The History of the World Podcast, written and presented by Chris Hasler

Volume 4 The Medieval World

Episode 16, The Battle of Tour. Oh, you know. Oh, Our episode this week takes us to the lands in the centre of the modern

country of France during the 8th century. France is often thought of as the lands where the Romans led by Julius

Caesar subjugated the Gauls. But we can suppose that these lands were occupied by humankind for many thousands of years before

this happened, as can be evidenced by bones attributed to Neanderthals and Crow Man

who may well have lived alongside each other in these areas

around 40,000 years ago.

Following the last glacial maximum, the lands of France regained their fertility and welcomed human migration northwards from the lands around the Pyrenees Mountains.

We grade the historical periods of the lands of France by the excavated

pottery found in and around the lands, but we can also see evidence of prehistoric activity with the megalithic construction of the Carnac stones,

which is further north and much more modern than the Lasko cave paintings which date back to the last glacial maximum.

From there the French lands experienced the typical and conventional progression to modern urban lifestyles such as the emergence of agriculture

followed by the progression through the introduction of copper, bronze and iron in turn.

Such cultures as the Belbaker culture are believed to have migrated into French lands. After this time the Earnfield culture emerged in Central Europe. We don't really know how much the

Earnfield culture directly influenced the lands of Central France but it is more likely

that the following Halstadt culture did.

These two cultures are often cited as potentially ancestral to the Celtic culture

which the Romans encountered and referred to as Gauls.

The area of France where today's battle took place

would have been in close proximity to the Loire River system which meant that it would very likely

have been a place influenced by the Atlantic Bronze Age Trade Exchange which enabled the

...