Our Prehistory

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51 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud

  1. 51. Epipaleolithic

    21 juli 2026 · 29 min

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    The Levant witnessed a gradual transition from simple nomadic societies to more complex sedentism. The earliest signs of this fundamental change in human life appeared during the Last Glacial Maximum. Lees meer

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  2. 50. Southwest Asia: Upper Paleolithic Hub [Preview]

    21 juni 2026 · 5 min

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    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? Lees meer

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  3. 49. Ritual and Violence in Africa

    7 mei 2026 · 23 min

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    19,000 to 12,000 years ago ... As shifts to social dynamics took place in Africa, both human creativity and brutality flourished. Lees meer

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  4. 48. Broad Spectrum Origins in Africa

    7 april 2026 · 47 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  5. 47. Last Glacial Maximum of Africa [Preview]

    8 maart 2026 · 4 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  6. 46. Spread of the Late Stone Age

    8 februari 2026 · 30 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  7. 45. Late Stone Age of Africa

    13 januari 2026 · 33 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  8. 44. Post Clovis [Preview]

    6 november 2025 · 4 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  9. 43. American Megafauna Extinctions

    5 oktober 2025 · 45 min

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    Around 13,000 years ago, a wide range of large animal species started disappearing. The circumstances strongly implicate humans. Lees meer

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  10. 42. Fishtail Points and Early South America

    31 juli 2025 · 55 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  11. 41. Clovis and the Western Stemmed Tradition [Preview]

    22 juni 2025 · 3 min

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    The first North American cultures appeared around 13,000 years ago, when megafauna roamed a continent still largely devoid of humans. Lees meer

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  12. 40. Arrival in America

    16 mei 2025 · 55 min

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    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? Lees meer

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  13. 39. Terminal Pleistocene of Southeast Asia

    2 maart 2025 · 34 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  14. 38. Rock Art of Southeast Asia [Preview]

    9 februari 2025 · 4 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  15. 37. Rainforest Adaptations in Asia

    19 januari 2025 · 38 min

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    The first Homo sapiens to reach Southeast Asia quickly learned how to survive in rainforests, overcoming the unique challenges of this rainy biome. Lees meer

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  16. 36. Hoabinhian and Indian Microlithic

    28 december 2024 · 44 min

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    Incredibly stable traditions of stone tool making remained in use for tens of thousands of years in South and Southeast Asia. Lees meer

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  17. 35. Cultural Variation of the Final Paleolithic [Preview]

    24 september 2024 · 4 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  18. 34. Invention of Pottery

    3 september 2024 · 42 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  19. 33. Microblades

    4 augustus 2024 · 35 min

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    30,000 to 20,000 years ago ... A powerful new stone tool technology broke through longstanding cultural boundaries. Lees meer

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  20. 32. Middle Upper Paleolithic [Preview]

    30 juni 2024 · 5 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  21. 31. Origin of the Late Paleolithic of East Asia

    30 mei 2024 · 55 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  22. 30. Colonization of Asia

    5 mei 2024 · 43 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  23. 29. Sahulian Terminal Pleistocene [Preview]

    20 februari 2024 · 3 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  24. 28. Last Glacial Maximum of Sahul

    28 januari 2024 · 33 min

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    28,600 to 17,700 years ago ... Global cooling altered the ecosystems of Sahul and forced its human populations to adapt. Lees meer

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  25. 27. Pleistocene Rock Art of Sahul

    7 januari 2024 · 44 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  26. 26. Early Sahulian Lifeways [Preview]

    12 december 2023 · 5 min

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    50,000 to 30,000 years ago ... Isolated from people on other continents, the oldest traditions of Sahulians evolved along a unique cultural pathway. Lees meer

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  27. 25. Arrival in Sahul

    21 november 2023 · 46 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  28. 24. Upper Paleolithic of Europe: Revolution and Equilibrium

