Let’s Talk Death

Marsy and Zay

Hosted by a Licensed Funeral Director with a degree in Anthropology, Marsy and a musical guru, Zay, join us as we break the stigma surrounding death itself. As life is full of uncertainty, but death is always certain. Talking about our own demise and understanding other cultures and the history surrounding death is an important topic to be educated on. 

Episodes

  1. 10/06/2023

    If the Neanderthals were not the first humans to bury their dead, then who was?

    Hello Listeners! In this episode we will be discussing the Homo Naledi who are now believed to be the first of the human ancestors to actually bury their dead - not the Neanderthals. Anthropology is forever changing as we uncover more mysteries to tie into our human evolution timeline. Join us as we discuss what human evolution is, a brief synapse of the timeline of human evolution, and how we found out homo Naledi buried their dead. As always our show notes are posted on our patreon for free. Shout out to our newest patreon, Anthony! Thank you so much for your support! Remember, subscribing to our patreon gives you early access to new episodes the night they are finished being edited as well as access to our discord where we talk about death and dying. Our lowest tier is $3, and the higher ones get you merch! Subscribe here --> http://www.patreon.com/letstalkdeath   References https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/earliest-human-burial-homo-naledi-berger https://www.britannica.com/science/human-evolution https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-biology2xmaster/chapter/the-evolution-of-primates/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorilla https://www.bradshawfoundation.com/origins/orrorin_tugenensis.php https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/ardipithecus-ramidus https://time.com/4126011/lucy-australopithecus-discovery/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranthropus https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/07/01/1184749528/men-are-hunters-women-are-gatherers-that-was-the-assumption-a-new-study-upends-i https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Darwin https://australian.museum/learn/science/human-evolution/homo-habilis/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_ergaster https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/homo-erectus https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/07/01/1184749528/men-are-hunters-women-are-gatherers-that-was-the-assumption-a-new-study-upends-i https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/homo-heidelbergensis https://australian.museum/blog/amri-news/this-month-in-archaeology-did-neanderthals-bury-their-dead/ https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/ Be sure to follow us on Instagram @lets.talk.death.podcast and Tiktok @letstalkdeathpodcast for exclusive content!

    49 min

  2. 05/03/2023

    Funerary Practices of the Ancient Maya

    Hello Listeners! This week we will dive into speaking about the Ancient Maya and how they honored their dead. As usual, full show notes are available for free on our patreon if you would like to read. We have a lot of works cited for this one as well. We hope you enjoy this week's episode!   Works Cited https://www.worldhistory.org/Popol_Vuh/ https://www.worldhistory.org/Xibalba/ 1. | Coe MD. Maya (8th Edition). Thames & Hudson; 2010. https://www.ncpedia.org/glossary/pok-tok#:~:text=pok%2Da%2Dtok%20%7C%20NCpedia&text=Definition%3A,through%20a%20stone%20scoring%20ring. https://www.frazerconsultants.com/2018/02/cultural-spotlight-ancient-mayan-funeral-traditions/#:~:text=Burial%20Practices&text=The%20graves%20faced%20north%20or,shape%20of%20animals%20or%20gods. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1546147/1/Welsh_665991_vol1.pdf https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_death_rituals Be sure to follow us on Instagram @lets.talk.death.podcast and Tiktok @letstalkdeathpodcast for exclusive content!

    32 min

  3. 01/12/2023

    Funerary Practices of the Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans

    Hello Listeners! We apologize for the slight hiatus through the holidays! We are kicking off the new year with a bang! Tune in to learn about the burial and cremation practices of both Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans that we still see in Funerals to this day!  https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dbag/hd_dbag.htm https://www.worldhistory.org/article/96/the-roman-funeral/ https://www.thoughtco.com/roman-burial-practices-117935 https://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/ancient_underworld/inner.html#:~:text=In%20Homer's%20Odyssey%20(750%E2%80%93700,beyond%20those%20of%20mere%20mortals. https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/news/events/2021/10/the-ancient-roman-afterlife-di-manes-belief-and-the-cult-of-the-dead.php#:~:text=The%20Roman%20afterlife%20was%20one,collectively%20by%20the%20Roman%20state. https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Places/The_Underworld/the_underworld.html Be sure to follow us on Instagram @lets.talk.death.podcast and Tiktok @letstalkdeathpodcast for exclusive content!

    51 min

  4. 11/12/2022

    The Great Terra-Cotta Warriors

    This week we dive into the man behind the Terra-cotta Warriors. Join us as we discuss an interesting archeological find that still amazes Anthropologists to this day! We apologize for the 2 week delay. Illness had unfortunately took control of our lives for 2 weeks! Sources https://smarthistory.org/the-terracotta-warriors/ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/emperor-qin https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/terra-cotta-soldiers-on-the-march-30942673/ Be sure to follow us on Instagram @lets.talk.death.podcast and Tiktok @letstalkdeathpodcast for exclusive content!

    30 min

  5. 10/23/2022

    Ancient Egyptians and their Burial Practices

    Hello Listeners, this week we dive into Ancient Egyptians and how their beliefs molded the way they honored their dead! Tune in to hear about what they believed when it came to their version of the afterlife, how mummification tied into these beliefs, and what would happen if a body was not properly honored and cared for.  References: https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Egypt/The-king-and-ideology-administration-art-and-writing https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egcr04e.html https://australian.museum/learn/cultures/international-collection/ancient-egyptian/funerals-in-ancient-egypt/ https://www.worldhistory.org/Egyptian_Burial/ Be sure to follow us on Instagram @lets.talk.death.podcast and Tiktok @letstalkdeathpodcast for exclusive content!

    47 min

  6. 10/15/2022

    The Burial Practices of the Mesopotamians

    Hello Listeners, this week we discuss the Mesopotamian cultures, their beliefs in the afterlife and what that entailed for their burial rituals. Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lets.talk.death.podcast/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/letstalk_death Follow us on tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@lets_talk_death?_t=8WWP9v9xJ2E&_r=1 References https://california.public.law/codes/ca_health_and_safety_code_section_7105 https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/topics/ancient-middle-east/mesopotamia https://www.worldhistory.org/article/701/ancient-mesopotamian-beliefs-in-the-afterlife/ Be sure to follow us on Instagram @lets.talk.death.podcast and Tiktok @letstalkdeathpodcast for exclusive content!

    32 min

  7. Trailer

    Let's Talk Death! Trailer

    Be sure to follow us on Instagram @lets.talk.death.podcast and Tiktok @letstalkdeathpodcast for exclusive content!

    1 min

  8. 10/08/2022

    Neanderthals! The first humans to bury their dead?

    https://www.sapiens.org/culture/hominin-burial/ https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/homo-neanderthalensis In this episode we talk about one of our distant ancestors: The Neanderthals, and the controversy of them being the first of the humans to bury their dead.  Be sure to follow us on Instagram @lets.talk.death.podcast and Tiktok @letstalkdeathpodcast for exclusive content!

    26 min

Trailer

About

Hosted by a Licensed Funeral Director with a degree in Anthropology, Marsy and a musical guru, Zay, join us as we break the stigma surrounding death itself. As life is full of uncertainty, but death is always certain. Talking about our own demise and understanding other cultures and the history surrounding death is an important topic to be educated on. 

Information

  • Creator
    Marsy and Zay
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2023
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Let’s Talk Death
  • Show Website
    Let’s Talk Death