Our Prehistory

Benjy Longworth

The history of humanity before civilization is populated by an array of cultures throughout the millennia and across the continents. The earliest humans followed diverse customs and survival strategies, explored the unknown, adapted to exotic ecosystems, thrived in good times, and fell into oblivion in others. This podcast relates that story, starting with the origin of our species and tracing the development of human life before written records.

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30. Colonization of Asia
5d ago
30. Colonization of Asia
60,000 to 40,000 years ago ... As Homo sapiens dispersed across Asia, they followed two different routes and these movements shaped the earliest cultures of this continent.Support the Show.

Episodes

30. Colonization of Asia
5d ago
30. Colonization of Asia
60,000 to 40,000 years ago ... As Homo sapiens dispersed across Asia, they followed two different routes and these movements shaped the earliest cultures of this continent.Support the Show.
29. Sahulian Terminal Pleistocene [Preview]
20-02-2024
29. Sahulian Terminal Pleistocene [Preview]
20,000 to 12,000 years ago ... As the world warmed, humans extended their reach in Sahul, migrated away from the rising seas, developed new funerary rituals, and learned new ways to manage animal populations.Support the Show.
28. Last Glacial Maximum of Sahul
28-01-2024
28. Last Glacial Maximum of Sahul
28,600 to 17,700 years ago ... Global cooling altered the ecosystems of Sahul and forced its human populations to adapt. Support the Show.
27. Pleistocene Rock Art of Sahul
07-01-2024
27. Pleistocene Rock Art of Sahul
50,000 to 12,000 ... Prehistoric paintings and engravings provide insights into the rituals, technology, and worldviews of Australians, tens of thousands of years ago.Support the Show.
26. Early Sahulian Lifeways [Preview]
12-12-2023
26. Early Sahulian Lifeways [Preview]
50,000 to 30,000 years ago ... Isolated from people on other continents, the oldest traditions of Sahulians evolved along a unique cultural pathway.Support the Show.
25. Arrival in Sahul
21-11-2023
25. Arrival in Sahul
65,000 to 40,000 years ago ... By crossing the ocean between Asia and the coasts of New Guinea and Australia, Homo sapiens dispersed to and colonized a third continent.Support the Show.
24. Upper Paleolithic of Europe: Revolution and Equilibrium
31-10-2023
24. Upper Paleolithic of Europe: Revolution and Equilibrium
48,000 to 11,000 years ago ... Long term trends reveal dramatic changes in social complexity and the impact of climate, population size, and migration on cultural variation.Support the Show.
23. Tanged-Point and Flat-Blade Cultures [Preview]
17-10-2023
23. Tanged-Point and Flat-Blade Cultures [Preview]
12,850 to 11,670 years ago ... The last gasp of the Ice Age led people across northern Europe to adopt a different way of life, one that resembled the customs of long lost cultures. Cultures: Swiderian, Ahrensburgian, Desnenian, Bromme, Laborian.Support the Show.
22. Younger Dryas of Southern Europe
26-09-2023
22. Younger Dryas of Southern Europe
12,850 to 11,670 years ago ... In the Mediterranean Basin of Europe, the resilience of stone age societies was on display during the last gasp of the Ice Age. Support the Show.
21. Bølling-Allerød of Europe
28-08-2023
21. Bølling-Allerød of Europe
14,700 to 12,800 years ago ... A dramatically warmer world and the proliferation of woodlands led people in Europe to a radically different way of life. Some groups thrived, other societies crumbled. Cultures: Azilian, Federmesser, Epimagdalenian, and Late Epigravettian.Support the Show.
20. Late Epigravettian [Preview]
28-07-2023
20. Late Epigravettian [Preview]
19,000 to 15,000 years ago ... Among the cultures of eastern and southern Europe that came after the Last Glacial Maximum, the Mezinian of the Dnieper River basin left behind the most diverse set of remains. Also, a new genetic lineage appeared in Italy.Support the Show.
19. Magdalenian Expansion
20-06-2023
19. Magdalenian Expansion
The final 2,000 years of the Magdalenian culture witnessed a major geographic expansion of hunter gatherer society in western and central Europe. Simultaneously, a new type of hunting weapon was invented and an old artistic theme made a reappearance. Support the Show.
18. Magdalenian Origin
26-05-2023
18. Magdalenian Origin
The greatest heights of Upper Paleolithic cave paintings and engraved portable art were reached after the Last Glacial Maximum ended and human populations grew.Support the Show.
17. Solutrean [Preview]
18-04-2023
17. Solutrean [Preview]
As the hunter gatherers of southwestern Europe endured the Last Glacial Maximum, a unique culture arose, characterized by fine stone points and a rich artistic repertoire.Support the Show.
16. Last Glacial Maximum
22-03-2023
16. Last Glacial Maximum
The peak of the Last Ice Age drastically altered the course of European prehistory. Around 25,000 years ago, as the glaciers reached their maximum extent, the Gravettian ended and was replaced with a variety of local cultures. In central and eastern Europe this period is called the Epigravettian.Support the Show.
15. Gravettian Art
02-02-2023
15. Gravettian Art
The Gravettian saw a flourishing of hunter gatherer art.  Engravings of bison, Venus figurines, and rich burials hint at a shifting Ice Age ideology and social organization.Support the Show.
14. Gravettian Technology [Preview]
12-01-2023
14. Gravettian Technology [Preview]
The Aurignacian culture of Europe ended 33,000 years ago and was replaced by the Gravettian. Sometimes overlooked, this period of prehistory saw an intriguing peak in Ice Age culture and the precocious development of technologies not often associated with hunter gatherers.Support the Show.
13. Aurignacian Art
20-12-2022
13. Aurignacian Art
The oldest European sculptures, paintings, and musical instruments appeared around 40,000 years ago. What does Aurignacian art reveal about the worldview of ancient hunter gatherers?Support the Show.
12. Aurignacian Technology
01-12-2022
12. Aurignacian Technology
In the absence of Neanderthals, Homo sapiens developed the Aurignacian culture, which spanned Europe. These people continued the trend toward technological complexity that had begun during the out of Africa migrations.Support the Show.
11. Neanderthal Extinction [Preview]
01-11-2022
11. Neanderthal Extinction [Preview]
Our most detailed insight into a prehistoric encounter and coexistence of two intelligent hominin species comes from the 8,000 year period before the eradication of the Neanderthals, when Homo sapiens migrated into Europe.Support the Show.