    31 oktober 2023 · 30 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  29. 23. Tanged-Point and Flat-Blade Cultures [Preview]

    17 oktober 2023 · 5 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  30. 22. Younger Dryas of Southern Europe

    26 september 2023 · 43 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  31. 21. Bølling-Allerød of Europe

    28 augustus 2023 · 56 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  32. 20. Late Epigravettian [Preview]

    28 juli 2023 · 5 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  33. 19. Magdalenian Expansion

    20 juni 2023 · 52 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  34. 18. Magdalenian Origin

    26 mei 2023 · 57 min

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    The greatest heights of Upper Paleolithic cave paintings and engraved portable art were reached after the Last Glacial Maximum ended and human populations grew. Lees meer

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  35. 17. Solutrean [Preview]

    18 april 2023 · 4 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  36. 16. Last Glacial Maximum

    22 maart 2023 · 45 min

    Afspelen
    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. Lees meer

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  37. 15. Gravettian Art

    2 februari 2023 · 51 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  38. 14. Gravettian Technology [Preview]

    12 januari 2023 · 3 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  39. 13. Aurignacian Art

    20 december 2022 · 48 min

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    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? Lees meer

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  40. 12. Aurignacian Technology

    1 december 2022 · 39 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  41. 11. Neanderthal Extinction [Preview]

    1 november 2022 · 5 min

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    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. Lees meer

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  42. 10. Out of Africa Part 3

    18 oktober 2022 · 50 min

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    One branch of Homo sapiens expanding out of Africa migrated through southern Asia and adapted to tropical environments. Bows and arrows, microlithic tools, and seafaring were some of their technological innovations. Lees meer

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  43. 9. Out of Africa Part 2

    4 oktober 2022 · 46 min

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    The permanent expansion of Homo sapiens out of Africa began about 60,000 years ago. After intimate encounters with Neanderthals in Southwest Asia, some of them moved into Europe and Northern Asia. How did these Eurasian migrants adapt to foreign climates and ecosystems? Lees meer

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  44. 8. Neanderthals [Preview]

    13 september 2022 · 4 min

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    Eagle talons around their necks, painted faces, and stone-tipped spears in hand, Neanderthals were not dumb brutes. Join me on this crash course and learn about the species with whom we share the most in common. Lees meer

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  45. 7. Out of Africa Part 1

    7 augustus 2022 · 54 min

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    Footprints on lake margins, contact between hominin species, and changing fortunes in arid landscapes characterize the earliest attempts of Homo sapiens to leave Africa. Lees meer

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  46. 6. Middle Stone Age of North Africa

    2 januari 2022 · 54 min

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    Despite the relatively harsh and fluctuating environmental conditions of North Africa, Middle Stone Age people there developed aspects of modern human behavior earlier than anywhere else. Lees meer

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  47. 5. Middle Stone Age of Tropical Africa

    19 december 2021 · 58 min

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    The crossroads of human evolution, tropical Africa supported several different populations of Homo sapiens between 130,000 and 40,000 years ago. They expanded, contracted, migrated, and eventually revealed their growing capacity for innovation. Lees meer

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  48. 4. Middle Stone Age of Southern Africa

    5 december 2021 · 54 min

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    Before our species left Africa for good, human creativity began to emerge along the southern tip of the continent in the form of new technology, symbolic objects, and greater social organization. Distinct cultures were finally appearing. Lees meer

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  49. 3. Dawn of the Middle Stone Age

    21 november 2021 · 46 min

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    The very first members of our species adopted innovative stone tools, hunted a variety of large animals, sat around campfires and used pigments. But were they as smart as we are today? Lees meer

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ourprehistory

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  50. 2. Origins of Homo Sapiens

    8 november 2021 · 49 min

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    The earliest members of our species appeared around 300,000 years ago in Africa. As they spread across the continent and split into different genetic lineages, they encountered other hominin species and weathered millennia of fluctuating climates. Lees meer

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ourprehistory

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