Our Prehistory

Benjy Longworth

Paese Stati Uniti

Generi History

Lingua EN-US

Episodi 49

Ultimo 21.06.2026

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.

Episodi

50. Southwest Asia: Upper Paleolithic Hub [Preview] 21.06.2026 4min

Migration out of Africa, interbreeding with Neanderthals, and colonization of Eurasia. What can stone tools, bone tools, and ornaments discovered in the Middle East tell us about those fateful events? Support the show
49. Ritual and Violence in Africa 07.05.2026 23min

19,000 to 12,000 years ago ... As shifts to social dynamics took place in Africa, both human creativity and brutality flourished. Support the show
48. Broad Spectrum Origins in Africa 07.04.2026 46min

25,000 to 12,000 years ago ... Human life was gradually changing across Africa at the end of the Pleistocene. One element of this transformation was a shift in what people ate. Support the show
47. Last Glacial Maximum of Africa [Preview] 08.03.2026 4min

25,000 years ago ... Right at the peak of the Last Ice Age, most people living on the African continent finally embraced microlithic tools, an innovation that had been around for tens of thousands of years. Support the show
46. Spread of the Late Stone Age 08.02.2026 29min

45,000 to 30,000 years ago ... Signs of Late Stone Age culture start appearing across sub-saharan Africa, hinting at long-distance contact between once isolated peoples. Support the show
45. Late Stone Age of Africa 13.01.2026 33min

60,000 to 45,000 years ago ... Signs of cultural change started to appear among hunter gatherers in Africa, leading to the end of the Middle Stone Age, a period that had lasted hundreds of thousands of years. Support the show
44. Post Clovis [Preview] 06.11.2025 4min

12,800 to 11,700 years ago ... In the cold of the Younger Dryas, at the peak of megafauna extinction, the descendants of Clovis fragmented into a range of new cultures across North America. Support the show
43. American Megafauna Extinctions 05.10.2025 45min

Around 13,000 years ago, a wide range of large animal species started disappearing. The circumstances strongly implicate humans. Support the show
42. Fishtail Points and Early South America 31.07.2025 54min

13,000 to 12,000 years ago... From megafauna hunters in Tierra del Fuego to Amazonian rock painters, the formation of early South America hunter gatherer societies was a complex process, and a sudden burst of distinct human cultures appeared at the end of the Ice Age. Support the show
41. Clovis and the Western Stemmed Tradition [Preview] 22.06.2025 3min

The first North American cultures appeared around 13,000 years ago, when megafauna roamed a continent still largely devoid of humans. Support the show
40. Arrival in America 16.05.2025 55min

Homo sapiens, the only hominin to colonize every continent on the planet, finally reaches America. But who were the first Americans and when did they arrive? Support the show
39. Terminal Pleistocene of Southeast Asia 02.03.2025 34min

19,000 to 11,700 years ago ... In the Himalayan foothills of Thailand and the southern islands of Wallacea, the adoption of new funerary rituals, ornaments, and tools by hunter gatherer societies coincided with global warming and large human migrations. Support the show
38. Rock Art of Southeast Asia [Preview] 09.02.2025 3min

53,000 to 13,000 years ago ... Recent dating of rock paintings in Indonesia has redefined our understanding of the oldest art produced by humans and raised the possibility of an extremely old and widespread Pan-Eurasian and Sahulian style. Support the show
37. Rainforest Adaptations in Asia 19.01.2025 38min

The first Homo sapiens to reach Southeast Asia quickly learned how to survive in rainforests, overcoming the unique challenges of this rainy biome. Support the show
36. Hoabinhian and Indian Microlithic 28.12.2024 43min

Incredibly stable traditions of stone tool making remained in use for tens of thousands of years in South and Southeast Asia. Support the show
35. Cultural Variation of the Final Paleolithic [Preview] 24.09.2024 3min

19,000 to 11,700 years ago ... Stirring of future fundamental transformations in the human way of life begin in parts of northeast Asia at the end of the Paleolithic. Support the show
34. Invention of Pottery 03.09.2024 41min

20,000 to 11,700 years ago ... As the planet thawed after the Last Glacial Maximum, human life continued to evolve. A range of technologies appeared among the groups living in East Asia, one of which would eventually play a role in shaping our modern world. Support the show
33. Microblades 04.08.2024 35min

30,000 to 20,000 years ago ... A powerful new stone tool technology broke through longstanding cultural boundaries. Support the show
32. Middle Upper Paleolithic [Preview] 30.06.2024 4min

35,000 to 25,000 years ago ... The first major changes to the cultures of Siberia and Japan take place after the arrival of Homo sapiens result in peak in artistic production. Support the show
31. Origin of the Late Paleolithic of East Asia 30.05.2024 54min

50,000 to 30,000 years ago ... The start of a new period of prehistory in China, Korea, and Japan began with the arrival of Homo sapiens and the quick development of regionally distinctive cultures. Support the show