meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The Ancients

Jersey: Ice Age Island

The Ancients

History Hit

History

4.74.5K Ratings

🗓️ 16 July 2023

⏱️ 49 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The largest of the Channel Islands, when you think of Jersey, it's doubtful that Neanderthals, Woolly Mammoths, and Woolly Rhinoceroses come to mind. But thanks to 20th-century excavations and advancing science in the modern age, we now know that Jersey was one of the largest sites of Neanderthal occupation in Northwestern Europe. With over 200,000 stone tools discovered and skeletal evidence of both Neanderthals and Mega Fauna, it was an island where many coexisted. But how were these incredible items found, and how did Nazi Occupation nearly prevent these brilliant discoveries?


In this episode, Tristan welcomes Dr. Matt Pope, the leader of excavations at the Neanderthal site of La Cotte de St Brelade in Jersey, to talk about his team's work and excavations. Looking at how sea levels changed over time, the discovery of Bone Heaps, and Neanderthal migrations, what was Jersey like in the Ice Age, and what remnants of the past can we still see on the island's surface today?


Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code ANCIENTS. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up here.


You can take part in our listener survey here.


For more Ancient's content, subscribe to our Ancient's newsletter here.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Welcome to the Ancients from History Hit.

0:02.7

To listen to all of our episodes Add Free,

0:05.1

and watch hundreds of history documentaries

0:07.6

download the History Hit app.

0:10.0

We'll go to historyhits.com forward slash subscribe.

0:14.0

And if you're an Apple listener,

0:15.6

you can subscribe for new Add Free episodes within the app.

0:30.5

It's the entrance on History Hit.

0:35.0

I'm Tristan Hughes, your host,

0:37.2

and in today's episode where we're talking about an island

0:40.2

that is revealing so much information about Neanderthals

0:45.2

in northwest Europe hundreds of thousands of years ago.

0:49.2

I'm talking about Jersey.

0:52.3

Because in Jersey, archaeologists to this day

0:56.2

are conducting excavations at various sites

0:59.2

and uncovering more really exciting archaeology

1:03.6

that is highlighting a big Neanderthal presence here

1:07.2

more than 100,000 years ago.

1:09.8

And indeed over many different generations,

1:13.6

sites were used and then reused for different purposes

1:18.3

and the archaeology is showing that.

1:21.3

To explain all about Jersey's amazing ice age archaeology,

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from History Hit, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of History Hit and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.