What We Did Before | Human Survival and Ancient Inventions

OG Podcasts - Pre Modern Life and Human History
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Before modern inventions and conveniences, humans had ingenious ways of solving problems. So how exactly did humans survive before fridges, without clothes or before surnames were invented? Find out the answers to these questions and more, right here. Hosted by Ollie Guillou.

  1. 1 day ago

    Before Social Media: How Cleopatra Turned Herself Into a Living God | Natasha Solomons

    💬 Much of the myth of Cleopatra was crafted by her during her lifetime. An intentional process to shape how the citizens of Egypt - and the world - saw her. But without social media, how did great rulers of the ancient world fashion their own brand? Cleopatra was unusually good at shaping her own image - and the brand she built has endured for over 2,000 years. But who was the woman behind the myth? ⚡ That’s the Cleopatra Natasha Solomons explores in her new book, where she reimagines the life of this ancient queen. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before  🎧 Stay tuned to learn about: ➡ Why Natasha wanted to detangle Cleopatra’s story from the men in her life ➡ How Cleopatra understood sex as power - and leant into the story of politics ➡ Why she chose to make her nose look big on coins ➡ How she dressed as Isis to portray the image of her as a goddess ➡ What Alexandria and its Great Library might have felt like in ancient times ➡ What it takes to fictionalise and reimagine parts of such a famous story Buy Natasha’s book: https://amzn.eu/d/02eG3udG  About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk

    45 min

  2. 1 June

    Before We Were The Last Human Species: When We Lived With Neanderthals

    💬 For a big portion of human history, we shared the planet with other human species. What was that world like to be part of? How often did we interact with prehistoric humans - and would we have recognised the differences between them and us? ⚡ Michael Marshall is a science writer and expert voice on ancient human species. In this episode he paints a picture of this ancient world, where Neanderthals, Hobbits and Denisovans and other early humans walked alongside us. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before  🎧 Stay tuned to learn about: ➡ The many species of the Homo genus that have existed - and those who lived with us ➡ Whether any other hominins attempted to reshape the landscape - and conquer it ➡ What the likes of Homo erectus and Homo naledi got up to in their spare time ➡ Just how similar looking Neanderthals were to modern humans ➡ The LRJ people - a group of Homo sapiens that tried to push into Europe and failed ➡ The types of tools, art and rituals other hominins demonstrated About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk Image Credits: Tim Evanson, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Cicero Moraes (Arc-Team) et alii, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Neanderthal-Museum, Mettmann, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Cicero Moraes, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    50 min

  3. 25 May

    Before Chemicals: 'Bleach Packers' and the Birth of the Chemical Industry

    💬 The birth of the chemical industry - one which has reshaped the course of human history - happened in a small town in England. In the 19th century, Widnes was transformed into a major centre of the chemical industry.  This era saw the rise of the bleach packers - workers who shovelled toxic chemicals to earn a living, wearing bandages to protect themselves from burns and muzzles to avoid passing out. ⚡Catalyst is the UK’s only museum dedicated to the chemical industry. And in this episode Judith Wilde, Heritage Manager at the museum, introduces us to the museum’s extensive archive of historical artefacts. Now, more than 30 years since it was curated, Catalyst is getting a complete makeover - so this is a last chance to see the museum before it changes for good. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before  🎧 Stay tuned to learn about: ➡ The ancient origins of humanity’s obsession with chemicals ➡ Why Widnes was chosen to house these chemical factories ➡ What life would’ve been like in such a heavily polluted industrial town ➡ The bleach packers - and why it was one of the worst jobs of the 19th century ➡ How soap first emerged - to clean floors, not bodies ➡ The rise of anaesthetics and antibiotics Visit Catalyst Museum: https://www.catalyst.org.uk/  About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk

    41 min

  4. 18 May

    Before Brain Science: When We Thought With Our Hearts | Matthew Cobb

    💬 For thousands of years, humans believed the heart controlled the body - your thoughts, your emotions…everything. The brain was just a radiator - something to discard when preparing the dead.  But why did our ancestors think this for so long? Were there no tell-tale signs? It’s only in the last few hundred years that the brain has received the attention it deserves. And even once it did, we believed a lot of strange things about how it works. ⚡In this episode Matthew Cobb, author of The Idea of the Brain, explains why throughout history we believed the heart was the seat of thought and emotion. And he explores the many bizarre and surprising ways we’ve tried to grapple with how our brain actually works. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before  🎧 Stay tuned to learn about: ➡ Why Ancient Egyptians literally threw away the brain during mummification ➡ The clues present in the heart that led ancient people to believe it was in control ➡ How skull size and the nonsense practise of “phrenology” became mainstream ➡ The gruesome story of Phineas Gage - and what he taught us about the brain ➡ Why ancient brain experiments gave us one of the most famous novels ever written ➡ How our modern understanding of the brain as “like a computer” is just as strange Grab Matthew’s book here: https://amzn.eu/d/049Th1r2  About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk Image Credit: SimplisticReps, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsRaffaele pagani, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0  via Wikimedia Commons

