Before Us

Erich Fisher and Helen Farr
  • 4.4 (13)
  • Social Sciences
  • Updated Weekly

Every living person can trace their ancestry back to Africa, where modern humans evolved some 300,000 years ago before expanding out of Africa and around the world. Those early humans lived lives filled with emotions and challenges much like people today and their journeys stand as a testament to human intelligence, ingenuity, creativity, and resilience. But, what does the archaeological record tell us about their lives, their successes, their failures, and who we are today? In this podcast, world-recognized experts in maritime and prehistoric archaeology, Dr. Helen Farr and Dr. Erich Fisher, reveal the people and the world that existed “Before Us.” This season, we take a deep dive into the origins and development of Maritime Adaptations, tracing humanity's journey from the earliest interests in aquatic resources to the global expansion of modern humans via oceans, coastlines, and waterways. As the old saying goes, “smooth seas make boring stories” and this season promises to be an auditory adventure around the world and across millennia as told through captivating interviews with leading scholars in fun and down-to-earth discussions. Tune in weekly for new episodes on your favorite podcast app. 

  1. 2d ago

    Shore is dry around here

    Click here to send us a message! As modern humans spread across the world along coastlines and waterways during the Late Pleistocene, they encountered a remarkable variety of coastal environments, each with its own resources and challenges. In this episode, we explore one of the seemingly least hospitable coastal environments: maritime deserts. We discuss Boodie Cave on Barrow Island, off Australia’s northwest coast, with Tiina Manne from the University of Queensland to discover how people adapted their knowledge to this demanding environment and thrived there for tens of thousands of years. **Please do not forget to rate and review the show!** Have a question or comment?  Email: hello@worldsbeforedesign.com Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BeforeUsMedia/ Or click “Send us a message!” at the top of this page.   Key People Tiina Manne Key Places Boodie Cave Barrow Island Further Reading Ward, Ingrid, et al. "50,000 years of archaeological site stratigraphy and micromorphology in Boodie Cave, Barrow Island, Western Australia." Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 15 (2017): 344-369.  Skippington, Jane, Tiina Manne, and Peter Veth. "Isotopic indications of late Pleistocene and Holocene paleoenvironmental changes at Boodie Cave archaeological site, Barrow Island, Western Australia." Molecules 26.9 (2021): 2582.  Veth, Peter, et al. "Early human occupation of a maritime desert, Barrow Island, North-West Australia." Quaternary Science Reviews 168 (2017): 19-29.  Veth, Peter, Ingrid Ward, and Tiina Manne. "Coastal feasts: a Pleistocene antiquity for resource abundance in the maritime deserts of north west Australia?." The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology 12.1 (2017): 8-23.  Veth, Peter, et al. "The archaeology of Montebello Islands, north-west Australia: late Quaternary foragers on an arid coastline." (2007).  Veth, Peter, Kane Ditchfield, and Fiona Hook. "Maritime deserts of the Australian northwest." Australian Archaeology 79.1 (2014): 156-166.  Before Us is produced by Worlds Before LLC. Erich Fisher writes and produces each episode and handles sound design and editing. Helen Farr co-hosts and contributes with writing and producing. Ian Laurence composed the theme song. The voices of our hosts and guests are real and have not been generated by AI.

  2. Sep 29

    The lore you know

    Click here to send us a message! As modern humans spread across the world at the end of the Pleistocene, they learned to survive in a remarkable range of environments. How did those hunter-gatherers preserve their knowledge and pass it on from one generation to the next? In this episode, Helen and Erich speak with Patrick Nunn to explore the role of oral history, myths, and storytelling in the preservation of knowledge among preliterate societies.  Welcome back to a new season of Before Us!  **Please do not forget to rate and review the show!** Have a question or comment?  Email: hello@worldsbeforedesign.com Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BeforeUsMedia/ Or click “Send us a message!” at the top of this page.   Key People Patrick Nunn Key Places Backstairs Passage Pentecost Island, Vanuatu   Further Reading Nunn, Patrick. Whispers from Celtic seas: the true meanings of ancient stories from Northwest Europe. Reaktion Books, Limited, 2026. Nunn, Patrick D., et al. "Calibrating Holocene human–environment interactions using ancient narratives: The example of Ngurunderi in South Australia." Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology 20.3 (2025): 563-587. Nunn, Patrick. Worlds in shadow: Submerged lands in science, memory and myth. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021. Nunn, Patrick. The edge of memory: ancient stories, oral tradition and the post-glacial world. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018. Walshe, Rory A., and Patrick D. Nunn. "Integration of indigenous knowledge and disaster risk reduction: A case study from Baie Martelli, Pentecost Island, Vanuatu." International Journal of Disaster Risk Science 3.4 (2012): 185-194.   Before Us is produced by Worlds Before LLC. Erich Fisher writes and produces each episode and handles sound design and editing. Helen Farr co-hosts and contributes with writing and producing. Ian Laurence composed the theme song. The voices of our hosts and guests are real and have not been generated by AI.

