10 MAD THINGS from PREHISTORY you probably didn't know about.

In this video, we take a look at some of the most interesting and bizarre things from prehistory. From a weird use for sheep skulls, to the earliest boomerang, here are 10 mad things from prehistory you probably didn't know about!
Whether you're a prehistory nut or just looking for something new to learn, this video is sure to fascinate! Over the past couple of years we've covered more than a few astonishing discoveries in prehistoric archaeology, whether we've made a short standalone programme as in the PREHISTORY FLASH strand or as part of THE PREHISTORY SHOW for example.
Now we’ve trawled the archive and come up with some standout discoveries and news items that we’ve covered in the past, some are just amazing, some weird, some entertaining and some … all three!
So, settle in for 10 Mad Things from Prehistory you probably didn’t know -
And stick around to the end for a non-prehistoric bonus!
00:00 - Introduction
00:35 - #1 THE CRYSTAL DAGGER
06:21 - #2 ANCESTOR RELICS IN THE BRONZE AGE
08:10 - #3 TAGAR CULTURE
15:46 - #4 NEANDERTHAL STRING
18:46 - #5 EARLIEST PROSTHETIC?
23:18 - #6 THE SILVER QUEEN
28:54 - #7 THE SHIGIR IDOL
32:12 - #8 TRAGEDY ON THE DANUBE
41:02 - #9 BIRDMAN OF SIBERIA
43:30 - #10 THE OLDEST BOOMERANG
46:37 - BONUS: OLDEST CUSTOMER COMPLAINT
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[@grahamharris4941]

Sane, entertaining and free from 'the ritual speculation syndrome of others. Love the reality delivered with measured humour. Great stuff.

[@mistyhaney5565]

I'm so happy I found your channel. Recent archaeological discoveries without hype and nonsense, who could ask for anything better. Thank you so much.

[@pierogistacker1651]

First time I watch this. I was like cool and English guy this will be very authoritative. The second English guy showed up. And I was like holy fuck shit Batman

[@marybrooks766]

yes , great content from the giggle sisters.

[@woodpigeon7776]

Came for the knowledge . Stayed for the Dad vibes

[@ThePrehistoryGuys]

🤣

[@Mirrorgirl492]

I always come for the prehistory and stay for two giggling boomers.

[@robertafierro5592]

I KNOW what you mean!!

[@TheCrone]

Lol.

[@gnosisdocumentaries4481]

You can't have too many knowledgeable dads!

[@DrippyTheRaindrop]

Your compassion for the buried infants in segment 8 is very refreshing. Archaeology and scientists are too often seen as cold and calculating, particularly when dealing with human remains. Your humanity simply magnifies your professionalism. All the best....

[@captainsensiblejr.]

À we aaaaaaaaaaaààaa

[@rezkerry8809]

When he got emotional it literally made me cry, I’ve got two young tots myself.

[@ramonav.6983]

Fascinating! The more I learn about prehistory, the more interesting it becomes!

[@larrybuzbee7344]

My new favorite channel. I am a sculptor, currently carving small intricate mythological entities of ancient Cambodian origin. Material like this is an ideal accompaniment to my magnifying glass aided compulsive dedication to fine details. I will now preuse their entire YouToeuvre.

[@ionicafardefrica]

10 000 years from now, someone will find a little crappy sculpture in Cambodia. The plaque will read "this was made with primitive tools, like a so called magnifying glass, in the 21th century". Better make it good, buddy and impress those future museums! :))

[@rubenskiii]

Dude start posting video's about it, i would love to see your work!!! Warm greetings from The Netherlands.

[@maddiefunk4305]

re: the bird men of Siberia - the bronze 'spectacles' actually look like the boney eye rings that birds have! As a wildlife person, it struck me right away what they look like. If birds were that important to them, that makes sense doesn't it?

[@Aengus42]

Sclerotic rings! Good call. They could've doubled as snow blindness protection! "Hey, Vladimir! Why don't birds get snow blindness?" "Well Valery, I have an idea about that!"

