Before We Ruled the Earth: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

1.7 million years ago in Africa, Homo ergaster, an ancient predecessor of modern humans, had to dig to survive. They lived in the elements among the monsters of the era, such as saber-toothed cat. Over time, early humans evolved and developed simple tools, began to communicate, and learned to control their most important tool: fire. However, the monsters were still there. 300,000 years ago, Homo erectus learned to hunt the giant Irish elk, the use of fire to drive these great beasts through a narrow gorge and over a cliff. While the best hunting skills, proximity is still a need to kill a huge beast. 40,000 years ago, Neanderthals were on top of their form, hunting of animals like the giant steppe bison. The Neanderthals were usurped by an entirely new race of humans, the Cro-Magnon. They adapted and survived when the Neanderthals could not.

Series details

• Title: Before We Ruled the Earth
• Format: Documentary
• Language: English
• Premiere date: 2003-02-09
• Final broadcast date listed: 2003-02-16
• Status in TVmaze: Ended
• Network listed by TVmaze: Discovery
• Network country: United States
• Typical episode runtime: 60 minutes
• TVMaze ID: 24639
• TVDB ID: 82239

Cast and credited roles

• Linda Hunt — Narrator

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 2003-02-09; final listed air date 2003-02-16.

Source and licence

Adapted from Before We Ruled the Earth on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.