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Ancestors
- A Prehistory of Britain in Seven Burials
- Narrated by: Alice Roberts
- Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins
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Publisher's summary
An extraordinary exploration of the ancestry of Britain through seven burial sites. By using new advances in genetics and taking us through important archaeological discoveries, Professor Alice Roberts helps us better understand life today.
We often think of Britain springing from nowhere with the arrival of the Romans. But in Ancestors, pre-eminent archaeologist, broadcaster and academic Professor Alice Roberts explores what we can learn about the very earliest Britons, from burial sites and by using new technology to analyse ancient DNA.
Told through seven fascinating burial sites, this groundbreaking prehistory of Britain teaches us more about ourselves and our history: how people came and went and how we came to be on this island. It explores forgotten journeys and memories of migrations long ago, written into genes and preserved in the ground for thousands of years.
This is a book about belonging: about walking in ancient places, in the footsteps of the ancestors. It explores our interconnected global ancestry, and the human experience that binds us all together. It’s about reaching back in time, to find ourselves and our place in the world.
Critic reviews
"This is a terrific, timely and transporting book - taking us heart, body and mind beyond history, to the fascinating truth of the prehistoric past and the present." (Bettany Hughes)
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In her previous two bestsellers, Professor Alice Roberts has powerfully and evocatively revived people of the past through examining their burial rites, bringing a fresh perspective on how they lived. In Crypt, Professor Roberts tells the story of modern Britain from 1066 to the present day - by exploring changing methods of honouring the dead.
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Wonderfully detailed
- By NandMsMom on 03-21-24
By: Alice Roberts
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Homo Sapiens Rediscovered
- The Scientific Revolution Rewriting Our Origins
- By: Paul Pettitt
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Who are we? How do scientists define Homo sapiens, and how does our species differ from the extinct hominins that came before us? In this accessible account palaeoarchaeologist Paul Pettitt shows how the latest scientific advances, especially in genetics, are revolutionizing our understanding of human evolution. Pettitt reveals the extraordinary story of how our ancestors adapted to unforgiving and relentlessly changing climates, leading to remarkable innovations in art, technology, and society that we are only now beginning to comprehend.
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A Good Overview
- By Brandon on 02-08-23
By: Paul Pettitt
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Ancient Bones
- Unearthing the Astonishing New Story of How We Became Human
- By: Madelaine Böhme
- Narrated by: Aimée Ayotte
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Africa has long been considered the cradle of life - where life and humans evolved - but somewhere west of Munich, Germany, paleoclimatologist and paleontologist Madelaine Böhme and her team make a discovery that is beyond anything they ever imagined: the 12-million-year-old bones of an ancient ape - Danuvius guggenmos - which makes headlines around the world and defies prevailing theories of human history and where human life began.
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Brave Attempt
- By Bill Treat on 10-15-22
By: Madelaine Böhme
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The World Before Us
- The New Science Behind Our Human Origins
- By: Tom Higham
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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A fascinating investigation of the origin of humans based on incredible new discoveries and advanced scientific technology.
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Wonderfully Accessible
- By Deborah N on 11-02-21
By: Tom Higham
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A Short History of Humanity
- A New History of Old Europe
- By: Johannes Krause, Thomas Trappe, Caroline Waight - translator
- Narrated by: Stephen Graybill
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Johannes Krause is the director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and a brilliant pioneer in the field of archaeogenetics - archaeology augmented by DNA sequencing technology - which has allowed scientists to reconstruct human history reaching back hundreds of thousands of years before recorded time. In this surprising account, Krause and journalist Thomas Trappe rewrite a fascinating chapter of this history, the peopling of Europe, that takes us from the Neanderthals and Denisovans to the present.
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Not a short history of humanity
- By Brent on 05-02-21
By: Johannes Krause, and others
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Ancestral Journeys
- The Peopling of Europe from the First Venturers to the Vikings (Revised and Updated Edition)
- By: Jean Manco
- Narrated by: Corrie James
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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This paradigm-shifting book paints a spirited portrait of a restless people that challenges our established ways of looking at Europe's past. The story is more complex than at first believed, with new evidence suggesting that the European gene pool was stirred vigorously multiple times. Genetic clues are also enhancing our understanding of European mobility in epochs with written records, including the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons, the spread of the Slavs, and the adventures of the Vikings.
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Needs pictures.
- By Ray on 11-21-20
By: Jean Manco
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Denisovan Origins
- Hybrid Humans, Göbekli Tepe, and the Genesis of the Giants of Ancient America
- By: Andrew Collins, Gregory L. Little
- Narrated by: Micah Hanks
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
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Tracing the migrations of the Denisovans and their interbreeding with Neanderthals and early human populations in Asia, Europe, Australia, and the Americas, Andrew Collins and Greg Little explore how the new mental capabilities of the Denisovan-Neanderthal and Denisovan-human hybrids greatly accelerated the flowering of human civilization over 40,000 years ago. They show how the Denisovans displayed sophisticated advances, including precision-machined stone tools and jewelry, tailored clothing, celestially-aligned architecture, and horse domestication.