[@muskerp]

interesting subjects and so refreshing to see something relating to prehistory that doesn't mention aliens - thank you

[@DAGGER479]

Man I am so happy that this was recommended to me I've enjoyed every bit of it and the dad vibes just strengthen my enjoyment

[@evaleyst]

What a long flight for this boomerang. From Australia to Poland, har har. -- Loved your stories and the way they were presented. Thank you so much for these fascinating science news with a sense of humor I miss so badly elsewhere.

[@desperatelyseekingrealnews]

Wow this was reccomended by YT, I'm really chuffed, First watched you guys years ago on your series "Standing with Stones" touring the country looking at ancient stone structures, it was on an a little known tv station which sadly no longer exists, it's really good to see you again, still going strong . Great video btw.👍

[@kainflynn1430]

The algorithm has done me a great service today. This channel is incredible and is packed full of content that I can’t wait to shamelessly binge on to my hearts delight. I have been absolutely fascinated by pre-history since I was in primary school and we got to do an assignment on the (what I now understand to be an extremely loose term) Stone Age. Stoked to be a new subscriber and I look forward to your future posts

[@jimmyviaductophilelawley5587]

Hi guys 7:44 the femur flute? Seems more likely to be a trophy from a vanquished enemy than a respectful memento of a loved one to me? Just a thought.

[@cargilekm]

I understand your emotional feelings about the babies. I have found that as an older man, I well up emotionally more often than when I was 50 or younger. Maybe as we get closer to the grave we sympathize with loss more. Cheers

[@AndyM_323YYY]

Until I was 58 I had not lost anybody really close to me.. For me, that was when my attitude to death changed significantly.

[@nomadpurple6154]

Actually it's probably your testosterone returning to normal levels as you age - only men suffer this 'switch off' of emotions at about 14 😁😁😁

[@dee5298]

Maybe I am an anomaly but I have always had trouble with that kind of thing, especially when it is children. I was also taking care of children to some extent from a very young age. I am 33 now.

[@dee5298]

@@nomadpurple6154 You should look up the current research on the subject. There is research supporting that, along with increased agression, testosterone seems to trigger protective behavior and affection for family in males. The connection between low testosterone and psychological disorders is well established, similarly to having way too much through steroid use. I think men destructively bottling their emotions is an evolved trait due to our traditionally limited purposes, sperm donor, work horse and cannon fodder. If I am correct, it could explain the more toxic traits due to a lack of a purpose (outlet, specifically a fitting environment) and living longer than the average man was likely to until recently. I am not sure what could be done about it.

[@mooseitself]

@@dee5298 "traditionally limited purposes" Lol wtf my guy?

[@jwcinc12]

Amazing content. I have been looking for this type of channel for pre-history. Bravo.

[@jamiegallier2106]

What a treat finding such wonderful discussions about these important discoveries. Thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the video. Thank you!

[@donaldknowlton3179]

The birdmen's eye spectacles are simple and utilitarian. They prevent snow blindness by limiting the amount of light entering the eye. This prevents the sensors in the eyes from being overwhelmed. Snow blindness is painful and takes time to recover from; if the Inuit are not wearing their Ray Bans, they would be wearing these made out of ivory with horizontal slits.

[@oddevents8395]

Mr. Michael, you already know I'm a nut, but on #7 when you said Larch tree, of course my mind went straight to the Monty Python skit. "12B How to recognize a lot of trees from far away." "The Larch, the Larch"

[@jostoney6501]

It's so incredibly enlightening to hear such finds in Neanderthal burials compared to what we learned in college, 35 years ago, which was basically just some flowers placed in the grave at that time not much else was ever found with Neanderthal until now this is so exciting of course excluding that the infants were in the burials which is quite sad and tragic for the parents. I thank you for sharing!

[@trebledog]

The clay head showing is actually a nice piece of art. Wouldn't mind having my grandad done up like that and on the bookshelf.

[@cynicalrabbit915]

Story 10 - Oldest Boomerang What I find fascinating about boomerangs, is the fact that they were shaped in such a way that if you discount the bend or curvature, they were shaped like the wing of an aircraft. One edge is thick the other edge being thinner, thus creating aerodynamic lift, enabling them to fly comparatively great distances.

