Screens of the Stone Age

Josh Lindal, Dr. Kimberly Plomp, and Dr. Ross Barnett
  • 5.0 (9)
  • Film Reviews
  • Updated Biweekly

The podcast where scientists review movies about prehistoric people! From The Flintstones to The Croods, from Iceman to Encino Man, from Year One to One Million Years BC, we dig into popular movies about the ancient past and sift the facts from the fiction. Hosts with expertise in archaeology, paleoanthropology, human evolution, paleontology, and paleogenetics take you behind the scenes to learn the truth about cave people like Neanderthals and Cro Magnons, and Pleistocene Megafauna like woolly mammoths and sabretooth cats. Plus, history movies, science fiction, pseudoarchaeology, and dinosaurs!

  1. 1d ago

    Stig of the Dump (181)

    Stig of the Dump is a 1963 children’s novel by Clive King which spawned at least two TV adaptations; today we’re reviewing the first, from 1981. It’s a very gentle, very British show in which a neglected child befriends a caveman in a garbage dump and everyone else gaslights him for 10 episodes. Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop In this episode: Watch Stig of the Dump (1981) on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzpHCBSQN-A&list=PLohd5UVV10lz2NuSBh2YuPyjoxewQNi8p Listen to the audiobook of Stig of the Dump on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GweIzXKvc3Y Sherbet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherbet_(frozen_dessert) Conkers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conkers Larder: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larder Prize-Giving Day: https://www.gauthmath.com/knowledge/What-is-a-Prize-Giving-Day--7389728173675511819 Star Carr: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Carr The Tucson Garbage Project: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tucson_Garbage_Project Wierer et al. (2018) The Iceman’s lithic toolkit: Raw material, technology, typology and use: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0198292 Our episode on Iceman (2017): https://screensofthestoneage.com/podcast/episode-4-iceman-2017/ Harris. (2018) Roll Me a Great Stone: A Brief Historiography of Megalithic Construction and the Genesis of the Roller Hypothesis: https://doi.org/10.1111/ojoa.12142 Kits Coty: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kit%27s_Coty_House Dolmen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolmen

  2. Aug 30

    The Bison's Legs (2024) with Maarten Peels

    Today we’re joined by filmmaker Maarten Peels to talk about his 2024 short film De Poten van de Bizon (The Bison’s Legs), the story of two friends who go on a dream quest to make a cave painting. Maarten did extensive research in order to avoid the clichéd caveman tropes and make something we’ve never seen before: a plausible and scientifically accurate portrayal of Palaeolithic life. We are absolutely in love with this film, and highly recommend that you pause the episode and go watch it right now! Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop In this episode: Watch The Bison’s Legs on Maarten’s Website: https://www.potenvandebizon.nl/ Follow Maarten on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/depotenvandebizon/ Hear more from Maarten on the EXARC Podcast: https://www.exarc.org/exarc-podcast/filming-prehistory-getting-it-right Experimental archaeologist Diederik Pomstra: https://www.puttinglife.com/blog/the-essential-knowledge-of-a-craftsperson/ Marc Azéma: Animation in Palaeolithic art: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003598X00062785 Chauvet bison painting: https://archeologie.culture.gouv.fr/chauvet/en/mediatheque?page=%2C1 Palaeolithic Thaumatrope: https://archive.org/details/eight-legged-boar-animation/An%20ancient%20spinning%20disk%20%28reconstruction%20shown%29%20found%20in%20what%27s%20now%20southwestern%20France%20may%20have%20been%20a%20children%27s%20toy..jpg Prehistoric Humans in Film and Television: 581 Dramas, Comedies and Documentaries, 1905–2004 by Michael Klossner (2006) https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/prehistoric-humans-in-film-and-television/ The Invention of Prehistory: Empire, Violence, and our Obsession with Human Origins by Stefanos Geroulanos (2024): https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324091455/

  3. Aug 16

    Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968)

    Today we’re reviewing Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968), the story of a cool Russian sci-fi movie about an exploratory mission to Venus which an American studio dubbed and re-cut to include telepathic “prehistoric” women, for some reason. In truth there’s very little prehistory in this one, so we get to talk about space travel for forty minutes! (Astronomers and engineers, please send your complaints and corrections to screensofthestoneage@gmail.com) Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop In this episode: Watch Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968) on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6mHuM8SWs4 Watch Planeta Bur (Planet of Storms) (1962) on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VTF23EFvEM Watch Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965) on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1dtqIPlERU Asimov’s Three Rules of Robotics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Laws_of_Robotics Mant! – Matinee (1993): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-brLyrdTyA Venus: https://science.nasa.gov/venus/ Missions to Venus: https://science.nasa.gov/venus/exploration/ Venus Life Finder: https://www.planetary.org/space-missions/rocket-lab-venus-mission Self-driving cars and the Trolley Problem: https://www.technologyreview.com/2018/10/24/139313/a-global-ethics-study-aims-to-help-ai-solve-the-self-driving-trolley-problem/ The Passengers by John Marrs: https://www.johnmarrsauthor.com/the-passengers Are Autonomous Vehicles safer than Human Drivers? https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2026/the-safety-data-on-autonomous-vehicles Bicycle Couriers in Canada can claim food as a fuel expense: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/sole-proprietorships-partnerships/report-business-income-expenses/completing-form-t2125/line-8523-meals-entertainment-allowable-part-only.html#extra

