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 | 46 mins.
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 | 4 mins.
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
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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