World of Antiquity

I had the pleasure of appearing on the Ancient Technology Podcast to converse with Károly Póka and Adam Young, who both are on a team that has been scanning ancient Egyptian stone vases at museums. You should give it a watch. Fascinating stuff!

1 week ago | [YT] | 48

World of Antiquity

In just 30 minutes, I will be going live to discuss the latest archaeological and ancient historical discoveries and to answer your questions. Come and join us!

1 week ago | [YT] | 38

World of Antiquity

It's a World of Antiquity/Dig It with Raven team-up! Check out our new collab video about the enigmatic Lycurgus Cup, a Roman era masterpiece that changes color based on the light. How did they do it? Did they have advanced technology? Watch now.

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 69

World of Antiquity

Today I will be a guest on ‪@FlintDibble‬ to debate about whether we can disprove the lost ancient advanced civilization hypothesis. Come and join the fun! Noon ET.

1 month ago | [YT] | 81

World of Antiquity

This Sunday and Monday, I will be livestreaming (along with some other channels) the annual SASA (Save Ancient Studies Alliance) conference, which I have done for the past few years.

Come and join. This year the subject of focus is "Body and Medicine in Antiquity." Many good presentations are in the lineup.

You can check out the schedule here:
docs.google.com/document/d/11dimGQIFECUL2c4MFEOsL7…

Pick out the ones you like, and then tune in for some great ancient history deep dives.

1 month ago | [YT] | 43

World of Antiquity

I appreciate everyone who raised concerns about the thumbnail artwork used in the video below. It was the first time I used AI art in a thumbnail, though I have used it before within videos from time to time. I understand that some channel viewers are against the use of AI-generated art in principle and feel very strongly about it. Over the past couple of weeks I have been thinking about it, as I am always concerned about doing the right thing.

Some people don't like "AI slop" simply because it is crappy. This post is not for such ones. If you think it's poor art, that's understandable. I have made many crappy thumbnails in my time, and many of them are still up, but I never got much hate for any of those.

First, as I said in some of my replies to the comments under the video, I have great respect for human artists and love their craft. My use of AI-generated imagery isn't a dismissal of human creativity but simply an accessible alternative given the financial constraints of my budget.

Several people have accused me (either directly or indirectly) of stealing from human artists. But no copyrighted imagery was used in the thumb. Stealing would imply using a specific, identifiable piece of artwork created by someone else without permission or compensation. This AI-generated image is a completely new illustration that does not replicate any particular existing piece of art or any character created by a human artist.

It doesn't even copy any particular artist's style, or art studio's style. It draws broadly upon general cartoon illustration conventions, blending several influences to create an original look. Specifically, it integrates elements commonly found in editorial cartoons and caricatures, retro boxing posters and vintage advertisements, and a dash of influence from Ligne Claire comics. It's an original synthesis, and that is exactly what human artists also do. Human artists continually build upon the works of those who came before them. AI-generated art is trained similarly: it analyzes patterns, styles, and techniques from a vast pool of publicly accessible data to produce original compositions.

Now, someone can argue about whether DALL-E (by Open AI), the app that I used, violates copyright by drawing from other artist's material, and I know that there are legal cases pending, but the way I see it, the AI is only doing what people themselves do. It looks at other people's art and is influenced by it. The only legal cases I think have legs are those in which the app outputs actual images that are copyrighted or characters that are copyrighted.

Thank you all again for voicing your concerns. I realize that I cannot give this complex ethical topic its due justice in a relative brief post like this, but constructive dialogue helps us all better understand this issue, so feel free to chime in. I hope this clarifies my position and demonstrates that my intention was never to disrespect or undermine human artists.

2 months ago | [YT] | 73

World of Antiquity

We have an interesting discussion going on over on X: x.com/DrDavidMiano/status/1937570302436737216 about why so some people say they don't trust archaeologists anymore. What is becoming increasingly apparent (at least in this discussion) is that most of the people who don't trust archaeologists either have a pet theory that archaeologists disagree with, or they know someone else who has a pet theory that archaeologists disagree with. And that really seems to be the big beef. The only other reasons that I am getting is general comments about how they don't like the personality of some archaeologists on social media.

2 months ago | [YT] | 248

World of Antiquity

Well, I finally went and done it. I created my first ever pieces of merch. Check out my new (very bare bones) shop: worldofantiquity.dashery.com/ To get things rolling, the store is having discounted prices all weekend.

3 months ago | [YT] | 219

World of Antiquity

🔴 LIVE Today at 3:30 PM ET 🔴

Think those new “SARS Pyramid Scans” actually uncovered a secret lab beneath the Great Pyramid? Spoiler: they didn’t. Join me as I and two special guests dive into the wildest claims, bust their “evidence,” and separate science from hype.

Expect:
• Zero sugarcoating—just the facts
• Side-splitting reactions to the most ridiculous claims
• Live Q&A: bring your burning questions!

3 months ago | [YT] | 41

World of Antiquity

The Save Ancient Studies Alliance (@SaveAncientStudiesAlliance) is five years old! They could use your support. If you believe in fostering education about ancient history, please consider giving them a donation. www.saveancientstudies.org/birthdaybash

4 months ago | [YT] | 216