logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2024
28m 30s

The First Europeans

History Hit
About this episode

Europe’s earliest known humans lived over 1.2 million years ago. After initially roaming the plains of Iberia in small groups, they spread across the Pyrenees into the wider European continent. But for more than 100,000 years all traces of humans in these regions vanish. The question is…what happened?


In today’s episode of the Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Chris Stringer, and by Dr. Chronis Tzedakis and Dr Vasiliki Margari to explore the fate of these first Europeans and discover how a massive climate disaster drove some of Europe’s earliest humans to extinction. 


This episode was produced by Joseph Knight and edited by Aidan Lonergan.


Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code ANCIENTS - sign up here.


You can take part in our listener survey here.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
Emperor Tiberius: Monster or Misunderstood?
<p>*WARNING: This podcast contains adult themes and discussion of paedophilia*</p><br><p>A brilliant general. A brooding autocrat. A recluse surrounded by scandal. Few Roman emperors divide opinion like Tiberius. But was he truly a monster, or the victim of centuries of salacious ... Show More
53m 10s
Nov 20
Zoroastrianism
<p>A faith born in the distant prehistoric past, rooted in ancient Iranian texts over 4,000 years old, Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s oldest living religions. and one that shaped empires.</p><br><p>In this episode of <em>The Ancients</em>, Tristan Hughes is joined by Profes ... Show More
1 h
Nov 16
Decline & Fall of the Ancient World
<p>Tristan Hughes invites Matt Lewis, host <em>The Ancients's </em>sister podcast <em>Gone Medieval</em>, for a lively debate with about the blurred boundary between the ancient and medieval worlds. Can Tristan champion Roman Emperor Justinian as an Ancient? What about Charlemagn ... Show More
46m 36s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2023
Medieval Eastern Europe
<p>From the Baltics to the Balkans, from Prague to Kiev, Eastern Europe is more than the sum total of its annexations, invasions and independence declarations.</p><br><p>In this episode of <em>Gone Medieval</em>, Matt Lewis meets Jacob Mikanowski, author of <em>Goodbye Eastern Eu ... Show More
32m 1s
Oct 2023
Kings of Medieval Ethiopia
<p>Overseeing a rich and diverse kingdom, Ethiopia’s medieval monarchs consolidated their power by claiming descent from the Biblical King Solomon. But why did they pursue long-distance diplomatic contacts with Latin Europe?&nbsp;</p><br><p>In this episode of <em>Gone Medieval</e ... Show More
38m 22s
Sep 2023
Origins of the Māori
<p>Around the time of the start of the Hundred Years’ War between England and France, and the Black Death was devastating tens of millions of people in Europe and Asia, waves of migration from Polynesia laid the foundations of the Māori society in Aotearoa - modern-day New Zealan ... Show More
42m 42s
Mar 2023
Vikings in Spain
<p>When we think of Vikings, we tend to picture them in the colder climates of Northern Europe, and not so much in the warmer regions of Spain and the Mediterranean beyond.</p><br><p>However, joining Dr. Cat Jarman today is Dr. Irene García Losquiño, a researcher whose work is un ... Show More
33m 5s
Oct 2023
Medieval North America: Gods of Thunder
<p>From 800 to 1300 CE, a great religious movement swept Mesoamerica, the Southwest, and the Mississippi valley. This Medieval Warm Period was one of the most consequential eras in North American history. In this era, the continent was shaped by climate change or – as its peoples ... Show More
26m 41s
Nov 2023
Vikings in America
<p>What is a Viking? Did they really make it to the United States? And if so, how far did they get?</p><br><p>Don speaks to Martyn Whittock about the norse landings in North America. From the Icelandic sagas to the archaeological evidence that supports them, listen as we separate ... Show More
40m 28s
Jan 2023
How Indigenous Americans Discovered Europe
<p>We have long been taught that modern global history began when the 'Old World' encountered the 'New', when Christopher Columbus 'discovered' America in 1492. But, in a groundbreaking new book, Dr. Caroline Dodds Pennock conclusively shows that for tens of thousands of Aztecs, ... Show More
44m 10s
Jan 2023
The First Indigenous Americans in Europe
<p>1492 marked the beginning of the Colombian Exchange - the transfer of people, goods, ideas and commodities across the Atlantic between Europe and the Americas. We hear a lot about the conquistadors, the settlers, Jesuit priests and colonisers from Spain, Portugal and Britain w ... Show More
24m 13s
Jun 2023
Marco Polo
<p>One of history’s great adventurers, Marco Polo’s accounts of his travels - dictated while in prison - were exceptionally widely read, introducing Europeans to the then-mysterious culture and inner workings of the Eastern world, including the wealth and great size of the&nbsp;M ... Show More
31m 48s
Jul 2023
Europe vs. EU vs. Eurozone vs. Schengen Area:
Everyone knows that Europe is one of the seven continents in the world, right?  Well, there is actually a problem with that. For starters, where exactly does Europe end and Asia begin? On top of that, there is more than one Europe. While there is a geographic Europe, there is als ... Show More
14m 18s