  3. Season 2, Episode 1 Trailer

    Before Us Season 2 Trailer!

    Click here to send us a message! A new season of Before Us premieres Tuesday, September 29, 2026! Join us as we  as we explore the remarkable human story behind the world we know today.  We are continuing to explore humanity’s enduring relationship with aquatic resources and how coastlines and waterways helped shape our remarkable expansion worldwide. This season, we follow the movement of modern humans through Southeast and East Asia, around the North Pacific Rim, and into North and South America, uncovering the epic story of the Peopling of the Americas.  This season will be bigger and more amazing than ever before. We've lined up leading scientists and communities from around the world to provide the most current insights on archaeology, genetics, linguistics, mythology, dog domestication, skin-boat technology, and so more.  If you enjoy this show then don’t forget to rate and review us! Have a question? Send us an email at hello@worldsbeforedesign.com   Before Us is produced by Worlds Before LLC. Erich Fisher writes and produces each episode and handles sound design and editing. Helen Farr co-hosts and contributes with writing and producing. Ian Laurence composed the theme song. The voices of our hosts and guests are real and have not been generated by AI.

  4. 06/18/2025

    Special Preview of Before Us Kids! Out for a stroll at White Sands

    Click here to send us a message! Imagine taking a walk with Columbian mammoths, giant sloths, lions, sabre-tooth tigers, camels and loads of other animals? Sounds crazy, right! Yet it actually happened 20,000 years ago and in this episode Dr. Erich talk to Noah and Colton about some seriously cool discoveries at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico.  Want to learn more? Check out the Before Us Kids Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/c/BeforeUsKids) where we have bonus episodes that discuss the science behind the stories and other exclusive content such as the 10-part series A Totally Ridiculous, Mostly Serious, Always Awesome Guide to Surviving the Ice Age (but also Zombies and the Weirdness of Life in General). There’s even a place where kids can ask questions. It’s super cool.  Before Us is produced by Worlds Before LLC. Erich Fisher writes and produces each episode and handles sound design and editing. Helen Farr co-hosts and contributes with writing and producing. Ian Laurence composed the theme song. The voices of our hosts and guests are real and have not been generated by AI.

    Special Preview of Before Us Kids! Out for a stroll at White Sands

  5. 06/09/2025

    Special Preview of Before Us Kids! Red-headed Neanderthals?

    Click here to send us a message! In this hair-larious episode, Dr. Erich chats with Jake and Colton all about red hair, genetics, and some super cool things we might’ve gotten from our ancient cousins—the Neanderthals!  Want to learn more? Check out the Before Us Kids Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/c/BeforeUsKids) where we have bonus episodes that discuss the science behind the stories and other exclusive content such as the 10-part series A Totally Ridiculous, Mostly Serious, Always Awesome Guide to Surviving the Ice Age (but also Zombies and the Weirdness of Life in General). There’s even a place where kids can ask questions. It’s super cool.  Before Us is produced by Worlds Before LLC. Erich Fisher writes and produces each episode and handles sound design and editing. Helen Farr co-hosts and contributes with writing and producing. Ian Laurence composed the theme song. The voices of our hosts and guests are real and have not been generated by AI.

    Special Preview of Before Us Kids! Red-headed Neanderthals?

  6. 06/02/2025

    Special Preview of Before Us Kids! Woolly Mice?