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There are better sources to get real information
- By cfeagans on 09-06-19
By: Andrew Collins, and others
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The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being
- Evolution and the Making of Us
- By: Dr Alice Roberts
- Narrated by: Dr Alice Roberts
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Alice Roberts uses the latest research to uncover the evolutionary history hidden in all of us, from the secrets found only in our embryos and genes - including why as embryos we have what look like gills - to those visible in your anatomy. This is a tale of discovery, exploring why and how we have developed as we have. This is your story, told as never before.
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Enjoyable listening
- By CAMarathonRunner on 04-20-24
By: Dr Alice Roberts
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In Search of the Dark Ages
- By: Michael Wood
- Narrated by: Marston York
- Length: 14 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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In Search of the Dark Ages is an unrivalled exploration of the origins of English identity, and the best-selling book that established Michael Wood as one of Britain's leading historians. Now, on the book's 40th anniversary, this fully revised and expanded edition illuminates further the fascinating and mysterious centuries between the Romans and the Norman Conquest.
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Brilliant!
- By Dee Goulet on 08-31-22
By: Michael Wood
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The Clovis Culture
- The History and Legacy of the Prehistoric Paleoamericans
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Steve Knupp
- Length: 1 hr and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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In popular media and culture, the Paleolithic era is often depicted as a time when humans were completely savage, spoke with little more than grunts, hit women over their heads with clubs and kidnapped them, and of course, everyone lived in caves. The reality is that the Paleolithic era was a time of great change when humans coalesced into groups and developed different technologies that helped them survive and ultimately thrive in harsh environments.
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Prehistory
- Making of the Human Mind
- By: Colin Renfrew
- Narrated by: Robert Ian MacKenzie
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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A giant of archaeology, Colin Renfrew has immeasurably improved our understanding of human history. In this passionately argued work, he offers a concise summary of prehistory - human existence that predates the development of written records - while challenging the very definition of prehistory itself.
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not for the intellectually challenged
- By Anthony on 07-14-10
By: Colin Renfrew
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Fossil Men
- The Quest for the Oldest Skeleton and the Origins of Humankind
- By: Kermit Pattison
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 15 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1994, a team led by fossil-hunting legend Tim White—"the Steve Jobs of paleoanthropology"—uncovered the bones of a human ancestor in Ethiopia's Afar region. The findings challenged many assumptions about human evolution and repudiated a half-century of paleoanthropological orthodoxy. An intriguing tale of scientific discovery, obsession and rivalry that moves from the sun-baked desert of Africa to modern high-tech labs and academic lecture halls, Fossil Men is popular science at its best, and a must-listen for fans of Jared Diamond, Richard Dawkins, and Edward O. Wilson.
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Oh narrator
- By Paul on 01-21-21
By: Kermit Pattison
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Wolf Road
- By: Alice Roberts
- Narrated by: Sofia Engstrand
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Tuuli is a prehistoric girl, travelling with her tribe through the seasons – making camp, hunting for food and protecting themselves against the many hazards that the climate throws at them. Tuuli knows there’s a bigger world out there, and when she spots a strange boy lurking outside their camp, she realises that he might hold the adventure she is looking for. He is a Neanderthal, sent by his tribe to find safer ground and as he and Tuuli strike up an unlikely friendship, they set out on a journey that will impact the rest of human history.
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Awesome read… when is the next one?
- By Xander on 09-06-23
By: Alice Roberts
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The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere
- By: Paulette F. C. Steeves
- Narrated by: Kristin Aikin Salada
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere is a reclaimed history of the deep past of Indigenous people in North and South America during the Paleolithic. Paulette F. C. Steeves mines evidence from archaeology sites and Paleolithic environments, landscapes, and mammalian and human migrations to make the case that people have been in the Western Hemisphere not only just prior to Clovis sites (10,200 years ago) but for more than 60,000 years, and likely more than 100,000 years.
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Impeccable, but poorly rated by racists.
- By Kate sierras on 07-07-23
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Winters in the World
- A Journey Through the Anglo-Saxon Year
- By: Eleanor Parker
- Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Winters in the World is a beautifully observed journey through the cycle of the year in Anglo-Saxon England, exploring the festivals, customs, and traditions linked to the different seasons. Drawing on a wide variety of source material, including poetry, histories, and religious literature, Eleanor Parker investigates how Anglo-Saxons felt about the annual passing of the seasons and the profound relationship they saw between human life and the rhythms of nature.
