I loved every single minute of this! There was no filter of time. You didn't repeat information four times as if I was not paying attention. You showed sites I've never seen in other documentaries. You don't pretend you know every ritual being done at each site like many documentaries do. I just loved all of it. Thank you so very much for doing it and putting it here where I can see the entire thing.
So glad you enjoyed it Julz - and thanks for taking the time to comment! Much appreciated. Loads of other stuff at our website: theprehistoryguys.uk/ and on Patreon: www.patreon.com/theprehistoryguys
I love this video. What I like most about the presentation is the guide doesn't pretend to know what he can't, and isn't afraid to admit it. Regarding the petrified trunk at 55:12 ...Creationist geologists have long had volumes of research to demonstrate fossilization, sedimentation, petrification and erosion don't take very long given the right conditions which are typical of catastrophic flood. Most ignore it because the researchers are.....well......Creationists, and most don't want to consider those views. Geologist Steve Austin has some great presentations on RUclips. His work on Mt. St. Helens in Washingon, USA, and the Grand Canyon is fascinating whether or not you can agree with it.
The History Channel could learn a thing or six about how to make a Documentary from you guys. This is a stunning work. Beautifully filmed and edited; no intrusive music, no yelling announcer, no repeating the same thing over and over again. Bravo! Thank you for your efforts and the amazing information you have imparted.
I agree! The horrible music and flashy loud annoying voice overs ruins it all! This is creative fun and attractive to the eyes and ears! They did a great job!
I’m a seventy four year old man. Watching the presentation of this video I could feel the stirring of the sense of wonder I had as a child. Fascinating to see the foot prints made by those who lived and died thousands of years past, the house on the Orkneys where folks had lived their lives and how similar there lives were to ours, heat to cook and warm them selves, a place to sleep, somewhere to stow your things. Makes me wonder what their hopes and dreams were, did they love and win or love and lose?.
I, too, am old!! It has been a dream to visit the Orkneys and see where people lived, his reaction to going into the house was quite emotional. I really should go. Before it's too late.
No one discussing these sites in other documentaries ive seen has even hinted at just how many of these there are. This is truly complete and presented with childlike wonder and admiration. I wish mainstream stuff would learn to do it like this.
Finally. A documentary that's not bombarding the listener with overzealous music, is presented by someone with actual interest in the topic (instead of that irritating "news reader" up and down inflection), and is incredibly informative! I wish there were more documentaries like yours out there 😊
I live in the northeastern part of New York State in the US but have been fascinated by stone circles and other structures for as long as I can remember. MANY trips to Scotland and Cornwall have filled me with such wonderful memories and I recognized many of them in this movie. However never have I found a documentary that comes as close to capturing the FEELING you get when you actually visit these places as this video has done. You said it in Callanish and I quite agree, no photograph can truly capture it…but there are moments in this magnificent production where you come close! Kudos! And I have to laugh when you made comments about future archaeologists trying to understand our structures long after we are gone. I laugh because I actually have made a stone circle, with astronomical alignments built into the design here in my back yard with some very large stones that were re-cycled from a Colonial era homestead that was abandoned a century ago and moved by myself thanks to a rather large tractor with excellent hydraulics! I often thought how confusing it is going to be for future archaeologists if they ever discover the thing in another few centuries! Who knows if C-14 will still work in a far future? Thank you for making this beautiful and mesmerizing video. Will enjoy visiting more of these sites next time I get across the pond. I do hope you get to the Ness of Brodgar to see the remains of the community there. I cannot help but feel there is a connection between that place, as a place of learning and other far more distant locations that encoded their knowledge in stone, such as Gobekle Tepe. I know they were not contemporary cultures, but there is a resonance of mystery that to me, ties them together. Thank you again for this lovely production! ❤
You probably have these same things where you live! New England & NYS have lots of them! Have you seen the videos here? A walk in the woods might bring a surprise or two!
Thank you Sandra, Rupert here. It really is a wonderful experience when you genuinely know you are sharing a space with the past. So glad you enjoyed it:)
MCI - thanks to various excavations they have been able to deduce what the functioning structure was like. If you google Skara Brae reconstruction you’ll find a number of sites. There is a full blown reconstruction at the Skara Brae visitor centre, well worth a visit.
