A careful, curious look at a manuscript that still refuses to give itself away.
Tea-Break Archaeology treats the Voynich Manuscript as a slow, thoughtful study of curiosity, evidence, and the limits of handling a historic object.

The Archaeology Podcast Network
51 episodes listed below
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The world is full of incredible archaeological sites, inspiring historic figures, and breathtaking ancient artefacts. But what about those everyday objects that have become so essential to our daily life that we don't even notice them any more? In this podcast, professional archaeologist and journalist Dr Matilda Siebrecht explores the deep history and archaeological origins of the most familiar objects and crafts, sometimes enlisting the help of an expert guest speaker to really dig into the topic. Ever wanted to find out the history of the simple notebook? What the ancient equivalent of a computer was? When we started using...
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Material evidence becomes a lesson in historical judgment as Matilda Siebrecht tests what archaeologists can know, reconstruct and responsibly infer.
Tea-Break Archaeology begins with an object and lets its physical evidence set the questions. Host Matilda Siebrecht and her archaeologist guests work outward from surviving material, considering preservation, reconstruction and the limits of interpretation before proposing what…
Two dirt balls in a Viking hoard, and suddenly your tea break has a mystery.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A careful, curious look at a manuscript that still refuses to give itself away.
Tea-Break Archaeology treats the Voynich Manuscript as a slow, thoughtful study of curiosity, evidence, and the limits of handling a historic object.
A candid pause that doubles as a warm origin story for the show.
Episode 35 reads less like a standard object profile and more like a small window into how Tea Break Time Travel took shape. Dr. Matilda Siebrecht steps back to trace the show's beginnings, from early planning and short social reels to a podcast format, while also noting that…
A bent sword becomes a sharp lesson in craft and archaeological interpretation.
A bent sword could read like a joke at first, but this episode stays with the object and does the slower work of explanation. Dr. Matilda Ziebrecht and Dr.
A Viking hoard becomes a close look at preservation, personal objects, and two small dirt balls.
Tea Break Time Travel treats a Viking hoard as something more intimate than a pile of silver and gold. The object that matters most is the lidded vessel inside it, wrapped in three layers of textiles and turned upside down so dirt would not trickle in.
A mug chat opens into trade routes, silver depletion, and the afterlife of ancient objects.
Tea Break Time Travel starts with tea and a jewellery-themed mug, then follows a conversation about jewellery history, Central Asia, and dirhams moving through Scandinavia.
A warm, conversational look at mummies, pyramids, and the practical work of keeping ancient remains stable.
Tea, pyramids, and mummified bodies give the episode a grounded, approachable shape as Matilda Ziebrecht and Jessica van Domm move from conserving fragile remains to bigger questions about what pyramids were for and whether some burials were later re-interred.
A close look at reading tattoos, symbols, and uncertainty from preserved skin.
Episode 21 treats a tea-break conversation as a close look at how archaeological judgment is made around tattoos and related marks on preserved bodies.
Making things becomes a way to understand how objects come to be.
Tea Break Archaeology offers a thoughtful case for experimental archaeology as a way of learning through making rather than only reading. The host's return to crafting gives the episode a grounded, practical shape, and the discussion widens from there into the limits, choices,…

Mexican history, from the excavated to the conjectured.

Ira Glass frames weekly theme-driven segments spanning family secrets to Portland's protest conflict.

Shankar Vedantam unpacks the psychology behind relationships, careers, and money through researcher interviews.

David McRaney interviews researchers on cognitive bias, motivated reasoning, and why minds change.

Ryan Holiday pairs daily Stoic lessons with long-form guest conversations at his Texas bookstore.

NHPR's Jason Moon investigates the Bear Brook barrel murders and a New Hampshire wrongful-conviction case.
Tea-Break Archaeology episode 46 features Matilda Siebrecht talking with Svenja Fabian about gladiatorial reenactment, female gladiators, and the training choices that shaped ancient fighting roles.
Matilda Ziebrecht hosts archaeologist, conservator, and science communicator Raven Todd De Silva on Tea Break Time Travel episode 30, starting with Raven’s path from ancient Egypt to the Neolithic Southwest Asia.
Matilda Siebrecht, host of Tea Break Time Travel, joins Archaeology Podcast Network hosts Chris and Rachel while she is on holiday on Norderney, Germany, and explains why she is currently 'savouring an ice cream' instead of tea.
Tea-Break Archaeology episode 31 is a solo training session with Dr.
Tea-Break Archaeology episode 45, hosted by Dr.
Dr.
Tea-Break Time Travel episode 34 with Dr.
Tea-Break Archaeology episode 47 with Svenja Fabian focuses on ancient Roman gladiatorial training, including a Roman source, Vigetius, and the use of a two-meter palus pole for thrust practice.
Matilda Ziebrecht uses episode 20 of Tea Break Time Travel as a tea-break conversation about tattooing as archaeology.
Matilda Siebrecht marks episode 25 with a chai latte and a solo catch-up.
Tea-Break Archaeology episode 38 features Matilda Siebrecht speaking with Alexandra Sabir, founder of Solemnico, about bookbinding, business consulting, and the creative path that links them.
Mathilde Siebrecht opens the episode with a late-evening cup of fruity Kaminfeuer tea.
Orange chai rooibos sets the tone.
An interview with a PhD student about her research on textiles from the Duhemberg period, specifically salty clothes.
Textile archaeologist Ronja Lau discusses her PhD research on Iron Age textiles from the Dürnberg salt mine in Austria, exploring their preservation, analysis methods, and cultural significance.
Matilda Siebrecht continues her conversation with Lisa Fagan-Davis about the Voynich Manuscript.
Dr.
Dr.
You can see where someone was holding it in the past.
Dr.
An educational episode of Tea Break Time Travel teaching archaeological stratigraphy—how archaeologists determine relative age through soil layer analysis.
Dr.
Episode 29 of Tea Break Time Travel explores dendrochronology (tree ring dating), a foundational archaeological methodology.
In this Tea Break Time Travel episode, host Matilda interviews Dr.
Matilda Siebrecht opens with fragrant East Frisian Herb Garden tea and a mug printed with photographs of cameos from ancient Rome and ancient Greece.
Matilda Ziebrecht opens episode 23 with a tea break, an easy laugh, and a conversation about mummies.
Matilda opens with chai latte and a relaxed hello.
Host Matilda Siebrecht and guest Taya Nakamura discuss tea-drinking cultures and the archaeological origins of everyday objects over a cup of tea.
Host Matilda Siebrecht interviews professional embroiderer Dr.
Host Matilda Siebrecht interviews archaeologist Andrew Merian-Jones about the history of tea and tea-drinking habits, blending personal anecdotes with archaeological insights.
Host Matilda Siebrecht interviews archaeologist Ronja Lau about ancient textiles, discussing their personal preferences and the archaeology of everyday objects.
Archaeologist Matilda Siebrecht and guest Femke Reitzma discuss the history of everyday objects over tea, starting with a casual conversation about seasonal teas.
This episode explores the archaeological origins of familiar everyday objects, with a focus on their deep history and cultural significance.
This episode explores the archaeological origins of tea and coffee, with a guest sharing their tea preferences.
Host Matilda Siebrecht and guest Ashley Airey discuss their tea preferences and introduce the show's theme of exploring the archaeological history of everyday objects.
The host and a guest discuss their tea-drinking preferences as an introduction to exploring the archaeological history of everyday objects.