Star Carr: Britain’s Most Important Mesolithic Site | Digging For Britain

We delve into the transition from Mesolithic to Neolithic cultures, showcasing advancements in technology and societal structures. Additionally, explorations into Paleolithic hunters and Neanderthals offer insights into Britain's distant past. Through excavations and analysis, archaeologists piece together the puzzle of ancient Britain, revealing a rich tapestry of human civilization buried beneath the earth.
Welcome to Unearthed History -- the home for all things archaeological! From ancient Roman ruins to buried medieval mysteries, we'll be bringing you award-winning documentaries that explore the remnants of long lost civilizations.
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[@amystubby]

Ok, but the pensioners helping Dr Lee on the dig were adorably enthusiastic...ruined knees not withstanding. What a cool way to learn more about your local history.

[@laneoswego6989]

Alice’s enthusiasm is absolutely contagious as she is such a rock solid presenter and so talented

[@erinmboehm]

People need to be giving this channel more likes, they deserve it

[@debbiedeckert436]

Alice Roberts, Lucy Worsley, Raksha Dave, Helen Geake, Susannah Lipscombe, Turi King…..only a few of the women who have made history come alive 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@aubreel4576]

Eleanor Janega and Mary Beard!

[@paulfry1744]

Don't forget Bettany Hughes

[@paulfry1744]

And for Time Team fans, we must mention Carenza Lewis

[@TheInternationalist01]

Alice Loxton is wonderful and leads the new generation of female historians.

[@grantmarshall3026]

Don’t forget Brid Gallagher, I’ve not been able to 😉

[@JoJo-11of11]

Alive is flat out awesome. I can listen to her for hours on end ! What a treasure she is

[@kengrow3992]

It is so nice that all of you show the upmost respect for these ancient people. I dislike so many of these channels because you can hear the them insult The people of the past Your honor is evident.

[@r0salia805]

I absolutely love my number 1 history channel!! This is my favorite time to relax!! Learning is so much fun!! God bless and keep on digging!!⚕️⚕️

[@williammartin2593]

Learning is fun. It is a fascinating world . And you tube has some remarkable things. Shakespeare! History! Baby animals!

[@user-lo1hs3do5v]

I visited Skara Brae and drove past the newly discovered site at Westray. Amazing place with astounding history. Some of those stone tools are exquisite in form and colour.

[@mitchtrue52]

A lot of work went into Neolithic monuments. The fact that it was used as a burial site at the end doesn't mean that it was built for that purpose or used that way for a long time.

[@KubotaManDan]

In the south western canyon territory of the USA there are unbelievable amounts of stone tools and caves, pictographs and they are just left to go to waste. I've seen so many on YT channels where they are found on google earth. But nobody in the states seem to care about preserving these public lands, in fact they are leased out to ranchers for cattle grazing. Good to see the Brits have a better sense of urgency to preserve their ancient past. This is a good series, I always watch it.

[@michaelcaffery5038]

I've a nasty feeling that is because most US citizens don't feel a connection to native Americans whereas in Britain it's their direct ancestors. Leaving aside the (usually ignored) fact that there has been at least two total, or near total, population displacements before the historical period.

[@badgerpa9]

Every year more and more "public" lands become blocked from the public. Cattle grazing is good for the land and other animals, land grazing is stopped on becomes overgrown and will have population decline of other animals and natural flowers.

[@seaneendelong8065]

This is due to the modern indigenous getting the Federal govt to give them decision and property control over ANY remains or sites in the US- and they ABSOLUTELY DO NOT ALLOW ANY DISTURBING OR RESEARCH OR TESTS OF ANY KIND. So those sites you see from above are as protected as remoteness, hostile weather conditions, and tribal/fed policing of routes in or nearby can make them. And sit as they were left, falling slowly into decay in the ruins of their civilizations.

[@georgedorn1022]

@@badgerpa9 Effects of grazing are dependent on a multitude of factors and to characterise it as beneficial only is demonstrably untrue. In some places grazing causes considerable loss of biodiversity and multifunctionality, particularly so in arid environments. In other places the effects are less harmful. There is plenty of peer-reviewed science to show this.

[@oneskydog6768]

@@georgedorn1022 Tell that to the Buffalo herds that used to manage the lands.

[@amys2650]

Time Team will always be my favorite no doubt but this is pretty good too

[@thomasbell7033]

For better or worse, Time Team got us invested in the individual personalities of the archaeologists (Stewart was cheap, Phil liked his beer, etc.). I think this is one reason for its attraction. That and the endless possibilities for learning TT presented.

