Ancestors: the prehistory of Britain in seven burials

Who were the first people to live in what is now called England? When did they come? Where did they come from? We will probably never know the answers to these questions but archaeology and anthropology can help uncover some information about the past.

Professor Alice Roberts, who first came to our attention in the early days of Time Team, uses the case studies of seven ancient burials dating back thousands of years that have been discovered in England. Many of these discoveries were made hundreds of years ago but re-examining the bones, rereading the accounts of the discoveries and using new scientific methods to analyse the bones can provide new information.

Alice Roberts discusses the story of the discovery of seven ancient burials and what they can tell us. By doing so she provides an insight into the world of archaeologists and anthropologists working in this field. She also discusses changes in burial practices through the centuries.