Anthropology

In August 1914, five days after the outbreak of World War I, Irish-born Ernest Shackleton sent forth his ship Endurance from southern England with the goal of leading the first crew to traverse the Antarctic continent across the South Pole. Norwegian Roald Amundsen had beat him to the pole, but this...

Tomorrow’s anthropologists will have files an inch deep and a mile wide when they try cataloging and explaining the traditions and post-kill rituals of today’s North American hunters. That’s to be expected, given that Canada, the United States, and our hunting traditions are relatively young and...

For most folks, the term “ice age” conjures images of wooly mammoths, prehistoric hunter-gatherers, and maybe that animated Disney movie with the sloth and the squirrel. But there’s been more than one ice age in our planet’s history, and the most recent one ended within the lifetimes of our great...

Myths, lies and old wives’ tales loom large in the outdoor pursuits. Here at MeatEater, we’re dedicated to separating facts from bull, so we created this series to examine suspect yarns. If there’s a belief, rumor, or long-held assumption you’d like us to fact check, drop us a note at factchecker...

Myths, lies and old wives’ tales loom large in the outdoor pursuits. Here at MeatEater, we’re dedicated to separating facts from bull, so we created this series to examine suspect yarns. If there’s a belief, rumor, or long-held assumption you’d like us to fact check, drop us a note at factchecker...

Whether you hunt tilled ag fields or Western sage steppe, chances are you’ve encountered an arrowhead, an old bottle, or another trace of a bygone era of human history afield. “Arrowhead hunting” and collecting other kinds of artifacts is a popular pastime for many. However, there are lots of legal...

There’s a difference between book smart and bar smart. You may not be book smart, but this series can make you seem educated and interesting from a barstool. So, belly up, mix yourself a glass of something good, and take notes as we look at the most badass sea creatures in the world. Sex, drugs, and...

Take a moment and imagine the world 9,000 years ago—escape the chaos of modern life and enter an untamed, archaic time. Now, travel to the arid Andes Mountains of Peru. You see a group of hunters stalking vicuña. They move together, communicate without a sound, their every step an analytical...

David Crockett died violently March 6, 1836, at the Alamo after thousands of Mexican soldiers stormed the lightly defended fortress in San Antonio, Texas. And 185 years later, we’re still debating at least 185 versions of how Crockett died that bloody dawn. Americans have a favorite version. Walt...

The romance, freedom, danger, and violence of the Old West may always intrigue us. It’s much the same as how stories of chivalrous knights and war heroes throughout history captivate our imaginations—especially through fiction’s idealized lens. There was a time when America was absolutely obsessed...

Myths, lies, and old wives’ tales loom large in the outdoor pursuits. Here at MeatEater, we’re dedicated to separating facts from bullsh*t, so we created this series to examine suspect yarns. If there’s a belief, rumor, or long-held assumption you’d like us to fact check, drop us a note at...