[@ianbruce6515]

Yes--there are many throwing sticks used for hunting worldwide, but the asymmetrical airfoil design is very sophisticated and not that common at all! Are their other examples this sophisticated outside of Australia?

[@ericjohnson8001]

That's cause UFOs showed them how to make em.

[@cynicalrabbit915]

@@ianbruce6515 I've heard some archeological evidence that boomerangs weren't solely an Australian weapon.

[@medievalladybird394]

Oh fabulous! Pre history "Letters Live". Loved it. That was the icing on the cake.

[@idnyftw]

I've known the Ea-Nasir tablet for ages, but the Pythonesque delivery made it a thousand times more hilarious!! :)

[@mjk6814]

I really enjoyed this one. You make the past come alive.😊

[@jenniferharrison4319]

Jolly good. Hopefully it will give newbies to the channel the incentive to look at all the others you have done. Another thumbs up 👍

[@daveE5000]

“Pass my grandfather’s leg so I can whistle a jolly tune” 😂 Love it!

[@MaryAnnNytowl]

It's not often I run across one of these "things you didn't know" lists where I actually didn't know at least 80% of them, so, well freaking done guys! I learned 5 - FIVE - things I didn't know! Then again, I follow lots of paleo-oriented channels, already, from Gutsick Gibbon, to North02, to Stephen Milo, and several more in between. It's hard to surprise me with paleo trivia! 😄

[@ThePrehistoryGuys]

So good to hear! Thanks Mary Ann. Michael. 😀

[@badgerpa9]

" No wonder it resonates with you" Oh what a way to end. Thank you the laugh was much needed after the sad story of the short life of so many children.

[@sgtflashback5442]

I heard that keeping bones of your ancestors isn't unheard of in modern times as well. There's a traditional irish drum that used to be played with one of granny's rib bones fairly recently.

[@Morgana0x]

I've read about the oldest customer complaint before, but hearing you read it made me enjoy it more. I laughed out loud. Thank you for these informative and entertaining videos.

[@hannahbrown2728]

These were all amazing to hear about. I had seen images of the Shigir Idol before, but something about imaging it in its heyday makes it feels even more powerful. And Ea-Nasir is one of my go-tos whenever I get a chance to gush about history. I can just imagine him chuckling to himself as he re-reads those tablets(maybe with a cup of beer or wine too, for the drama)

[@tedtimmis8135]

Wow. Just discovered you guys tonight. Really interesting especially with your insights and banter. Greetings from Michigan.

[@Aengus42]

When i saw those "specs", as you were talking about a funerary mask, I was thinking of the Innuit bone snow goggles. But as soon as you mentioned that they had been found in Siberia then that nailed it! Definitely snow blindness protection. Probably made to a pattern normally made of wood for the common man but produced out of metal for a high status burial. (At a guess!)

[@kctamee625]

I am so glad I found your channel. I don’t understand why you tube never showed me before. Thank you

[@jaythewolf]

The amount of fun you guys are having with this is addictive. 😂 Great stuff

[@GkPhotographic]

thank you , I'm really enjoying this format , great job .

[@Rom3_29]

Who ever made that Siberian clay head. They had excellent artistic sculpture skills, right down to skin tone colour.

[@pierogistacker1651]

Love listening to your voice dude. It is so I don’t know what to say but it is enjoyable to listen to

[@amybee9467]

Psyched to see a new video up. This looks like it will be fun.

[@julescaru8591]

Enjoyed that , fascinating stuff ! All the best Jules

[@ThePrehistoryGuys]

Many thanks!

[@grahamorriss]

Love you guys. This is great! Thank you. 😃

[@janetmackinnon3411]

Thanks for the recap!