    1hr 7min

  5. 11 May

    Before Burial: When Bronze Age Homes Were FULL of Human Bones

    💬 When Barry Molloy’s team started digging up an ancient Bronze Age settlement - they never expected to uncover quite so many human bones. And they weren’t found in one place - they were everywhere. Archaeologists uncovered over 100 fortified Late Bronze Age sites, and their findings tell us something unusual about the way we dealt with the dead throughout history. At this time in history - there really was no single way people would bury their dead. Sometimes bodies would be pulled apart, and a loved one’s bones would be brought into the home. ⚡In this episode we find out why ancient people collected the bones of their dead, what they might have been doing with them and whether these practices helped them deal with the grief of loss better. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before  🎧 Stay tuned to learn about: ➡ How Barry found bones everywhere in a Bronze Age megafort in Europe  ➡ The many ways the dead were treated in history - from inhumation to excarnation ➡ Why some skulls seem to have been placed on pikes around borders to the site ➡ How the bones of family members may have been chewed by pets ➡ Why collecting bones could be about respecting and disrespecting the dead  ➡ How Bronze Age people would collect the bones of ancient heroes Read Barry’s paper here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00934690.2026.2641968#abstract  About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your hosts: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk Image Credits: Interfase, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Jan Kameníček, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    44 min

  6. 4 May

    Britain’s Forgotten Deportees: Families Sent to Nazi Camps

    ⚡ In 1942, during the height of World War 2, Hitler ordered the deportation of more than a thousand islanders from Guernsey. In retaliation against the Allied Forces, innocent men, women and children were forced to leave their island homes - set on a path to Biberach internment camp. 💡 Jill Chubb was just 3 years old when she set sail, but her memories are vivid and clear. And in this special podcast series, her grandson, former BBC Guernsey presenter Ollie Guillou, charts her story - joined by three other deportees and two prominent historians. With special thanks to: Jill Chubb, Chair of the Guernsey Deportees Association Ralph Godwin, Deportee Janet de Santos, Deportee Jill Oliver, Deportee Alan Chubb, Secretary of the Guernsey Deportees Association Dr Gilly Carr, University of Cambridge Matthew Lucas, War Historian About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk Photo by Enrapture Captivating Media on Unsplash David.Monniaux, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-223-0042-13 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons Emdx, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Andrew Milligan sumo, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons User:Staberinde, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-1987-1210-502 / Hoffmann, Heinrich / CC-BY-SA 3.0 Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-218-0504-36 / Dieck / CC-BY-SA 3.0 Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1971-042-08 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 FOTO:FORTEPAN / Konok Tamás id, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2018, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons EC-JRC (ECHO), CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Bob Embleton, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Andrew Milligan sumo, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2018, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-5152-14A / Järisch / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons Stadtbiberach, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Rigmor Dahl Delphin, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Christian Michelides, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    2h 2m

  7. 27 Apr

    Before Neanderthals Went Extinct: We Shaped Our Culture Together

    💬 A new study is rewriting our understanding of Neanderthals and human evolution. It seems ancient Homo sapiens didn't just coexist with them - but they shared ideas, cultures and inventions. ⚡ In this episode we challenge long held beliefs about human origins - exploring what the world was like before we were the last species of human left. A time when Neanderthals and Denisovans lived among us. We highlight one particular finding in Tinshemet Cave in Israel, where shared burial practices, stone tools and signs of symbolic behaviour have been found. Did early humans interact way more than we first realised? Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before  🎧 Stay tuned to learn about: ➡ What our shared Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA tells us ➡ Surprising findings about how we interbred with Neanderthals ➡ How Neanderthals buried their dead ➡ The real reason the Neanderthals died out ➡ New hints that Neanderthals could speak About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your hosts: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Matt Pyle is a lead software developer and tech enthusiast with a keen interest in media, and a love for interesting conversation and learning. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk Image credits: Neanderthal-Museum, Mettmann, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Fährtenleser, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Fu et al. (2025), CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    35 min

  8. 20 Apr

    Before Agriculture: Was It Humanity’s Biggest Mistake?

    💬 Did agriculture make life as a human worse? Many historians widely agree the answer is yes! Despite giving us an abundance of food and an ability to spread globally, there are many reasons it may have been a catastrophe for our species. ⚡ In this episode we explore 6 key arguements that outline exactly why agriculture may have created a world that has made inidividual lives more difficult. From creating vast social and economic inequalities, to increasing the spread of diseases - we examine some of the biggest arguments in favour of this idea. We also highlight a multitude of very important caveats. The question is, were early human hunter-gatherers really better off than we are in the modern age? Or are we just romanticising the past? Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before  🎧 Stay tuned to learn about: ➡ How grain enabled the large-scale hoarding of wealth that led to vast inequality ➡ Why hunter-gatherers may have worked LESS than we do now ➡ How early human mental health (and sleep quality) was probably better ➡ How settled living has allowed diseases to spread more rapidly ➡ What the climate might have looked like without agriculture taking hold About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your hosts: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Matt Pyle is a lead software developer and tech enthusiast with a keen interest in media, and a love for interesting conversation and learning. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou

    58 min
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Before modern inventions and conveniences, humans had ingenious ways of solving problems. So how exactly did humans survive before fridges, without clothes or before surnames were invented? Find out the answers to these questions and more, right here. Hosted by Ollie Guillou.

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