I keep coming back to watch this film, I think the biggest mystery is how you managed all those miles in a Land Rover Freelander without breaking down 😂. Congrats on a wonderful and enlightening documentary
This truly is one of the best, if not the best documentary made about the prehistoric stone circles. Full of information and stone circles I had never seen before. To think this was made by non-professionals, it puts all of the other documentaries made by professional TV companies and fronted by professional archeologists/historians to shame. It just shows what can be done if you truly want to share the passion and knowledge of a subject. The amount of views shows that this type of in depth documentary (which the BBC used to do years ago before they decided that nobody needed to learn anything anymore and should be spoon fed snippets of information because that is all we are capable of absorbing) can still be popular.
Almost blushing! 😊 Thank you Stephen - you've perceived exactly what we set out to do. We're a bit old school and we too were missing the way docs were put together in the past. Hey ho. It must be acknowledged however that what we lacked in money/personnel was made up for by what we did have: time. That was the factor that made the most difference. But thank you. It's really heartening when folk such as yourself 'get' what we were trying to do!
Agreed Stephen. You can immediately tell this guy is not a professional because he combs his hair and is far too nicely dressed. This is the best docu I've seen in years, and I like documentaries.
I think this highlights the changing nature of media and just how much money is wasted in so many productions. With the greatly reduced cost of quality video equipment and the ability to transmit video to millions at a minimal or non-existent cost to the creator, we will see some incredible independent documentaries on every subject imaginable. This may also open up certain fields which have a history of being not only resistant to new ideas, but actively hostile to the point of harming our understanding. I could use many examples but Blue Fish Caves is one of the most blatant examples of good evidence being disregarded because it trod on the toes of people who had invested a great deal into the Clovis first theory. I also had never heard of half these stone monuments before seeing this and I am blown away at the sheer quantity that are spread throughout Britain. When I get the chance to return home I will definitely be traveling to these locations, all because of the efforts of these two men. I doubt I will be alone.
I'm 37, and I've been watching documentaries for all my life. This is the best one yet. The dedication and passion for the subject is great. The personal approach, yet scholarly quality is even greater. Thanks.
Dude, Watson Brake in Louisiana is older than Stonehenge, about 3500 BCE. Two mounds on the LSU campus are now under investigation as the ‘oldest’ man-made structures in the Americas. The Clovis Culture in New Mexico dates from 11,500 - 10,800 BCE. Clovis weren’t even the ‘first’ Americans. Cactus Hill near Richmond, VAnwas inhabited 16,000 - 20,000 years ago. Norte Chico culture of Peru (Caral Supe) is contemporaneous with the Unification of Egypt under King Narmer. There’s abundant prehistory in the Americas but the distances are vast…. The earth work and mound building civilizations used to hold a larger part in our imagination and our history books, but nobody really spends much time on this anymore. The pre-history is there in abundance and it is accessible.
Whenever i hear about the Druid's last stand on Menai, i cannot help but feel a deep sadness about our history and wisdom that we lost. Fantastic production you have created, I'm not all the way through it yet, I'm thoroughly enjoying it but had to comment when you mentioned the destruction the Romans csused.
Having watched this over and over I am awed and enthralled with every detail, appreciative of the time and effort spent on this wondrous journey. Being at my home in Stone Mountain, GA these last 10 months in the USA, as I am at risk, and seeing how full of hate and utter selfishness many of my fellow American's are, having concerns for our very Democracy, fears for my children and young grandson, so much fear. This breathtaking trip through ancient and mystical ruins is like finding a lake in the desert. I am grateful and feel so much peace and hope from this great work. It makes me realize how small and meaningless are all our woes. Thank you to these guys from my heart, from my bones!
Stone Mountain, GA was the pinnacle of hatred back in the 20th century and before, with its KKK active even through the 1990's. I've since moved from Atlanta to warm & sunny St. Petersburg, FL. I trust that is the hatred you are referring to. I saw it all when I lived in Atlanta including a race war heat up in the 90's. Glad I am out of there.