[@mjinba07]

Re. 41:20 the Birdman of Siberia - It's possible that the metal "spectacles" were implements of shamanic practice. I got the idea from a 1987 Norwegian film "Pathfinder," which tells an ancient Sami legend that includes a shaman who can only be looked at through a metal ring held up to the seeker's eye, presumably to provide protection against the consequences of looking at his power directly. The cultures of bronze age Siberia and the ancient Sami might not have been all that disparate. It would make sense to include an item in burial if it had a personal attachment to the deceased shaman's practice. Perhaps for use in the next life or for continued service as an ancestor - viewing the world of the living after death. Fun conjecture, anyway.

[@richardhowell7040]

In reference to the Danube twins I’ll share a story from my youth. I’d taken a sales job at a cemetery and thought of myself as pretty callous about burial customs. To my surprise, I began weeping the day I took a stroll into “Babyland” an area restricted to child burials. The dates and inscriptions on the stones touched me profoundly, completely at odds with my blithe ramblings through forty acres of adult gravesites. Tears are running down my face as I write, and that was forty years ago.

[@anna9072]

I recall walking through a graveyard in Oregon dating back to the early colonization of the area. There was a family plot, 5 child graves ranging from newborns to maybe a little over a year. Then the mother along with another infant child, buried together. While I knew that infant mortality was much higher in earlier times, this somehow really brought the reality of it home to me, the gut-wrenching tragedy of bearing a child only to lose it.

[@Padraigp]

What on earth were you selling at a graveyard? 😂

[@joanmayer304]

@@Padraigp Plots?

[@Padraigp]

@@joanmayer304 oh...

[@shirleysmith8565]

❤️🙏🏼❤️

[@tomfilippone6303]

Nice Citizens Eco Drive steel perpetual calendar quartz watch on the gentleman on the left! Great value for a a great looking timepiece!!!😃👍

[@ThePrehistoryGuys]

Vert well spotted sir!

[@user-hb9yc7te2m]

This popped up in my feed. I watched fascinated from beginning to end and enjoyed the content and your dynamic very much. The twins and their cousin made very sad though even after 30 000 years. I've subscribed and look forward to future videos. Cordially from France.

[@jakobfromthefence]

Enazir. May your wretched ways be enshrined to history forever!! Lovely vid. Liked and subscribed.

[@modulator7861]

This is what I love about humans: Our capacity to empathize with, and even love, folks we'll never meet, even separated by tens of thousands of years... As crappy as things may seem sometimes, maybe we ain't so bad after all.

[@blaircolquhoun7780]

I'm learning a lot. I haven't been in a college classroom since 1980 and I wish I knew more about this back then. Are these recent discoveries?

[@killslay]

Really loving this channel! That complaint was amazing, I really enjoy the peeks at banal every day life

[@FrankOClark]

Knowledgeable, witty, authentic!!!!!

[@feralbluee]

Absolutely love these guys. The content is stuff I have never even heard of! (Why is that? Too intellectual for the media probably. :/ ) Thanks so much. (I’ll see if I can afford to join the patreon group.) 🌷🌱

[@dianespears6057]

Fun times with the Guys. Enjoyed this video.

[@benjamindover5676]

These people were loved and were important in other people's lives just like we have today. We will all get old and lose people we love and someday it will be our turn.

[@seriouslyigiveup]

I love these guys. So much fun learning about ancient finds.

[@Pixelkip]

Thanks for your work guys :D

[@ThePrehistoryGuys]

Thank you too!

[@Earthbound369]

I just discovered you guys. Thanks so much for not mentioning aliens or Annunaki once. I subbed after finding legitimate science.

[@shaeleable]

Thinking of that crystal dagger, that culture must have been very rich and organized to have the industry to make all those beads

[@wolfgangpagel6989]

Or they did that over a long period of time.

[@karenhaynes3125]

Waiting to see you both authoring a book of this film.

[@zelly8163]

You too...fascinating and a great chuckle.

[@billdad]

Maybe the tagar guy's head wasn't missing but could have been damaged to the extent that the skull couldn't be used for the molding of clay. Could have been a fall, injury from a blunt weapon or a rock fall on the head for example. After they left him to "dry out" they would have found a fragmented skull and been forced to replace it. Just a thought))

[@davewilson1591]

KZbin popped you up on my screen! Pleasant surprise. Really like your "just the facts approach". No pretending you have it all figured out. Subbed and will check ✔️ out your other vids. Thanks... have to say very refreshing!