  4. Aug 2

    The Wild Women of Wongo (1958)

    Today we’re reviewing the feminist classic The Wild Women of Wongo (1958), which tells the story of two prehistoric tribes: one where all the women are beautiful and all the men are brutes, and the other vice versa. But don’t worry – social norms are upheld in the end and everyone is married off to an equally attractive partner. Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop In this episode: Watch The Wild Women of Wongo (1958) on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnVMGixO3-c Pathécolor: https://filmcolors.org/timeline-entry/1218/ Burmese pythons in Florida: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmese_pythons_in_Florida\ William Marsden, creator or Wonder Woman: https://www.npr.org/2014/10/27/359078315/the-man-behind-wonder-woman-was-inspired-by-both-suffragists-and-centerfolds Our episode on Eegah! (1962): https://screensofthestoneage.com/podcast/episode-53-eegah-1962/ Coral Castle: https://coralcastle.com/ H.H. Holmes’ Murder Castle: https://guides.loc.gov/chronicling-america-h-h-holmes The Tubes - Wild Women of Wongo (Live): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHk6wqqXMlg Billy Idol - Sweet Sixteen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClxXDfvtoj0 Ancient Aliens: How Were These Mysterious Structures Built?! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN1yCWWN-Eo Magnetic Currents by Edward Leedskalnin: https://www.leedskalnin.com/Leedskalnins-Writings-MAGNETIC-CURRENT.html

  5. Jul 19

    First Man (2017)

    First Man (2017) is a “documentary” with an interesting relationship to scientific facts and a disturbing view of human nature. It follows human evolution through four reconstructed ancestors: an early beta cuck ape from Spain; a Tate stan basal hominin from Chad; an ancestral alpha mogger from South Africa; and a brainmaxxing sigma arsonist from China. Join us as we break down the silly walks, unnecessarily blurred monkey g******s, and (content warning!) graphic sexual assault. Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop In this episode: Pierolapithecus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierolapithecus Sahelanthropus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahelanthropus Gigantopithecus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigantopithecus Sivapithecus/Ramapithecus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sivapithecus Paranthropus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranthropus Graecopithecus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graecopithecus Peking Man (Homo erectus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peking_Man Harbin/Dragon Man: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbin_cranium Our episode on Skullduggery (1970): https://screensofthestoneage.com/podcast/episode-34-skullduggery-1970/ Our episode on Sasquatch Sunset (2024): https://screensofthestoneage.com/podcast/episode-106-sasquatch-sunset-2024/ Grieving chimpanzee carries dead baby for months: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj4Wk-hujPY Zhoukoudian: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhoukoudian_Peking_Man_Site The myth of the alpha wolf: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-the-alpha-wolf-idea-a-myth/ Parsimony: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_parsimony Boma predator deterrent: https://news.mongabay.com/2017/09/keeping-lions-at-bay-to-keep-them-going/ Gao et al. (2017) Evidence of hominin use and maintenance of fire at Zhoukoudian: https://doi.org/10.1086/692501 Laughter in animals: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laughter_in_animals Pusceddu et al. (2025) Animal medical systems from Apis to apes: history, recent advances and future perspectives: https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70060 Ventro-ventro position (doggy is not the only style): https://synapsida.blogspot.com/2015/12/doggy-is-not-only-style.html Man vs. horse races (horses have won): https://ultrarunninghistory.com/man-vs-horse/ Persistence hunting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_hunting Aiello and Wheeler (1995) The Expensive-tissue hypothesis: The brain and the digestive system in human and primate evolution: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2744104 Wrangham (2009) Catching Fire: How Cooking Made us Human: https://heb.fas.harvard.edu/publication/catching-fire-how-cooking-made-us-human

  6. Jul 5

    In the Blink of an Eye (2026)