@@paulazemeckis7835 We bought our Stone Mountain home in June of 1993, as "white flight" took place. We intentionally moved here to raise my daughters in a mixed neighborhood with many types of people and religions. My daughters are all about unity and open-mindedness. It was also in the county with the largest number of Democrats in the state. Everyone in my neighborhood wears a mask and during the election I never saw one single Trump sign. The one old timer who flew a rebel flag took it down 10 years ago when his mixed race grandbaby was born. In Stone Mountain we have moved on from the KKK.
@@paulazemeckis7835 , it is good that you have left because the kkk has been replaced by the modern day democratic party, a much more evil and sinister entity.
This is the first time a documentary has made me seriously want to move to Britain. I had no idea that the stone circles and henges were so widespread as well as absolutely beautiful. I've watched this at least a dozen times and I can honestly say that every time I do I come away with a greater sense of wonder. Simply put, this is without a doubt the most concise and comprehensive film on this topic I have ever seen. Kudos to you guys for an excellent presentation. And many thanks for your efforts and sharing this.
Hi Ross, Rupert here. Thanks very much for your comment, glad you enjoyed it so much. It's certainly true that Britain is a pleasure ground for stone hunters. You could move here and visit a site a day for the rest of your life, whatever age you are!
What a refreshing, sensible point of view. I love this. Having the humility to say, "we don't know" should be the most prized asset of any historian rather than the arrogant views we often get.
What a refreshing, sensible point of view. I love this. Having the humility to say, "we don't know" should be the most prized asset of any historian rather than the arrogant views we often get.
I agree as he stated near the beginning of the documentary that we find these structures but we do not know the purpose. I would guess that the interiors could have turned to dust centuries ago.
Breathtaking in scope and content - an absolute tour de force and one of the finest prehistoric documentaries that I've seen in my 50 years walking the lands of my ancestors. Thank you!
Came for the stone circles, stayed for the button. Gorgeous documentary that does not dabble in nonsense, treats its viewers with respect, and takes us on a beautifully filmed journey across the deep time evident in your fabled land.
and created roughly 10 years ago... or an epoch in electrical, electronic time before people decided they had to think for you and scold (or worse) you - when you got out of line.
Rupert, you’ve created a masterpiece of quiet miracles, that I’ve always been interested in, but about which I knew nothing. It still looks as though the mystery continues but pointing out the thousands of stone monuments at least gives so much credit to our ancestors. Thank you so much because you’ve given me, (For one), a much better idea of what’s gone on before. I have now seen the very best documentary I’ve ever seen, and at 76, I have seen hundreds. Dave in Phoenix Arizona USA
Not sure how many times I have watched this, but again today I have a lump in my throat at the very fine ending. It's a touching conclusion and the whole project is so insightful. Thanks again!
This is one of my absolute favorite things to watch. I don't think this film gets nearly enough credit for the sheer scope of what it accomplishes. This film and the companion book are mainstays that I always return to, I simply never get tired of it.
The Prehistory Guys The best one I’ve seen. I’ve watched a few; not as many as I would like but the best yet. An added benefit- it more than likely lowered my blood pressure but peaked my curiosity. I stayed awake the entire two hours fifteen minutes.... as I was trying to go to sleep.
I agree, excellent! I have a passion for pre- and ancient history. Refreshing not to hear the adjectives "religious, sacred, beliefs or temple". Also, I am amazed of the number of stone sites. I knew there were more, but so many and so different in the formation and style? Main stream media neglects to show all the other wonderful sites beside, the famous "Stonehenge ". I am curious, what did the ancients do for fun or humor? Although, we will never know, they were human. The purpose of their stones had to bring some sort of emotional gratification. This is my introduction to this site. I look forward to see and hear your thoughts on more history. Thanks
always want to say hi to you. You are such a beauty I pray to God to give you a lot of beautiful days and I hope God bless you to have a great day, I'm Williams by name from Arizona phonex and you where are you from...?
I have read numerous books on this topic over many years, and I learned more by watching this program than in all of them. My wife and I have watched this at least 5 times and will always return to it. We wish it were a series. Thank you for putting your passion into it.
As an American of Irish and English descent, I deeply appreciate the time, effort, and care you employed to bring the past to light for me. A complete joy to watch which I will pass on and repeat for myself. Thx much.