[@Dierwolf2000]

what an outstanding piece of work this is. A true credit to UK archaeology!

[@lonetown]

The British Isles are like an archeologists playground.

[@karlkarlos3545]

One might think so, if all you watch are archeology programs from Britain.

[@lonetown]

@@karlkarlos3545 indeed. Some of the best stuff on KZbin.

[@thomasbell7033]

​@karlkarlos3545 Actually, what the person said is true. For example, the UK, with a population that's about 1/5 of the US, has more archeologists than we do. It's not our lack of historical curiosity, but one factor might be our lack of recorded history, which scarcely goes back beyond 300-400 years. Also, sites older than that are often under the control of Native Americans, who tend to say no to digging. Archeologists in the past were, shall we say, a little insensitive.

[@lionairvine870]

I am always amazed that people think the stone age people are often thought of as a bit dumb. I am sure if we could go back in time we would find that actually they were very clever. Also they make many assumptions. I think they would have a good laugh at us.

[@TerryBoydon]

Love Orkney, I’ve been in the tomb of the Eagles as well as many of the other places of interest on the islands..

[@gb57hevy3]

What an incredible human journey we have been on.

[@PattyMoore-vd1ug]

I love these videos so educational thank u for sharing

[@julienetherton5914]

I was told by an "old gardener" , that the name strawberry comes from the fact that old fashioned cultivation had straw laid around the plants, so that the fruit would not touch the ground.... keep them out of the way of bugs, and or damp, hence the plants had straw "strewn" about them.... so... straw-berry....might be just an old timers tale, but on another occasion I did actually see he had straw around his strawberry plants to keep the stalks/berries away from the ground. On another note, I live on Lake Como, Italy, high up on a mountain, where the woods are, with hiking trails.... there are still some wild strawberry plants here, they are tiny and the fruit is quite round, I found the berry sweet. Commercially grown strawberries here are usually at their sweetest when in season.

[@readMEinkbooks]

Your old gardener was right.

[@michaelcaffery5038]

I worked on a fruit farm 40 odd years ago and putting straw around the plants was, and probably still is, standard practice. It was laid by machine with two of us stood on the back feeding straw bales into teeth that broke them up, laying it on the side of the plant rows. As you say, it keeps the fruit clean and helps with disease. It also provides a mulch to help stop the soil drying out and provides some nutrients. There's another theory for the name which is wild strawberries were collected by threading them onto a straw or for drying and preserving them. There's another which for the life of me I can't remember now. Something to do with a similar word in another language.

[@michaelcaffery5038]

Btw, I didn't realise this until a few years ago, the commercial strawberries we are familiar with are not from selective breeding from European wild strawberries but from American wild types. The wild strawberries here in Ireland are tiny but delicious.

[@julienetherton5914]

Aha! he was right then.... you need a lot of wild strawberries to make a small bowlful. Commercially grown strawberries are mostly quite large in comparison. If I make a cake or dessert with them it's not easy to find small enough fruit to decorate it with.

[@cernunnos_lives]

Yes and there's nothing natural about them. Your eating centuries of farmers hard work. Most of which were pioneered 3 centuries ago. And I hope one day our babies can eat better tasting ones than I had growing up. All it takes is eating one and asking: is this what it should taste like?

[@richardsoane6192]

Doesn't get better than this

[@sharendonnelly7770]

This is a wonderful look into the long lost history of ancient peoples. I found it absolutely fascinating and educational.

[@MrTorleon]

Once again, a beautifully produced episode, hosted by the ever capable Prof. Alice Roberts. Early pre-history was never my area of expertise, but I am always profoundly impressed by the astonishing level of knowledge of those who have made it their area. However, in the initial segment at Orkney, and having exposed the discovered tomb to the elements, I was quite shocked that the archeology team had not had the presence of mind to quickly erect a weatherproof shelter - far more easily done these days than in the past. Nevertheless, and interesting and informative episode indeed. A bit of humour - I recall a wit at university who sagely suggested that Neanderthals had never become extinct, but were living amongst us, and mostly playing rugby - ho ho :)

[@susanpallister8037]

Gale force winds. The shelter would have absconded to the next nearest island.