    They keep making them, so we keep reviewing them! In the Blink of an Eye (2026) tells the tragic tale of an adorably precocious child’s radicalization and eventual transformation into a billionaire tech bro who destroys the earth. It’s a triptych of past, present, and future, taking us from an endearing mixed race Neanderthal family, to Rashida Jones’ groundbreaking PhD research, to a genetically engineered sci-fi Kate McKinnon’s quest to find the next planet to destroy. It’s alright, I guess. Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop In this episode: Longevity-obsessed tech billionaires: https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/11/health/kara-swisher-longevity-wellness Kepler 16b: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler-16b The ichnology of White Sands (New Mexico): Linear traces and human footprints, evidence of transport technology? https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qsa.2025.100274 RNA World: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RNA_world Hairdos in prehistory: https://richlyadorned.wordpress.com/2017/01/31/hairdos-in-prehistoric-europe/ How to order authors in scientific papers: https://wordvice.com/blog/journal-article-author-order/ How to format genus/species names: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d_5jDJvYwY Berger and Trinkaus (1995) Patterns of Trauma among the Neandertals: https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-4403(95)90013-6 The Divje Babe Flute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHXV07YCGKY Lawnmower RC Airplane: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SuZLxMIsN6k Neanderthals and ancient DNA: https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/genetics/ancient-dna-and-neanderthals

  7. Jun 21

    Classic Caveman Cartoons (Part 2)

    Ehh, what’s up, doc? But in this case the “doc” is a PhD. Get it? Because we’re... Never mind, we’re back with more classic cartoons! As we move into the second half of the Twentieth Century the characters become more recognizable: Porky Pig, Mighty Mouse, Pink Panther, Woody Woodpecker – we ruin the fun of all these characters by trying to assess what species they are! (Oh wait, I should have said “what’s up, post-doc?”. I’ll keep workshopping it) (Part 2 of 2). Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop Cartoons featured in this episode: Springtime in the Rock Age (1940): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivk88NXvc_k Way Back When Women had their Weigh (1940): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUcPMfEGfeI Prehistoric Porky (1940): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK6quxW5pc0 Mighty Mouse – Prehistoric Perils (1952): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAdUiP_giPY Peabody's Improbable History S3E17 "The First Caveman" (1961): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1r5SZElTzQ   Pink Panther – Prehistoric Pink (1968): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io5oqdC_1co Pink Panther – Extinct Pink (1969): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y3lt2oWh_0 Prehistoric Super Salesman (1969): https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8imjrh Other Links: Meganeura: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meganeura Snail tape measure: https://yarn-fun.com/products/snail-tape-measure Black Panthers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_panther King Cheetah: https://www.reddit.com/r/Awwducational/comments/ga8css/king_cheetahs_are_variety_of_cheetahs_with_a_rare/ What’s Opera, Doc? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9doSQ1cHAw Bjorn Kurten’s Pleistocene Mammals of Europe: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315126470 Which big cats like catnip? https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/8td7ut/does_catnip_affect_wild_felines_the_same_way_it/ Do big cats like catnip? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEdpDl1hSz4 Oldest bows and arrows: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bow_and_arrow#History Strawberry leopard: https://nypost.com/2019/08/20/rare-strawberry-leopard-photographed-in-south-africa/ Woody is an Ivory Billed Woodpecker: https://ivory-billedwoodpecker1.blogspot.com/2012/03/woody-woodpecker.html

  8. Jun 7

    Classic Caveman Cartoons (Part 1)

    Today we’re digging deep into the Stone Age of cinema and reviewing classic cartoons about prehistoric people. From the world’s first animated dinosaur to the advent of colour film, we watched cartoons featuring Felix the Cat, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Daffy Duck, a seriously copyright-infringing couple of mice, and a disturbing amount of sexual violence. (Part 1 of 2) Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop Cartoons featured in this episode: Gertie the Dinosaur (1914): https://youtu.be/32pzHWUTcPc Why they love cavemen (1921): https://youtu.be/5ikoWsHLicA Felix in the Bone Age (1922): https://youtu.be/97V_6O3iHbE Stone Age Stunts (1930): https://youtu.be/Ojdjl3VEnn4 The Stone Age – Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (1931): https://youtu.be/wqayvsVPnlo Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur (1939): https://youtu.be/X2tgbncOoMk Other topics: Mr. DNA’s Science Lesson – Jurassic Park: https://youtu.be/1Uq5WSzUaTQ Microraptor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microraptor The Invention of Prehistory (2024) by Stefanos Geroulanos: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324091455/ Anas rubripes, the American Black Duck: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_black_duck Black Swedish duck: https://livestockconservancy.org/swedish-duck/ Sinclair Oil: https://www.sinclairoil.com/dino-history

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

The podcast where scientists review movies about prehistoric people! From The Flintstones to The Croods, from Iceman to Encino Man, from Year One to One Million Years BC, we dig into popular movies about the ancient past and sift the facts from the fiction. Hosts with expertise in archaeology, paleoanthropology, human evolution, paleontology, and paleogenetics take you behind the scenes to learn the truth about cave people like Neanderthals and Cro Magnons, and Pleistocene Megafauna like woolly mammoths and sabretooth cats. Plus, history movies, science fiction, pseudoarchaeology, and dinosaurs!

Information

  • Creator
    Josh Lindal, Dr. Kimberly Plomp, and Dr. Ross Barnett
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    141
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Joshua Lindal
  • Show Website
    Screens of the Stone Age

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