Im not sure how you tube is just recommending your site to me … but, boy do I have some binging to do! This made my heart sing, gave me chills at times, makes me want visit the uk again and follow your path to see these sites… and felt like a real us weakling when you climbed that ax making mountain in such nasty weather … respect for all of you on that day of filming!! Let the binging begin!! I’m also wishing I’d followed my love of history instead of the career I’ve had… I’m nearly 60 now, but it’s never too late to learn I always say. Thanks for making it easy by bringing it to my living room
This is amazing! Who knew that an entire video devoted to stones would be so utterly fascinating! The pace is perfect and I love the truthfulness of "we don't know" that is brought out in this video. There is no pretending to be all knowing like so many other videos about ancient artifacts or people. That's quite refreshing. Thank you also for including a map with place names and tracing the route of where you guys went. That's so helpful when it comes to jotting areas down for those of us who would like to travel to these places or find out more about them :) Great job Prehistory Guys!
Berenice Strnot I just watched it for the first time today, and know already that I'll come back and back again to enjoy the fantastic descriptions and the wonderful landscapes. I'll recommend this piece of art to my friends.
I first saw your program in 2009. My family and I traveled to the UK and Scotland and visited some of the sites in the program. Your work genuinely inspired me. I put your lessons in my little treasure chest and have found them invaluable to piecing together my own puzzles of the past. Many of the methods I have found particularly useful working in the higher-educational system. In 1809 Edward Davies published "The Mysteries and Rites of the British Druids" which is less about the traditional robed Druids of lore, and more about how druids, bards, and others were masters of languages. Their system of instruction was developed from techniques perfected in prehistory. This work contains tantalizing clues to how our ancient forefathers progressed from ancient stone circles to language ripe with symbolism and allegory. Thank you for your work. It has really made an impact on my hobbies and understanding of this wonderful Earth. You can almost trace a path from these stones to ancient languages, myths, legends and stories;, the development of original schools of education; alchemy, which led to what we know as modern science; and our understanding of the universe. Truly the circles are of such significance but one cannot put them into proper context without studying much of prehistory. Your work is invaluable and I return to it year after year. Well done and I am happy to be your Patron!
Finally, a history programme which moves the wonderful stories without recourse to unnecessary dramatic’ recreations’. It is beautifully shot with clear explanation and honest comments. I have enjoyed this immensely and learned so much. I will definitely be in these great landscapes amongst these amazing structures as soon as possible. Thank you for this.
always want to say hi to you. You are such a beauty I pray to God to give you a lot of beautiful days and I hope God bless you to have a great day, I'm Williams by name from Arizona phonex and you where are you from...?
I loved this work. The only major trip I ever took (I live in the American midwest) was to England, Scotland, and Orkney around 1985 on my own. I signed up for a week-long archaeological tour that visited the sites on Orkney included here, and it was one of the highlights of my life. I was so happy as you ended with the Tomb of the Eagles. A few artifacts that the family had they kept in their home, and as Stan Headley was a friend, we were invited to touch and explore. The tomb was remarkable. Thanks for bringing back the awe I felt visiting Maes Howe, Skara Brae, and the stone circles.
I pray to God to give you a lot of beautiful days and I hope God bless you to have a great day, I'm Williams by name from Arizona phonex and you where are you from?
A real quality documentary, the like of which most have forgotten how to make. Stunning photography, intimate knowledge, a passion for the subject, just takes you on a trip through these Isles of ours.. We were so much more before we were the jingoistic little people we are now. Thank you so much for sharing your excitement and wonder... Over two hours just gone... taking me on a journey deep into the past..A real pleasure to watch.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am a Brit living in the Smokie Mountains of the USA, and I built a 10 FT high HENGE in my large garden just last year out of the local granite rock....I am a dowser and knew I had to do this. My health improved in everyway.....these Stones (Needles...) definitely tap into and open up the earth energy. I sleep looking out onto these massive stones, lined up in a row, glowing white in the moonlight....I call them my Guardians. I feel so blessed!
From the introduction where he says that he is not an academic or an expert and modestly admits that he may be talking rubbish, he got my attention. Clearly an honest man. They have jointly created a masterpiece.
I loved this documentary! I've been "trying" to get fascinated by this era and standing stones for a while, but it every other presentation has always made it all appear to be nothing but a bunch of rocks. There is passion, charisma and spot-on humour in this documentary that I absolutely love. Thank you to the filmmakers and researchers! More please!
