A selection of radio programs which deal largely with archaeology, but also stray into history, palaeontology and natural history. More will be added in the near future, and if I've missed out a favourite, please get in touch.

Click on the title link or the 'real' icon to go to the programme page, or use the direct links at the bottom of each programme panel. But before you do that, you ought to know that...

...You don't need to install Realplayer to listen to these archives. Fed up with the stunning liberties Realplayer takes with their system settings, a group of coders decided to produce an alternative, called, oddly enough, Realalternative. You can download it here There is a review here, but please feel free to search for your own.

Stone Age Sounds (stream)

Sounds of the Stone Age (stream)

A pair of rare but similar programmes here. Both feature the same archaeologists performing much the same acoustic experiments. Fortunately the two documentaries compliment, rather than duplicate each other. 'Sounds of the Stone Age' is an early episode from Aubrey Manning's 'Unearthing Mysteries' series, and 'Stone Age Sounds' appears to be a one-off for Radio 4's Today programme.

Unfortunately the BBC servers no longer host these programmes, so they are streamed from this site. Click the links above for a stream, or click the following links to download the programmes to your hard drive.

Sounds of the Stone Age (download)

Stone Age Sounds (download).

Please note that these programmes remain © the BBC

Origins Revisited

"In the year 2000, zoologist Aubrey Manning presented a series of three programmes on human evolution for Radio 4. In the last seven years, palaeoanthropologists and archaeologists have made a host of stunning discoveries, many of which have defied expectations and overturned cherished theories.
The three programmes of Origins Revisited bring listeners up to date on the latest fossil finds and new ideas about human evolution."
Text from the BBC listen again page.

Programme 1

Programme 2

Programme 3

Mapping the Town (2006)

"The programme that uncovers the history of a town through the geographical clues found in its streets. With the help of local experts, archaeologist Julian Richards picks over the bones of each town in order to discover its origins and the course of its development over the years. This is an original way of exploring the history of a town which offers new and often surprising insight and brings to life the unique character of each place."
Text from the BBC listen again page.

Programme 01 - Blaenavon

Programme 02 - Stratford upon Avon

Programme 03 - Stirling

Programme 04 - Bournemouth

Programme 05 - Chipping Camden

Programme 06 - Whitby

Unearthing Mysteries

This Aubrey Manning programme has been runnning a few years now, but unfortunately the listen again archives are in a bit of disarray. I've re-organised them here into the broadcast year. The files below will stream directly from the BBC site. The PP links take you to the programme page - follow the links for more information about each programme.

The programmes from 2000 and 2001 seem to be missing apart from a stray find of Sounds of the Stone Age available at the top of the page.