This week on Up Close, we’re uncovering the significance of ancient settlements – early Native Americans from 9,000 years ago, and Jewish life in the Catskills.

It’s a bygone era that is now only available in memories and media. But when Jews vacationed extensively in the Catskills, it was a lifestyle that brought celebrity and glamour to shuffleboard and buffets. Stephen Silverman discusses the diverse and surprising narrative in The Catskills: Its History and How It Changed America.

And then, sometimes to go digging into our pasts, we literally have to go digging. What we find can remind us of ourselves, or give us a new sense of the breadth of human traditions. Appalachian State University Professor Cheryl Claassen discusses Beliefs and Rituals in Archaic Eastern North America: An Interpretive Guide.

Watch the complete episode of Up Close on TJC on-demand on cable in the TJC Original Series/Interviews category. You can also listen to the complete audio of this episode at the top of this post or by subscribing to our weekly audio podcast at http://feeds.feedburner.com/tjcupclose or on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/tjcs-up-close/id807702211.