[@davidstewart5811]

Outstanding effort. Good jobs by all.

[@sharonholdren7588]

The bonus was hilarious, and shows that people are the same all over the world and throughout time. Perfect ending (the laughter) when all the rest has been about death and burial.

[@maureendoerner9002]

Great overburdened bookshelves! I've got several of these bookcases of my own. Love from a fellow bibliophile .

[@jordanf8797]

Got any recommendations?

[@user-hb9yc7te2m]

Me too. Billy from Ikea me thinks.

[@kimmcroberts5111]

Thank you for your work!

[@nathanbowen9204]

Very nice, so very nice. Great work, entertaining and gripping. Rock on.

[@judithmacfadzen9516]

Just watched Parts 1 & 2 of the visit to Gobekli Tepe & teared up along with you! ❤

[@elclaustrocl]

This is what I w3as looking for, two deeply loving and smart persons sharing facts and knowledge based on science, giving credits and value to the field workers. I'm deeply thankful, my respects and regards from Chile, near Monteverde site.

[@TacDyne]

Tagar people: Hey, you know how we always cover these skulls in clay, then break them before burying them? Let's leave one intact, perfect, but to mess with grave robbers, let's use a sheep skull! Fabulous idea, mate! Thank you for keeping it real and nay saying the ubiquitous speculation. :)

[@UpAndRunning-xz6er]

I would make the simple assumption that the sheep scull was used as a structural 'armature' to better hold the clay together. This is common with sculpture today. A modern wire form takes the place of a sheep's scull.

[@isobelholland8552]

Thank you for a great programme - re the bronze hand - is it smaller than male adult life size, ie female life size, or is it teenager/child size?

[@rondias6625]

Excellent video.. awesome information..I will be watching many more..👍

[@brendahamblin4559]

Your Channel came up as a recommended video yesterday. Seems that KZbin got it right!

[@macgraham4810]

Brilliant, no nonsense, stuff. Thank you!

[@Devils-advocate78]

It's mind boggling what we can learn about the past with modern technology. Never fails to amaze me. Great vid 💜

[@pierogistacker1651]

Subbed

[@pierogistacker1651]

OMG this is like my fourth post listening to this video I love you guys thank you I am will be watching you guys a lot more

[@philipcallicoat3147]

The word is: get the gold😂!!!!

[@JHaven-lg7lj]

Ea Nasir deserves to be a legendary villain - my understanding is that many clay tablets with similar customer complaints were found in his residence or business, I don’t remember which. Want substandard copper and double-dealings? Ea Nasir was your man! eta: should have listened to the whole thing before commenting!

[@krakenseamonster7683]

amazingly entertaining and informative

[@jbos5107]

It's funny that you say someone needs to write a novel but as a novel reader I can say that many novels have put me on the search for the real history. So novels can be fun and educational!

[@David-ig8of]

Jane aul comes to mind...hope I spelled her name right, been a while....

[@Padraigp]

Same I knew nothing about history despite studying it at school untill I read the shardlake novels and it gave me something to hang everything on. I realised I need to draw everything in my head and so knowing what clothes and shows people had is really important to me and I had read lots of history but none of it stuck but once I read those novels I had a agood picture then. And also some of the KZbin videos especially reenactment or the life on a victorian farm tutor farm all really helped give me a place to go from ...just seeing a kitchen of a tutor house and the clothes I can then remember a battle...but a list of battles and dates just falls out my head ass it has nowhere to go in a picture.

[@carriekelly4186]

Really great thanks guys❤

[@kristibbradshaw]

Excellent history program. Thank you.

[@spinny2010]

Fascinating stuff. I would like to know whether the DNA of a currently living descendant of the 30,000 year old twins would show up as a relation of them?

[@pauladebruijn4202]

So very interesting. Thank you I really enjoyed it.

[@raymondporter2094]

Good stuff, gentlemen! I enjoyed that.

