, and museum responsibility, unpacking cases such as Myanmar amber, Brazilian dinosaur fossils, Java Man, and the Broken Hill skull. This episode asks who truly owns the past — and what ethical archaeology and paleontology should look like moving forward. 🎧 Love mysteries? Watch more episodes and dive deeper into the stories!https://bit.ly/resurrectionists👉 Explore more mysteries and exclusive content here!https://linktr.ee/theresurrectionists💡 Got a case in mind? Suggest new episode ideas here!https://bit.ly/episodesuggestionsGuest InfoWebsite: https://paul-stewens.com ResourcesBen G Thomas. A Tiny Dinosaur Head Has Been Found in Amber - But At What Cost?. https://youtu.be/hec2jMiqK44?si=rHx4WZkul6qBj1K1. Black et al. Hominin Heritage: How Institutional Repositories Are Managing Collections, Collaboration and Repatriation. South African Journal of Science 121 (1/2). https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2025/18569. 2025. Champney et al. Human, Animal, or Mineral? Ethical Considerations for Studies of Fossilized Hominin Remains. American Journal of Biological Anthropology 187(3), https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70085. 2025. Cisneros et al. Digging deeper into colonial palaeontological practices in modern day Mexico and Brazil. Royal Society Open Science, 9(3), 10.1098/rsos.210898, 2022. Discussion about the return of the Broken Hill skull before the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation. https://youtu.be/hIF_Br8ZeT0?t=17551. Dunne et al. Ethics, law, and politics in palaeontological research: The case of Myanmar amber. Communications Biology, 5(1), 10.1038/s42003-022-03847-2, 2022. Joannes-Boyau et al. ‘Owning Humankind: Fossils, Humans and Archaeological Remains’. Heliyon 6 (6). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04129. 2020. Musonda, P. Decolonising the Broken Hill Skull: Cultural Loss and a Pathway to Zambian Archaeological Sovereignty. African Archaeological Review, 10.1007/s10437-013-9134-3. 2013. Raja et al. Colonial history and global economics distort our understanding of deep-time biodiversity. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 6, 10.1038/s41559-021-01608-8, 2022.Sarr, F., & Savoy, B. The Restitution of African Cultural Heritage. Toward a New Relational Ethics. PDF, 2018. Stewens, P. P. Burmese Amber: Palaeontology’s Blood Diamonds Through the Lens of International Law. Völkerrechtsblog, 2021. Stewens et al. The Return of Fossils Removed Under Colonial Rule. Santander Art and Culture Law Review 8(2), https://doi.org/10.4467/2450050XSNR.22.013.17026. 2022. Stewens, P. P. 'Ubirajara' and Irritator Belong to Brazil: Achieving Fossil Returns Under German Private Law. International Journal of Cultural Property 30(3), https://doi.org/10.1017/S094073912400003, 2023. UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar. The economic interests of the Myanmar military: Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar (A/HRC/42/CRP.3). ReliefWeb, 2019. MusicDanse Macabre by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?collection=005Artist: http://incompetech.com/

    1h 6m

  7. 12/22/2025

    The Hidden History of Suicide: Asylums, Burials & Criminalization

    Behind locked doors, entire lives were recorded — and then forgotten. In this episode of The Resurrectionists, Dr. Alexandra Lord explores the hidden histories of 19th-century asylums; places of care, control, silence, and secrecy. Through archival records, institutional spaces, and the people whose lives were shaped behind locked doors, we examine how mental health, disability, and social difference were understood in the past. From forgotten corridors to sealed files, this conversation looks at what survives in the historical record and what was deliberately erased. We discuss the role of institutions, the power of archives, and how historians and archaeologists attempt to recover voices long excluded from official narratives. 🎧 Love mysteries? Watch more episodes and dive deeper into the stories!https://bit.ly/resurrectionists 👉 Explore more mysteries and exclusive content here!https://linktr.ee/theresurrectionists 💡 Got a case in mind? Suggest new episode ideas here!https://bit.ly/episodesuggestions Guest Info https://alexandramlord.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-lord-ab2260b/ Music Danse Macabre by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?collection=005Artist: http://incompetech.com/

    1h 7m

  8. 12/18/2025

    From Triage to Recovery: Inside the Napoleonic Army's Medical System

    he only thing more terrifying than facing Napoleon’s army was being wounded by it.Step onto the brutal battlefields of the 19th century as we explore the shocking reality of Napoleonic military medicine. From the legendary speed of Dominique Jean Larrey’s "flying ambulances" to the grueling experience of surgery without anesthesia, historian Dr. Nebiha Guiga joins us to reveal how the wounded actually survived—or didn’t.🎧 Love mysteries? Watch more episodes and dive deeper into the stories!https://bit.ly/resurrectionists👉 Explore more mysteries and exclusive content here!https://linktr.ee/theresurrectionists💡 Got a case in mind? Suggest new episode ideas here!https://bit.ly/episodesuggestionsGuest Infohttps://www.amazon.fr/bless%C3%A9s-Napol%C3%A9on-Nebiha-Guiga/dp/2379338507https://www.oeaw.ac.at/en/ihb/personen/guiga-nebihaMusicDanse Macabre by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?collection=005Artist: http://incompetech.com/

    59 min
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Ratings & Reviews

3.7
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Resurrectionists, a morbid archaeology and history podcast, hosted by osteoarchaeologist Megan McGrath. Dive into the fascinating history of human remains – from age-old burial customs to cutting-edge forensics. Embark on a bone-chilling expedition every week, as we resurrect enthralling cases of the macabre and morbid from across human history. Whether you're an archaeology enthusiast or simply drawn to history's darker enclaves, this podcast is your gateway. Tune in each week as we resurrect long-buried secrets, one bone at a time.

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