Thank you Thomas - and it's just the two of us, Michael and Rupert. Do subscribe to our Prehistory Guys channel or our patreon if you'd like to see more.
always want to say hi to you. You are such a beauty I pray to God to give you a lot of beautiful days and I hope God bless you to have a great day, I'm Williams by name from Arizona phonex and you where are you from...?
Im a history buff, and this video is one of the best I have ever watched. Its not only a wonderful adventure, its more informative than anyone might hope for. 🤗🤔🤗🤗🤗
Mine too, i cant get enough of pre roman Britain, it's super fascinating. Too bad everything we know is just the tip of the iceberg, man i wish so much that we had a perfect picture of like for example, the isle of Anglesey during the height of druidism.
Drones weren't available back in 2006/7 when we were making the film. However, if you look through the films on this channel made in the last two years you'll get plenty of drone action! 😁
What a really wonderful, gorgeously produced video! We often forget that archaeology and paleontology came into being as the result of enquiring, non-academic minds (many of them British) who just looked, dug, collected and put forward suggestions. And for once not having some overblown presenter tossing their hair about and being melodramatic was a treat. And linking modern day or latter day folklore to the deep past is exactly how Schliemann - another amateur - discovered Troy. When I lived in Kiev I wondered why Ukrainians don't shake hands with arriving guests in the doorway to their home, and never embrace hello or goodbye there either. It was odd the way they shied away from being touched when entering my flat or my office as guests. I did some research and found out that Bronze Age Ukrainians buried their dead beneath the entrance ways to their dwellings and for me, at least - and I'm not an archaelogist - that explained it. Not clearly, but enough to see the connection. Complete thumbs up for this doc - 'liked' and 'subscribed'!
This is so well presented, the shear quantity of sites all over Britain--which truly opened my eyes. Especially your theory on cultural change. Moreover, how our ancestors have been mostly forgotten and our lives replaced with artificial nuances--that have very little meaning. Thank you so much for this paradigm shifting experience.
wonderful. Love that it brings out the fact that these people were *people* something I often muse on visiting these sites. The bit at the end - I visited the Tomb of the Eagles one winter in the late 90's when I felt like the only tourist in the whole of orkney (when I visited Maes Howe the lady showing it turned all the lights out for me to show the sun down the passage). My visit to the tomb was wonderful - from using a pair of knee protectors made from old tire to scramble in and I realise it was Ronnie Simison who told me where to go and invited me into his - conservatory makes it sound way too grand - and showed me many of the things now in the museum and let me hold them!
I've been a time team fan for at least 10 yrs, and I wish I had known of these guys long ago! I'm a Canadian with Scottish heritage. I want to know how I can recreate and revisit every site in this documentary. I'm in awe and tip my hat in great respect for such a production involving 8 yrs of research and filming! Amazing, I will watch this many more times. Thank you for creating such a feat. Impressive! I will visit these sites one day.
What a lovely comment. Thank you. Feedback like this is a great affirmation of why we made the film in the first place. Do check the rest of the channel and the podcasts. Website: theprehistoryguys.uk/ Patreon: www.patreon.com/theprehistoryguys
Bloody fantastic. Such a well made, and generous film. One thing for which I'm incredibly grateful is the absence of musick when you're speaking, I appreciate being able to listen to what you're saying. Brilliant production. This popped up on my RUclips feed when I was missing Kilmartin, one of my favourite places on the planet. I was very much in need of a prehistoric hit. Thank you 😊 fab and well used graphics as well.
always want to say hi to you. You are such a beauty I pray to God to give you a lot of beautiful days and I hope God bless you to have a great day, I'm Williams by name from Arizona phonex and you where are you from...?
This is so beautiful and fascinating. It's exactly what I've been hoping for - more in-depth information about stone age monuments in Ireland & Britain, with lots of up-close visuals. So often in books and documentaries on this subject, you just get a few little pictures or a few short clips, but this documentary really shows the feeling of being right there among the stones. Lots of interesting theories on their purposes, too.