[@Nervii_Champion]

12:58 just remember, these are humans who did this particular thing. Someone likely loved that sheep. That sheep could have saved someone's child from being mauled by a massive predator and could have been honored in this way. There are many reasons, but I am quite certain either of my explanations are exactly the answer. To the darker side, that sheep could have also been someone's "lover". Lol

[@johnadey9464]

The sheep's skull may just have been a convenient armature on which to mold the clay,

[@AlchZdot]

I find this Scott Van Pelt much more interesting😂 Really enjoyed this!

[@elvaquero5554]

My grandfather once found a pure and clear quartz point in New Mexico. It's about the same size and shape as a typical bird point.

[@ladybarbarapinsonartist4052]

Well done, gentlemen!

[@richardcook5919]

I was lucky enough to attend a fascinating talk in September at the Valencina de la Concepción museum, where the quartz arrowheads were on display. We also got to explore the nearby Dolmen de la Pastora, which sits overlooking Seville and the Guadalquivir valley.

[@Alienalloy]

what a delightful discovery... subscribed

[@markoreilly3414]

Where can we find the Scientific Data Papers on the Polish "Boomerang" ? Very interesting , 13,000 yr OLDER than the oldest found in Australia.

[@christinacurrey7224]

Loved the content!

[@hollyrr]

You two are having too much fun explaining the prehistoric news. It's delightful.

[@joeladkins1046]

Love and care for our fellow humans is a defining factor of our species and that bond we feel is key to our survival

[@neatchipops3428]

Thank you for using and promoting the term "Pre-History" ...although "Pre-Ancient" shall gain more and more traction.

[@markashdown1314]

Great presentation and humour. Thanks chaps.

[@mgcocasal]

Re the missing head in the clay, the theory of replacing missing body parts for the afterlife. There was a warrior found at Repton with a strategically placed boar's tusk...

[@theofficialsoldierthatreviews]

So being at 40 years old, I grew up being taught of you know before us. It was the caveman, and then the dinosaurs. Only a few people had the audacity to think that caveman were anything other than just slightly human featured gorillas. Meantime, always wondering “where the missing link is.”? This is amazing information that should be talked about much more often.

[@iknowyoureright8564]

Humans and gorillas are a completely different species…and the earliest cavemen came tens of millions of years after the dinosaurs had already been wiped out. (At least that’s what’s we are told) nobody really knows.

[@Kholdaimon]

@@iknowyoureright8564 We do know though, there are no non-avian dinosaur fossils dated to later then say 60 million years ago. And the earliest Homo sapiens fossils are from 315,000 years ago. The earliest bipedal ancestor (Sahelanthropus tchadensis) is dated about 7 million years ago, the earliest of those that we classify hominids is dated about 5 million years ago. So even if you just count our earliest bipedal ancestor as "earliest cavemen" and say they might be 10 million years off in their estimations for both dinosaurs and those, then the non-avian dinosaurs were still long, long, long gone before the first bipedal primate walked this earth. It is definitely incorrect to say nobody really knows. There are some minor questions about the particular order of the different hominid species, because many may have lived alongside each other and even have inter-mingled, which muddles the making of a simple, single lineage...

[@AndyBennett]

Thank you guys, ,how are you two not on a mainstream TV show, You clearly know your 'Onions' lol, perfect mix of info, humour, youre back and forth. yeah, very watchable..!! You also seem to be on the cutting edge of archeological finds, i'd love to know how you sift for your information...

[@ThePrehistoryGuys]

Hi Andy, thanks for your kind words. Regarding the sifting for information, it's basically an accumulation of global news sources over the years, which we check on a few times a week. I scan through large numbers of titles and headlines, cherry picking the items that sound most exciting. Some are fairly obscure, (one of my favourites is the Siberian Times) but when we're doing more in depth academic research we will hunt out excavation reports etc. It takes a lot of time but we think it's worth it:) R

[@AndyBennett]

@@ThePrehistoryGuys thanks for the good tip, i'm currently writing a book about how oral traditions are in many ways more reliable than the written word and how they more often than not contain 'a' truth if not 'the' truth.

[@elihyland4781]

Love this channel 🙌