Main content

What Lies Beneath; Neanderthal Cave Art to Fatbergs

Shahidha Bari digs deep into the cave of human history to explore how what lies beneath has had fascinating effects on the development of human cognition and still does.

The archaeologist Francis Pryor tells Shahidha Bari about a lifetime of building vistas of our history and prehistory through the evidence of pottery shards, holes in the mud and broken bones and palaeo-archaeologist Paul Pettitt who co-discovered Britain's first cave art explains why darkness informed a critical component in the development of the human brain and archaeologist Ruth Whitehouse reflects on the use of caves for ritual. They are joined by Sharon Robinson-Calver who has been tasked with the on-going conservation of a piece of London's fatberg and poet Sean Borodale whose latest collection arises from field studies in grave yards, caves and mines. Together they discuss why the past draws them back and how that past signposts itself.

Francis Pryor 'Paths to the Past' is out on March 1st 2018
Paul Pettitt, Professor of Archaeology, University of Durham and Member of the Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution Research (BEER) Centre
Ruth Whitehouse, Emeritus Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology, University College London
Sean Borodale 'Asylum' is out on March 1st 2018
Sharon Robinson-Calver, Head of Conservation and Collection Care at Museum of London: Fatberg! on show until July

Image: Odin Mine, Castleton, Derbyshire - an old disused lead mine in the Peak District National Park. Credit: R A Kearton.

Available now

45 minutes

Last on

Wed 28 Feb 2018 22:00

Broadcast

  • Wed 28 Feb 2018 22:00

Featured in...

The Arts & Ideas Podcast

The Arts & Ideas Podcast

You can download all the past episodes of Radio 3's Free Thinking

Discussions and talks from the Free Thinking Festival 2019

Discussions and talks from the Free Thinking Festival 2019

Angry politics, what we can鈥檛 say, being diplomatic, weeping, emotion in music, film & TV

Click to listen to discussions, talks and music as the Free Thinking Festival 2019 Gets Emotional

Click to listen to discussions, talks and music as the Free Thinking Festival 2019 Gets Emotional

Angry politics, what we can鈥檛 say, being diplomatic, weeping, emotion in music, film & TV

CLICK to LISTEN & SEE programmes from the Free Thinking Festival 2018: The One & the Many

CLICK to LISTEN & SEE programmes from the Free Thinking Festival 2018: The One & the Many

We examine the fast-changing relationship between the individual & the crowd

CLICK to LISTEN & SEE all programmes, images, clips & features from 2017's festival

Free Thinking Festival 2017: The Speed of Life