Who were the people of Stonehenge? Curators' Tour of The World of Stonehenge

Find out more about our Stonehenge exhibition here: bit.ly/3tZWtps And if you can't make it to the show, you might want to check out the exhibition book here: bit.ly/3IhiXaI If you're outside of the UK you can also buy the exhibition book here: bit.ly/3IchOBa

the upside down tree in middle is such a cool detail, it shows so much intentionality

The polished axe IS a better tool than the rough surfaced biface version. A skilled knapper can make can make a biface axe in 20-30 mins. The polished version will take around 60 hours more. Why do this? Because the polished axe will last more than ten times longer. The reason? Each impact puts stress forces along the axe. The rough surfaced biface will cause those forces to concentrate in areas when passing over the dimples and ridges, which will likely cause the tool to fracture at some point. With the mirror smooth surface of a polished axe those shock waves can pass freely long the surface and into the handle, reducing the stress on the tool and significantly extending its life. Neolithic people had better things to do than polish rocks for the fun of it.

That pendant is absolutely stunning. I also love the idea of “deep history” instead of “pre-history.” Really interesting to see how human culture changed over those thousands of years.

I thought Time Team showed how the Neolithic axe was superior to the Mesolithic axe. The shined up Neolithic axe cut cleaner and suffered less damage as easily as the Mesolithic one. I wish I could see this exhibit but alas I am a broke Alaskan and may never make it to my ancestral lands. Thank you for showing this amazing display!

The exhibition is truly spine-tingling. I saw it a few weeks ago, travelling from the north of England, and I am going to see it again this weekend. If you get the chance at all, go ! The stone axes are just magnificent in their collection and display. Their uniformity in design and subsequent development is also astounding.The lighting is quite dark in the cavities between the exhibits, which really adds to the mood. The pieces are all magical, but for me the gigantic aur head and the 9000 year old antler head dress come close to simulating time travel. Thank you for putting this together !

I grew up around forests where everyone had an axe. They sanded and polished the handles to make them last longer, less damage from the weather, and to preserve them. To carve a new one was labor intensive and it was prudent to make the effort worthwhile, instead of letting it deteriorate and discarding it. Although it made the handles look nice, beauty was not as important as function.

Bravo to whoever scripted this segment! What a beautiful job the curators have done giving us (who live so far away) such a meaningful tour.... I'm truly grateful

14:30 It was interesting to hear about the importance of Pleiades to Northern Hemisphere peoples because it was just as important in the Southern Hemisphere as well. Here in NZ, we are about to celebrate Matariki (the very first indigenous public holiday in the world) which is the Māori new year, based on when Matariki (Pleiades) re-appears above the horizon.

This is the Best Example of the best of our Social Media today…..with so much gobbled-gook out there……this is Excellent Work….Kudos!

Very well presented & narrated. Thank you, I enjoyed the journey you took me on. ❤

Absolutely fascinating! Thank you to all who participated in the production of this episode

I do believe that their was a rise of aesthetics in their tools but It has been proven with modern replicas that the smooth polished axe heads cut cleaner and keep their edge longer than the those that were simply flint knapped. Phil Harding of Time Team gave a demonstration of this in one of their episodes.

You've got some really fantastic documentaries on here, from Stonehenge, the Vikings live, the Sutton Hoo helmet and sword, Roman Britain to the Yoginis: Goddesses of Tantra, all of it fascinating and informative with great hosts and narration. A great channel from a brilliant place

This is a beautifully done video. I was privileged to attend this exhibition back in May. I can say quite honestly that it was a peak experience of my life: so filled with amazing artifacts, beautifully lit, well-described, and with a trance-inducing soundtrack in the background. The curators did an outstanding job.

I wish I could see this in person, but this video is a great introduction. Thanks so much for sharing!

Polishing axes DOES enhance their functionality and durability. A polished axe makes cleaner cuts and is less prone to shattering and needing constant re-sharpening. This has been proved beyond doubt many times by experimental archaeologists! Quite shocked to hear this outdated and disproven nonsense about polishing being purely aesthetic in an official British Museum video!

Very interesting. Of course, "prehistory" has a very specific meaning that is well understood by anyone who has read even a little on the subject. It remains a perfectly appropriate term to describe the period in question. I'd also add that there is good research to suggest that the polishing of axeheads did, in fact, offer practical benefits. We are often all too ready to fall into the trap of ascribing "ritual purposes" to any prehistoric phenomena that is not immediately decipherable through a modern lens. I am very much looking forward to visiting the exhibition. My thanks to the curators for sharing their insights in a video format, especially for those who will not be able to make the journey to the BM.

Awesome thank you for sharing your hard work everyone

there was reason for polishing the axes. polishing would make them less likely to break. see James Dilley’s explanation in his video Graig Lwym Axe Landscape on his AncientCraftUK youtube channel.