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Before Us: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Erich Fisher and Helen Farr
Every living person can trace their ancestry back to Africa, where modern humans evolved some 300,000 years ago before expanding out of Africa and around the world. Those early humans lived lives filled with emotions and challenges much like people today and their journeys stand as a testament to human intelligence, ingenuity, creativity, and resilience. But, what does the archaeological record tell us about their lives, their successes, their failures, and who we are today? In this podcast, world-recognized experts in maritime and prehistoric archaeology, Dr. Helen Farr and Dr. Erich Fisher, reveal the people and the world that existed “Before Us.” This season, we take a deep dive into the origins and development of Maritime Adaptations, tracing humanity's journey from the earliest interests in aquatic resources to the global expansion of modern humans via oceans, coastlines, and waterways. As the old saying goes, “smooth seas make boring stories” and this season promises to be an auditory adventure around the world and across millennia as told through captivating interviews with leading scholars in fun and down-to-earth discussions.
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- 2 days ago31 min
Sailing to Ryukyu
How do you test how people reached Okinawa more than 30,000 years ago? Build a log boat using only Paleolithic stone tools, then paddle it from Taiwan to the Ryukyu Islands. This week, we talk to Prof. Yousuke Kaifu about the extraordinary project he led to explore how prehistoric people could have made a voyage that, even today, seems improbable. It’s a fascinating discussion about their trials-and-errors to build a boat that could handle the open ocean and their journey to cross one of the ...
- 1 weeks ago40 min
The wakes we inherit
We're taking a small detour this week to talk about the role of voyaging and the embodied knowledge of seafaring that has been collected and passed down for generations among modern communities all across the Pacific. It's a perspective that isn't so much about the past rather than how the past shapes the present and future. **Please do not forget to rate and review the show** Have a question or comment? Email: hello@worldsbeforedesign.com Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/...
- 1 weeks ago6 min
Saturday Bonus Minisode plus sneak peak of Season 2, Episode 5
Have a question or comment? Email: hello@worldsbeforedesign.com Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BeforeUsMedia/ Or click “Send us a message!” to send us an SMS. Before Us Kids! If you or your kids want to learn more about Denisvans then check out "Our faceless ancestors no more." This fun-filled, kid-friendly episode explores the Denisovans and the discovery that finally put a face to the name. Click here for a direct link. More information about Before Us Kids! From the creator...
- 2 weeks ago21 min
(South) East Side Story
Fossil and genetic evidence shows that eastern Asia was a hotspot of diversity for the genus Homo during the Middle and Late Pleistocene. Homo erectus, Denisovans (Homo longi and Homo juluensis) / Neanderthals, Homo floresiensis, and Homo Luzonensis were all present at one point or another. But when did modern humans arrive from Africa? In this episode, we talk to Fabrice Demeter about excavations at Tam Pa Ling cave in Laos, where his team has uncovered a rich fossil record documenting...
- 2 weeks ago6 min
Saturday Bonus Minisode plus sneak peak of Season 2, Episode 4
Have a question or comment? Email: hello@worldsbeforedesign.com Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BeforeUsMedia/ Or click “Send us a message!” at the top of this page. Before Us Kids! If you or your kids want to learn more about Denisvans then check out "Our faceless ancestors no more." This fun-filled, kid-friendly episode explores the Denisovans and the discovery that finally put a face to the name. Click here for a direct link. More information about Before Us Kids! From the creato...
- 3 weeks ago27 min
Hominin around Asia
Asia plays a central role in the story of human evolution and recent cutting-edge research shows that eastern Asia was home to a variety of archaic human species that were still present by the time modern humans arrived during the late Pleistocene. In this episode, Prof. Christopher Bae leads us on a fascinating journey of the paleoanthropology and archaeology of eastern Asia to understand the complex biogeographic landscape that greeted those earliest modern humans. **Please do not f...
- Oct 6, 202633 min
Shore is dry around here
As modern humans spread across the world along coastlines and waterways during the Late Pleistocene, they encountered a remarkable variety of coastal environments, each with its own resources and challenges. In this episode, we explore one of the seemingly least hospitable coastal environments: maritime deserts. We discuss Boodie Cave on Barrow Island, off Australia’s northwest coast, with Tiina Manne from the University of Queensland to discover how people adapted their knowledge to this dem...
- Sep 29, 202630 min
The lore you know
As modern humans spread across the world at the end of the Pleistocene, they learned to survive in a remarkable range of environments. How did those hunter-gatherers preserve their knowledge and pass it on from one generation to the next? In this episode, Helen and Erich speak with Patrick Nunn to explore the role of oral history, myths, and storytelling in the preservation of knowledge among preliterate societies. Welcome back to a new season of Before Us! **Please do not forget ...
About Before Us
Every living person can trace their ancestry back to Africa, where modern humans evolved some 300,000 years ago before expanding out of Africa and around the world. Those early humans lived lives filled with emotions and challenges much like people today and their journeys stand as a testament to human intelligence, ingenuity, creativity, and resilience. But, what does the archaeological record tell us about their lives, their successes, their failures, and who we are today? In this podcast, world-recognized experts in maritime and prehistoric archaeology, Dr. Helen Farr and Dr. Erich Fisher, reveal the people and the world that existed “Before Us.” This season, we take a deep dive into the origins and development of Maritime Adaptations, tracing humanity's journey from the earliest interests in aquatic resources to the global expansion of modern humans via oceans, coastlines, and waterways. As the old saying goes, “smooth seas make boring stories” and this season promises to be an auditory adventure around the world and across millennia as told through captivating interviews with leading scholars in fun and down-to-earth discussions.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Before Us covers topics including Science, Culture, Society & Culture, Social Sciences. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
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