Long before the arrival of Homo Sapiens or even Neanderthals, other humans populated Europe during intense ice ages half a million years ago. Three exceptional sites bear witness to their passage.
Located at the foot of the Pyrenees mountain range and excavated for over 60 years, the Tautavel cave has yielded unprecedented discoveries: countless animal fossils, bifacial tools and 152 human remains - including a 450-000-year-old skull - belonging to a little-known species: Homo heidelbergensis. More recently, Atapuerca - a UNESCO World Heritage site in Spain – overtook Tautavel as the oldest humans in Europe. Meanwhile, the lakeside site of Schöningen (Germany) assured the exceptional preservation of organic materials, including wooden artefacts, bear bones and human footprints.
How did these humans survive a hostile environment and extreme climatic conditions? How did they behave? What techniques did they develop? With the discovery of new deposits, revelations emerge, gradually sketching the portrait of Europe’s first inhabitants.
Using the latest scientific advances and cutting-edge technologies, this film changes the way we look at our distant ancestors, whose cognitive abilities never cease to amaze us.
Direction: Emma Baus
Production: Tangerine Productions, Minimum Moderne & ViàOccitanie for France Télévisions & Ushuaïa TV