    Click here to send us a message! In this episode, Dr. Erich and Colton dive into a wild idea—bringing back the woolly mammoth! How are scientists doing it? Believe it or not…some scientists think it starts with woolly mice!  Yep, you heard that right. WOOLLY MICE! Join us for a super fun and funny chat about some very fluffy science. You won’t want to miss this one!  Want to learn more? Check out the Before Us Kids Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/c/BeforeUsKids) where we have bonus episodes that discuss the science behind the stories and other exclusive content such as the 10-part series A Totally Ridiculous, Mostly Serious, Always Awesome Guide to Surviving the Ice Age (but also Zombies and the Weirdness of Life in General). There’s even a place where kids can ask questions. It’s super cool. Before Us is produced by Worlds Before LLC. Erich Fisher writes and produces each episode and handles sound design and editing. Helen Farr co-hosts and contributes with writing and producing. Ian Laurence composed the theme song. The voices of our hosts and guests are real and have not been generated by AI.

    Special Preview of Before Us Kids! Woolly Mice?

  7. 04/22/2025

    Going with the Flow

    Click here to send us a message! There is unambiguous agreement that early humans had to cross open water when they traveled from Sundaland to Sahul before 40,000 years ago. How were they able to do this and would ocean winds and currents have helped or hindered their voyages? In this episode we talk to Kiki Kuijjer and Bob Marsh, both from the University of Southampton, about flow modeling that potentially reveals how humans may have been able to make their fantastical journeys.  Key People Robert Marsh Kiki Kuijjer Further Reading Kuijjer, E. Kiki, et al. "Changing Tidal Dynamics and the Role of the Marine Environment in the Maritime Migration to Sahul: Special Issue: The Impact of Upper Pleistocene Climatic and Environmental Change on Hominin Occupations and Landscape Use, Part 1." PaleoAnthropology 2022.1 (2022): 134-148.  Before Us is produced by Worlds Before LLC. Erich Fisher writes and produces each episode and handles sound design and editing. Helen Farr co-hosts and contributes with writing and producing. Ian Laurence composed the theme song. The voices of our hosts and guests are real and have not been generated by AI.

  8. 04/15/2025

    Water you waiting for?

    Click here to send us a message! Sea levels rise and fall in response to complex planetary drivers, including shifts in polar ice caps, land masses, and other factors. Understanding these processes is crucial for studying prehistory in deep time, including human migration from Sundaland to Sahul and the movement of people around the globe. In this episode, Justin Dix breaks down what drives sea level change, how scientists reconstruct past sea levels, and how these fluctuations have shaped human history.  Key People Justin Dix Key Places Bonaparte Gulf Key Concepts Gravity Earth Model (aka the lumpy potato) Further Reading Anthony Fogg, Justin Dix, Helen Farr. Late Pleistocene Palaeo Environment Reconstruction from 3D Seismic data, NW Australia.The ACROSS project - Australasian Research: Origins of Seafaring to Sahul.  Authorea. January 06, 2020.  Before Us is produced by Worlds Before LLC. Erich Fisher writes and produces each episode and handles sound design and editing. Helen Farr co-hosts and contributes with writing and producing. Ian Laurence composed the theme song. The voices of our hosts and guests are real and have not been generated by AI.

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4.4
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Every living person can trace their ancestry back to Africa, where modern humans evolved some 300,000 years ago before expanding out of Africa and around the world. Those early humans lived lives filled with emotions and challenges much like people today and their journeys stand as a testament to human intelligence, ingenuity, creativity, and resilience. But, what does the archaeological record tell us about their lives, their successes, their failures, and who we are today? In this podcast, world-recognized experts in maritime and prehistoric archaeology, Dr. Helen Farr and Dr. Erich Fisher, reveal the people and the world that existed “Before Us.” This season, we take a deep dive into the origins and development of Maritime Adaptations, tracing humanity's journey from the earliest interests in aquatic resources to the global expansion of modern humans via oceans, coastlines, and waterways. As the old saying goes, “smooth seas make boring stories” and this season promises to be an auditory adventure around the world and across millennia as told through captivating interviews with leading scholars in fun and down-to-earth discussions. Tune in weekly for new episodes on your favorite podcast app. 

Information

  • Creator
    Erich Fisher and Helen Farr
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Before Us
  • Show Website
    Before Us

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