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 | 29 mins.
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 | 33 mins.
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 | 4 mins.
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 | 45 mins.
Around 13,000 years ago, a wide range of large animal species started disappearing. The circumstances strongly implicate humans. Support the show
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.
Ireland