[@MrTorleon]

@@susanpallister8037 please forgive me, but I must disagree. There are a number of quite brilliant weatherproof shelters/ tents now available, easy to erect, and often designed to withstand Arctic wind blasts and equivalent weather conditions. When preserving an important ancient freshly opened Neolithic tomb, then it would seem to me that some effort in that direction should have been considered at least. I was amused to note that the very human habit of making a quick buck was in evidence, with a hand written sign for 5 Quid a look - but under fifteens free :)

[@EmbraceTheJourney]

another great adventure into time. Your the best Dr. Roberts

[@ingridmcdonald7644]

This tomb on Orkney looks like the Tomb of the Otters near Skerries bistro, just around the corner from the tomb of the eagles. I went in the Tomb of the Otters in 2013 right after they tried to clear the lump to enlarge the car park but the machine sunk into the tomb and then it was discovered what the lump was. It was the first oblong tomb I had seen and it was quite low and I had to crawl in to see the chambers. VERY interesting

[@KernowekTim]

"The Undisturbed". A rarity these days. Even rarer now; but better twenty-first century professionalism breaking the "RIP" epitaph with modern tech, and many decades of accumulated experience, than the desecrations of treasure-hunters and the gentleman hobby "archaeologists" of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. The type of science employed here is the best way to study our ancesteral past, imo. Fascinating indeed. Really 'top-drawer'👏.

[@catofthecastle1681]

But those hobbyists led to the rules and honor we use now! They didn’t know anyone would ever care about any of these things.

[@michaelcaffery5038]

I'm not disputing that cannibalism existed but another explanation is cutting the body to facilitate the speedy consumption by carrion animals. This is still done in Nepal and Tibet. I saw series of photos, probably taken surreptitiously, of a body cut up, including breaking into the skull, and leaving it to vultures. Apparently it took minutes. The bones are ground and mixed with animal meat so the whole body is consumed. There is a particular tool for this job which people sometimes buy copies of as souvenirs, not knowing its significance. The last stage obviously wasn't done here.

[@magorzatamichalik7078]

oglądam z Polski, fascynujące.

[@timothydockery534]

I love these shows

[@terencephillips6833]

I love these programs, but what an isolated place to live , think it would drive me mad , I like a bit of peace and quiet but that takes the biscuit, how incredible to find such things in a place so isolated.

[@snakeplisskin8696]

This is such a lovely, informative series. Yos

[@user-cn2ny1zz4h]

Gran documental,me encantó

[@markperrault5678]

Fantastic

[@joannmay-anthony1076]

I do miss Time Team because of them actually working on camera.

[@georgedorn1022]

They are still making episodes, available on KZbin.

[@joannmay-anthony1076]

@@georgedorn1022yes, i am a patreon. but patreon screwed up my accounts. But i loved the weekly shows. miss them.

[@TravisBrady-wn8fr]

I hope they are still making shows. I love time team. I just recently discovered them. Where I live I don't get internet so I'm still basically in the Saxon Era 😂

[@joannmay-anthony1076]

@@georgedorn1022 yes i watch them, but its quite not the same as the old series.

[@ledacedar6253]

@@joannmay-anthony1076 I was on Patreon only to learn how infrequent TT was able to do digs with our funding. I wish government funded them with full free to do as the expert Archaeologists want to dig.

[@smileyzed3843]

This was a fantastic watch ! Thankyou

[@jamesblake7338]

So fascinating! Excellent!

[@DavesGarden1714]

Brilliant documentry more of the same please

[@benwilson6145]

Thank you

[@Andy_Babb]

Thank you… just wish you’d add the season and episode number in the info

[@Andy_Babb]

Series 3, north?

[@Nukaria]

series 9 episode 3 they definitely went to orkney island to see the archeologists there. i'm not sure if that is this episode though. Yeah they really should include the series number and episode. :( slightly annoying but i'm just glad they upload it on youtube as these series are hard to find and watch even if you are able to watch bbc! They don't have the full series up even on iplayer i don't think 😢

[@cornishmaid9138]

Just found your channel and I’m really enjoying the content. I’ve subscribed and shared. 👍

[@duncnz9128]

Cups have a greater use than just drinking from , Through history they have passed around groups in various ritual or bonding exercises . " have a handful of water " is not as bonding as " have a drink from this skull" , (bowl , beaker , shell or whatever) certainly useful for carrying water to a sick family member or child .

[@terrydoe1842]

In the North-west Highlands of Scotland, in fairly recent times, drinking water from a local burn with the aid of skull of a person who had committed suicide was considered a cure for mental illness. Maybe this is what was going on at Cheddar.

