Who Were the First Humans on British Shores? | The Story of 'Cheddar Man'

Dan is joined by author, broadcaster and historian Professor Alice Roberts to examine how Christianity out-organised and outlasted the Roman Empire. Around 50 CE, a small group of travellers began to preach that a Jewish man, crucified by the Romans, had risen from the dead. Teaching love, forgiveness and eternal life, this new faith quickly gained followers. By the early fourth century, it was thriving, and over the next hundred years, it exploded, spreading across the entire Roman Empire before becoming its official religion. What enabled it to take such a strong hold so quickly and so steadfastly? Produced by James Hickmann and Mariana Des Forges, and edited by Matthew Wilson and Dougal Patmore. You can now become a History Hit member right here on the original video platform! Join for access to a new exclusive documentary every week, and access to over 160+ of our documentaries presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Eleanor Janega, Tristan Hughes, Mary Beard, Matt Lewis and more.

Dan Snow interviews Chris Stringer about human evolution, neanderthals, new science and migration patterns. Humans are everywhere. How did we get from the savannahs of Africa across to the most northern reaches of Alaska and Greenland, to the outbacks of Australia and the islands of the Pacific millennia ago? How did we master fire, figure out how to craft tools and survive the Ice Ages? In this episode, Dan is joined by Professor Chris Stringer, Research Leader in Human Evolution at London's Natural History Museum, to talk about how Homo Sapiens managed to outlive other human cousins like Neanderthals and Denisovans, cross oceans, shape landscapes and one day, build cities and space shuttles. You can now become a History Hit member right here on the original video platform! Join for access to a new exclusive documentary every week, and access to over 160+ of our documentaries presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Eleanor Janega, Tristan Hughes, Mary Beard, Matt Lewis and more.

Historian Dan Snow answers the most asked questions about the Napoleonic Wars. Did Napoleon start the wars? How many Napoleonic Wars were there? How passionate is Dan about this history? Watch to find out. You can now become a History Hit member right here on the original video platform! Join for access to a new exclusive documentary every week, and access to over 160+ of our documentaries presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Eleanor Janega, Tristan Hughes, Mary Beard, Matt Lewis and more.

Top Medieval Historian Rates Vikings in Movies' First, Cat reviews Chris Hemsworth's portrayal of Thor and the depiction of Asgard, home of the Norse gods, in the 2011 Marvel movie 'Thor'. She then takes a look at a classic Hollywood film from 1958, 'The Vikings', starring Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis, which recreates the death of the legendary Viking Ragnar Lothbrok. Next up, it's 'The 13th Warrior' starring Antonio Banderas and Vladimir Kulich, which shows the interaction between the Viking and Islamic worlds, as well as featuring a Viking prayer which closely resembles the one described by the Muslim traveller Ahmad ibn Fadlan. Then she rates a brief scene from the 2009 film 'Valhalla Rising', which recreates a meeting between the Viking One-Eye and North American tribesmen. The animated movie 'How to Train Your Dragon' is next, which leans into popular tropes about the Viking world - including horned helmets - but does hint at the important societal role played by Viking women. Finally, it's the 2022 Viking blockbuster 'The Northman' starring Alexander Skarsgård. Although the film is rated highly

In 1812, Mary Anning unearthed the remains of an unknown creature on a Dorset beach. Buried within the rock was the backbone of 60 vertebrae, a long tail, and a 4-foot skull with sharp teeth. It was the first complete prehistoric skeleton ever found in Britain. Anning's find would soon unlock a story that defied imagination. Her discovery of dinosaurs deeply shocked a society that believed the earth was created in 7 days.

From the earliest hill forts, through King Alfred’s burghs, the Conqueror’s castles, pleasure palaces, romantic ruins, to tourist attractions, the history of the castle in Britain is long, bloody and fascinating. Join medieval historian Matt Lewis as he takes you on a journey through the evolution of the castle from basic wooden fort to elaborate stone fortress. Where was the first castle in Britain? What are the key components of a castle? What were the rules of castle warfare? Matt has the answer to all these questions and more. Castles now dot the landscape of the UK that they used to dominate, but how many have you visited?