Early Humans: Ice, Stone, and Survival

Overview

Course No. 30150

Experience 2.5 million years of history as you discover what life was like for early humans. You and the other 8 billion humans alive today are members of the only species that has survived in the genus Homo since its 2.5-million-year evolutionary journey began.

Course Description

Homo habilis, H. erectus, H. neanderthalensis—plus many other species we know of and perhaps dozens yet to be discovered—have all come and gone. H. sapiens alone has endured. Who were these long-ago ancestors of ours? Where and how did they live and die? How are we even able to learn about these humans, some of whom became extinct millions of years ago? These questions are explored in “Early Humans: Ice, Stone, and Survival.” In 20 captivating lectures, Professor Suzanne Pilaar Birch shares her expertise and passion for discovery.

You will learn about their environmental challenges, the methods they used to meet their basic needs, cultural development, and advances in technology that have allowed us to develop a fuller picture of early humans.

Course Lectures

• What Does It Mean to Be Human?

Discover when humans developed and consider the questions we need to ask to explore early life. (25 min)

• Stones and Bones: The First Fossil Families

Meet Homo habilis, the earliest known species of our genus. (26 min)

• Bio-Cultural Adaptation and Homo erectus

Learn about Homo erectus, the first of our genus to walk completely upright. (27 min)

• How Homo sapiens Left Africa

Explore how H. sapiens adapted to new environments as they spread across the Old World. (26 min)

• X-Woman! Meet Our Ancient Relatives

Discover the complexity of early human history by meeting “Denny.” (24 min)

6. Did the Neanderthals Really Go Extinct?

Explore the culture-rich lives of the Neanderthals. (25 min)

• Sailing to Australia 60,000-Plus Years Ago

Examine evidence of early human travel to Australia. (27 min)

• The Origins of Language and Music

Learn about how human language evolved. (22 min)

• Handprints in Time: Early Art and Objects

Consider the earliest evidence of human art. (23 min)

10. Ancient Jewelry as Extensions of the Mind

Explore how early humans adorned themselves. (25 min)

• Death and Burial in the Prehistoric World

Examine the varied burial practices of our ancestors. (25 min)

• Feast or Famine? The Paleolithic Diet

Discover the varied early human diets. (25 min)

• Why There’s No Such Thing as Cavemen

Learn about early humans' living conditions. (23 min)

• Early Technology: Axes, Harpoons, and Hooks

Explore the advancement of early tools. (23 min)

• Coming to the Americas 20,000-Plus Years Ago

Discover how the first people entered North America. (26 min)

• Living Dangerously as the Last Ice Age Ended

Understand how early humans coped with drastic environmental changes. (22 min)

• Brewing Beer and Baking Bread in the Levant

Explore early agricultural practices in the eastern Mediterranean. (20 min)

• The Hunter-Gatherers Begin to Settle Down

Investigate dietary options as climates warmed. (17 min)

• Secrets of Cave Art, Ceramics, and Cattle

Reveal how lifestyle narratives have shifted. (18 min)

• Was Agriculture a Revolution or an Accident?

Learn about the origins of agriculture. (23 min)