Around 12,000 years ago, humans began one of the most important transformations in history: the shift from hunting and gathering to farming and permanent settlements. Archaeological sites such as Gobekli Tepe reveal how these early communities lived, what they believed and how agriculture transformed diet, population and social life. Across Europe and the Middle East, prehistoric societies also created huge stone monuments, tombs and ceremonial sites, moving blocks weighing many tons with surprisingly limited technology. Presented here with both episodes combined into a single video, the documentary explores the birth of farming, organized communities, belief systems and monumental architecture during the Stone Age.
Spanning five gripping episodes presented together in one seamless video, this sweeping journey explores 300,000 years of human evolution, revealing groundbreaking discoveries that are reshaping everything we thought we knew about our origins. From the first appearance of Homo sapiens in Africa—at a time when at least six other human species walked the Earth—to the dramatic encounters with Neanderthals and the mysteries of their disappearance, each chapter uncovers the epic struggle for survival and dominance. As the Ice Age grips the planet, humanity pushes into the Americas, braving the harshest conditions in history. Finally, as the ice recedes, a transformation begins: the shift from wandering hunters to the builders of the first permanent settlements. This story brings to life the triumphs, dangers, and defining moments that made us who we are today.
The BBC has made an extraordinary new documentary, presented by Sir David Attenborough, which will reveal the discovery of a fossilised skeleton that may be a vital ‘missing link’ in human evolution. The centrepiece of the programme is the unveiling of the first-ever complete skeleton of an extinct animal called an adapid
The archaeological world is fooled for nearly half a century when an ape-like skull that's claimed as solid evidence for Darwin's theory of human evolution is proven fake. Using new research, experts investigate and uncover the identity of the forger. Locked away in a store room at London Science Museum is a genuine 19th century miracle machine, a 180-year-old mechanical engine that solves complex mathematical equations, more than 100 years before the first electronic computer.
Across Europe and the Middle East, prehistoric societies also created huge stone monuments, tombs and ceremonial sites, moving blocks weighing many tons with surprisingly limited technology. Presented here with both episodes combined into a single video, the documentary explores the birth of farming, organized communities, belief systems and monumental architecture during the Stone Age.