The First Britons
Digging up History
•
27m
If the words British history conjure up images of Elizabeth I, Shakespeare, Boudica, Mary Seacole, The Beatles and the Blitz, you’re squinting at a small spec of the history of humanity of these Isles. Even if you go back to the Roman invasion of Britain in 43 AD, or even further to the Iron Age or the Bronze Age, you’re still only looking at 1% of humankind’s story in this land.
This is a 900,000 year old story of ice ages, glaciers and hunter gatherers. Of lions, hyenas, hippos, rhinos and woolly mammoths. Of archaeological discoveries like Cheddar Man, who was once thought to be the oldest Englishman who ever lived.
The story of the First Britons is a story of a species that would come and go many times before calling this land home. A story that has travel, and the movement of people, at its heart.
So what do we know about these early migrants to Britain’s shores? Travel writer Noo Saro-Wiwa talks us through the story of the First Britons, while Dr Selina Brace explains how her team at the Natural History Museum were able to extract DNA from Cheddar Man. Produced by Mark Bowsher.
Up Next in Digging up History
-
Waterloo: Bones in the Attic
BREAKING NEWS: The bones of up to 10 soldiers killed in the Battle of Waterloo have been discovered - the largest cache of Waterloo casualties ever found.
Uncovered by a team of Belgium and German academics, it's believed these bones belong to a mix of Prussian, French and British Soldiers all ...
-
Finding the Lost Battlefield of Bruna...
The Battle of Brunanburh was one of the bloodiest and biggest battles of early medieval history. Fought 1100 years ago, Athelstan - the king of the English - opposed a coalition of Irish, Scots, Northumbrians and Vikings and won a decisive victory. The enemy shield wall was penetrated. Their troo...
-
The Skeletons of Visby
The Battle of Visby, 1361 left one of the most complete archaeological records of medieval warfare - hundreds of skeletons buried in mass graves, many still wearing armour.
Join Dr. Jo Buckberry as she and a team of specialists investigate the grisly remains of this battle. They carry out experi...