[@user-lo1hs3do5v]

👀

[@robertneven7563]

Your video s are amazing grts from Belguim

[@jasonhare8540]

Kind of off topic but I have to say . That was a beautiful airplane .

[@karendavis7988]

I love this channel! ❤️

[@NinaHansen2008]

Thank you.

[@felixreali7101]

17:10 That juxtaposition of people digging up ancient artifacts as opposed to modern day wind turbines is pretty powerful.

[@hectorpascal]

Surely it's only a VERY small step from using animal bones to create artifacts, to using random or enemy human bones that have become "depersonalised", for the same purpose?

[@debbralehrman5957]

Thank you very much for this updated video on the Neanderthals In the British isles.

[@theshamanarchist5441]

No evidence of Neanderthals from Britain, I'm afraid.

[@kathleenmartin7498]

Love this program!

[@gerbrand8132]

What a beautiful series, very interesting. And the fact that Dr. Alice Roberts is a very beautiful woman also helps.

[@davidlloyd150]

Love it

[@fluffywaffles]

Ill watch anything with Raksha in it.

[@Stephen-gp8yi]

Agree Raksha is superb for sure!

[@robertcronin6603]

Dr. Alice is easy to look at and easy to listen to.

[@Andy_Babb]

I could listen to Alice read a phone book

[@cb664]

I prefer Dan myself. 😊

[@Andy_Babb]

@@cb664 Jones or Snow? lol I’m guessing Snow? I love Dan S. too, though I’ve noticed the older he gets the more it sounds like he’s got marbles in his mouth lol I also love Neil Oliver and Frances Pryor

[@RKHageman]

@@Andy_BabbYes, I love listening to Francis Pryor as well. I believe he has retired now, more’s the pity.

[@Andy_Babb]

@@RKHageman I believe you’re right. Fortunately I just bought my first book of his so I’ll have a few to read still lol not quite the same… maybe he does book on tape 😂

[@thomasbell7033]

I love Alice's (I suppose) west country accent. Especially the way she says "clews."

[@daviddouglas6610]

Bloody love this channel

[@michaelsargeaunt]

The tool of an unknown red stone at 45 minutes, may be jasper.

[@Nukaria]

love alice roberts

[@ledacedar6253]

In CANADA the indigenous peoples agree to use First Nation instead of the what-feels crude term, Native American. As if they’re secondary Americans.❤ I’ve worked with five distinct FN and they’re often careful to protect their wealth of knowledge like how sea canoes were steamed to curve the bow upwards. I hold deep respect for them as I’ve found them to be so honest, grounded & not enmeshed in consumerism or our racist history stories!

[@captmulch1]

That’s my ancestors (related to Orkney Harveys and Linklaters)

[@forestdweller5581]

So skull caps were made and those guys had barbed harpoons made of antler. They had a blade technology as well....those are Magdalenian people then aren't they?

[@vegas1a]

Season 2, Episode 4, Ice And Stone

[@lelanixon3248]

Anyone know the song playing when they are first excavating?

[@fuzzy3440]

I'd like to see what the dna evidence shows. Didn't the Norse completely replace the residents of the Orkneys?

[@scottyeomans801]

Not according to a study done across the UK by UCL and Oxford, they didn't. According to their study that was published in the scientific journal, only 25% of Orcadian DNA was of Norwegian origin.

[@benwilson6145]

@@scottyeomans801 Orkney is very close to Mainland Scotland

[@barryoconnor721]

The red Neanderthal spear point at the end looks to be red chert, a type of flint. I have found a red chert arrowhead with smaller flakes in central Montana.

[@vinceb4380]

Tomb Robbers.

[@KAZSANable]

🤩

[@jabowi2528]

Tam Is Ricky Fulton in disguise

[@jackbelk8527]

I might be able to understand the narration without the horns blowing in the background.

[@archangel807]

Hunting HORSE!!......things never change

[@cogumeloazul6173]

👏

[@alistairmackinnon4216]

Gotta love the accents...

[@pollyg562]

ive often mused they need to work on a technique for emergency digs or where things are on a time limit or in danger a faster way of doing things as accurately as possible yet still moving at a much faster speed, I know there is zero training in place for these faster digs its up to the guys on site how they will do it

[@pollyg562]

10m23s is that Gaston the gorgeous????

[@engineersteveo9886]

he looks a bit like Jim Morrison

[@sno4439]

The last neanderthal artefact look like it was made from Jasper...

