Dr. Suzanne Birch Hosts a New 20- Episode Lecture Series

Dr. Suzanne Birch, Professor of Geography and

Anthropology at UGA is the narrator and primary host for

the new streaming series "Early Humans, Ice Stone and

Survival." After more than a year in the making, the 20-

episode lecture series debuted in April on the streaming

service, Wonderium.

“The lectures span from our earliest origins in Africa to the emergence of agriculture,

examines the role of climate and environmental change in driving these transitions, and how

archaeological science is transforming this knowledge,” Birch said. The series also

examines the initial peopling of Australia (ep 7) and North America (ep 15), the origins of

music, language, art, and technology, and the origins of agriculture (the last four episodes).

“It's a very well-rounded exploration both in terms of temporal and spatial scope,” Birch

said.

“We know people are interested in this topic. Yet, for some reason, pseudoarchaeology

and conspiracy theories have dominated the narrative for the past several years,” she said,

noting the shift in the History channel programming and one of its most popular shows,

‘Ancient Aliens’, as well as the Netflix show ‘Ancient Apocalypse’.

“Not only are these theories wrong, they are also dangerous in that many of them are

rooted in colonial and racist, white supremacist ideologies. We need more programming

that shares all the wonder and excitement of our ancient past without the need for false

embellishment. It's interesting enough in its own right, and what makes it even more exciting

is all that we can learn from the science,” Birch said.

The series “Early Humans: Ice, Stone, and Survival" is now streaming at Wondrium and also

available as an audiobook through Audible. Learn more about Dr. Birch's research here!