By: Eleanor Parker
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Origin
- A Genetic History of the Americas
- By: Jennifer Raff
- Narrated by: Tanis Parenteau, Jennifer Raff - Interview, Yvonne Russo - Interview
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Origin is the story of who the first peoples in the Americas were, how and why they made the crossing, how they dispersed south, and how they lived based on a new and powerful kind of evidence: their complete genomes. Origin provides an overview of these new histories throughout North and South America, and a glimpse into how the tools of genetics reveal details about human history and evolution.
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A Superb Account Of The Science Of Indigenous American Anthropology
- By Linda S. on 02-21-22
By: Jennifer Raff
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By Steppe, Desert, and Ocean
- The Birth of Eurasia
- By: Barry Cunliffe
- Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
- Length: 18 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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By Steppe, Desert, and Ocean is nothing less than the story of how humans first started building the globalized world we know today. Set on a huge continental stage, from Europe to China, it is a tale covering more than 10,000 years, from the origins of farming around 9000 BC to the expansion of the Mongols in the 13th century AD.
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Remarkable research!
- By B. Dillon on 07-21-22
By: Barry Cunliffe
What listeners say about Ancestors
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Katie T
- 08-22-23
Gender lecture
Enjoyed the journey throughout the book. Did not enjoy a political lecture in end about five or more genders because of a mirror. Buried my grande his wife’s jewley because it was a gift. Don’t infer gender by grave goods. Contradictory. Enjoyable voice.
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- Hebe,
- 05-07-22
Great losten
Really enjoyed this audible book. Well paced and interesting. Alice Roberts has a easy to follow voice. Recommend.
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- James
- 06-26-21
Current narrative
The coverage of up to date knowledge of ancient Britain in regard to archeological and DNA evidence is fascinating. The author however cannot help but intersperse this with long digressions of some feminist, gender and historical perspectives that can currently be found being pushed on many humanities faculties. Finding a mirror in a probable male grave somehow leads to a lecture on current leftist gender views and the statement that there may be five or more genders? Another example is the description of how there was an almost complete replacement of people’s in Britain with the new peoples exhibiting identifiably different DNA, physiology and culture. That all leads into a lecture on racism and how anyone not agreeing is a racist. Yet one definition of race is “A race is a grouping of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into categories generally viewed as distinct by society.”
Confusing, it’s almost as if she if arguing against herself or was it necessary to make such statements to get published?
Other than that it’s an interesting listen.
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10 people found this helpful
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- K Weil
- 06-20-23
Not just scientific but engaging and personal, as well
I loved the conversational tone of the writer/reader. It made me feel as if I were walking beside her and looking into the past along with her. I appreciated her frank discussion about the pitfalls of allowing preconceived ideas to influence our interpretation of the remnants of history.
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- Margalarg
- 07-29-21
Excellent up-to-date perspectives on archaeology
Alice Roberts combines the personal with the professional in her engaging history not just of seven burials, but, also of the changing nature of archeology due both to technical advances and philosophical changes in the way we construe concepts such as "culture," "gender," and "community." Her descriptions of the burials themselves, in chronological order, provide a marvelous sense of the form and contents of the burials, the similarities as well as key differences between them. Roberts often steps back from the description to discuss how these objects and places have been considered by those who discovered or studied them in the past, as well as how she and other scholars think about them today. Through this we get a veritable history of archaeological approaches that is quite thought-provoking in terms of how each era or area constructs notions of community, ritual, status, gender and power, among others. Roberts draws on many scholars, past and present, to illuminate differing theories and ways of considering artifacts and how they produce meaning for those who encounter them and interpret them to the wider public. In the process, she encourages her readers to understand not only how access to objective facts about grave goods have become more available through DNA, radio-carbon dating and other techniques,--often challenging long-held theories-- but also how scholars' subjective assumptions and biases contribute to beliefs about such concepts as cultural identity, human nature, community and progress. Roberts' accessible language, explanations and examples invite all readers to consider how knowledge of the human past is created.
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5 people found this helpful
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- A. Griffin
- 01-18-22
More past less present
This was not as advertised. Mostly speculation . I did enjoy the listen , it was mostly what earlier people did and thought and how they got it wrong or right.
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- Anonymous User
- 03-27-22
Brilliant in all aspects until we hit chapter 12
Brilliant in all aspects until we hit chapter 12 And then the gender identity discussions began.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Britt Clopton
- 03-16-22
Misleading title, doesn't focus on the ancestors.
Was more about the boring, small minded, religious, men making foolish assumptions about archeological discoveries than about the ancient ancestors themselves. I listened for a few hours about their foolhardy leaps in logic and religion-bound prejudices before I just became too frustrated to keep listening. Why did we spend so much time with their stories, instead of learning about the actual ancestors?
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1 person found this helpful
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- amy sue
- 12-01-23
Highly recommend
Alice Roberts is an excellent narrator and public historian. The book is well-written, engaging and the subject matter is very thought-provoking.
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- Leslie RP
- 03-17-24
Enjoyable and informative
I liked the pacing and information. I appreciate the information on how things are tested and information on related finds, I recommend this book,
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