[@taetannim3581]

I can never completely square the idea of how excited the get to discover an undisturbed grave- and their immediate response is to disturb the fuck out of it. 🤨

[@molybdomancer195]

It was waterlogged due to accidental damage from nearby building work. The human bones were going to disintegrate so excavation was to get information about them before they were lost

[@docinparadise]

Ancient Egyptians removed brains and nobody thought they were cannibals. Ancient Mya tribes took the skin from their dead and nobody thought they were using the bones for cups. It’s amusing how one archeologist can paint a tribe from a flight of fancy.

[@user-ck3uu8rj3x]

I nearly gave this a wide birth, due to the childishly banal thumbnail picture but it was worth given it a second chance.

[@YvonneWatson-ff5ex]

Aren’t brains used for tanning leather? Couldn’t the skulls have been used as bowls in a culture that didn’t have pottery or glass or metal? It’s not necessarily cannibalism.

[@ChrisShortyAllen]

Probably found old skulls in the cave and used them.

[@DevonClaireFlannery]

There is a weird crying sound in the background of the audio of this video.

[@pcka12]

Domestic goddess? Or child's toy? So a chamber tomb in a mound? Don't examples from all over Britain make you associate mounds (tumuli) with burials?

[@kevinquist]

i always find it amazing. we "super smart contemporary humans" are so much smarter than our 'stupid Neolithic ancestors". I find quite the opposite. they had to be smarter than us just to survive. JUST because they didnt have some of our tech (which can take hundreds of years to 'evolve' doesnt mean they were stupid". ask any one under the age 40. how to use a cassette player. tech changes. knowledge changes. what we are require to remember changes. just seems now, so much more is taken out of our memories and done by 'devices'

[@huwzebediahthomas9193]

Dogger Bank evacuees.

[@beefstickswellington1203]

Its been obvious for a long time that ancient people were not dumb, as the hubris of the academic community often implies. It may have taken much longer given technology, but their minds were capable, and human. Also, it's quite sad what the water table shift is causing; hopefully we get enough for the full picture, even if we can't save literally everything.

[@molybdomancer195]

I’m not aware of any archaeologists thinking ancient people were dumb. Not sure where you got that idea from

[@anitahood196]

I know it's different everywhere but Australian Aboriginal culture did not live in caves. They were for art or for the dead. The people were suspicious considering them to be entrances to the underworld tp magical forces.

[@Dierwolf2000]

also i dont care what you call those early domestic goddesses. im grateful to them. through the ages their originating food habits have echoed down to us through grandmothers. as a cook i cherish it. although cannibalism is eww lol

[@chilly22]

"absolutely pristine" - entrance fee £5, under 14 free. my mans made a few pennies off this for a while

[@ellentronicmistress4969]

I guess these projects cost a lot of money and that has to come from somewhere. I don't see many archelogists living in grand mansions.

[@georgedorn1022]

@@ellentronicmistress4969 This. Archaeological work is expensive and funding hard to come by. Archaeologists are poorly paid.

[@georgedorn1022]

@@ellentronicmistress4969 This. Archaeology is expensive and funding hard to come by. Archaeologists are poorly paid.

[@Laserssafe]

to many ad's

[@steveholmes3471]

Didnt have any.

[@outdoorsy01]

​@@steveholmes3471 same 😂

[@kevinquist]

or. you could re bury the mound and re water proof it......

[@philthycat1408]

Hope everybody paid their Fiver entrance fee. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👍

[@biangelboy21]

Excellent episode 🙂 but Scottish not British.

[@The-6666]

Anyone else hear bombs dropping 6:13

[@BigAlf1945]

Is there any evidence that the worms were their money?

[@KD400_]

Are they near maeshowe

[@engineersteveo9886]

she fancies the lad

[@sirensynapse5603]

When I die, I want my bones to be exhumed and lovingly examined by Lucy Worsley, Susannah Lipscombe, Nicky Milner, and Alice Roberts. 🥰

[@raytrace2014]

We actually don't live on a small island. Great Britain is the 9th largest island in the world. Just saying.

[@ellentronicmistress4969]

Most islands are small then

[@RKHageman]

Orkney, however, *is* a small island

[@benjaminrush4443]

Not interested in Xfinity Mobile. Have Consumer Cellular. Too many ADs interruptions. Bye.

[@pollyg562]

23m15 if you look closely you will see little barbs? Is this a english type of joke, ??i hopes so

[@rogerscottcathey]

Thumbnail isn't funny

[@emnorfolk5559]

This souit is seew ouiconic and feemuss... Where is she from? The accent behind the LBP is driving me mad!!!