The Incredible Human Journey
Episode Three
When our species first arrived in Europe, the peak of the Ice Age was
approaching and the continent was already crawling with a rival:
stronger, at home in the cold and even (contrary to their popular
image) brainier than us. So how did the European pioneers survive first
the Neanderthals and then the deep freeze as they pushed across the
continent?
Alice Roberts reconstructs the head of the 'first
European' to come face to face with one of our ancestors; she discovers
how art became crucial for survival in the face of Neanderthal
competition; and what happened to change the skin colour of these
European pioneers from black to white.
Finally, spectacular new
finds on the edge of Europe suggest that the first known temples may
have been a spark for a huge revolution in our ancestors' way of life -
agriculture.