I always want to say hi to you. You are such a beauty I pray to God to give you a lot of beautiful days and I hope God bless you to have a great day, I'm Williams by name from Arizona phonex and you where are you from
In between chores and visits this New Year’s Eve, I have been watching this - honestly, it has made my day. So good in every way - to watch someone passionate and open-minded about history, to see a comprehensive ‘tour’ of Britain - perfect in every way; thank you ❤ I’m alone tonight but happy to spend it with the ancestors, my pet rabbits and a good glass of wine 🍷 🎉
I'm halfway through and already fully agree with the other comments praising this. Fantastic quality of investigation (petrified tree!), lively, measured narration, not preachy or conspiratorial while also encouraging fun, open-minded speculation. Great work!
fantastic trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. I have said to myself many times : my main reason to go to England and Ireland, would be to visit all those stone circles, by seeing this documentary makes my desire to see them even greater. THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Such a stunning piece of film. Thank you. Thank you. . . And again, Thank you! As an American watching this I’m struck by many things as I tagged along with you on this journey. The main thing is what’s missing around the major sites…the lack of commerce that would encroach around such sites if they were in the U.S. Where are the Holiday Inns? I had the good fortune of going to Stonehenge (and a few sites in Ireland). I was completely gobsmacked when from our car we could see that magnificent site miles away without businesses and billboards blocking our view. Much respect to the UK et al.
Fantastic documentary, a great reminder of the wealth of history i have left behind in Britain. How amazing the passing of time is. Out here in Australia where i now live is a very old culture though sadly troubled and often under appreciated by the newer more sophisticated and destructive culture super imposed upon it. The Colonials have much to learn from the people who have protected the fragile land for the last perhaps 60 millennia. Love your work.
ACADEMY AWARD material here. Absolutely stellar. Rupert Soskin and Michael Bott have produced an introspective look at our ancestors - through their passion for British archaelogy. There is no filler here. Every bit of this documentary wonders what our ancestors were up to. It is incredible that hundreds of thousands of person hours were devoted to building these thousands of artifacts. Maybe our ancestors were not so worried about astrology, as they were interested in leaving a trace of their lives for future explorers to discover. THANK YOU to all involved in this wonderful production. It is just amazing.
This is incredible, I'm absolutely stunned! What an amount of work. Thank you. Exactly what I had always hoped to see in a single film since I won't be able to visit the sites myself. Just great.
I stumbled across your video as I was searching for something else. I COULD NOT stop watching! This was absolutely fascinating! I had no idea whatsoever that there are so many sites scattered throughout the United Kingdom. Just wonderful. Thank you very much!
Definitely worth watching, i've spread the word to a dozen or so people. I'll be traveling to some of these sites once CV has ended, some of them have unusual magnetic behaviour and i'd like to know why.
Absolutely incredible amount of time, effort and energy went into this wonderful program. So very fascinating, I hung on every word and delighted in every image! Having been to some of these magical places in Ireland and Scotland brought every memory back! Thank you a thousand times over! Bravo!
This was so interesting. I’m actually going to Orkney in September, I cannot wait! To see a village so well preserved will be an incredible experience.
I am addicted to documentaries. I watch them all the time, mainly about history, but about many other subjects too. This is the BEST documentary I've ever watched. Absolutely riveting. Beautifully filmed, enthusiastically presented and thoughtfully put together. There's nothing I can say that can make justice to this breathtaking documentary masterpiece. Thank you for efforts and great artistry. It has been (and it shall be, for I intend to watch it many times more) a wonderful experience. I shall recommend it to everyone I know.
Absolutely loved this and the respect and curiosity of Rupert as he travels the length and breadth of the British Isles taking us on this journey into the past. Thanks an amazing insight into all these amazing locations and their monuments.
I always want to say hi to you. You are such a beauty I pray to God to give you a lot of beautiful days and I hope God bless you to have a great day, I'm Williams by name from Arizona phonex and you where are you from
I've been to Kilmartin years ago, led by some interesting spots on the map and found those standing stones and engraved circles. Always wondered what they were. A map or a kind of 'mother stone' is a sensible explanation. I suppose people who made it all weren't just simple shepherds but at the same time, they couldn't have some master's degrees. They just had to have great connection with nature and observed it since they could walk, were thaught by elders, their lives depended on those skills. I guess that connection made them do those things, get together and create something that would represent unity between people, nature and the universe. I.e.: that moon 'walking' on the laying stone: they couldn't go to see the moon up close so they made it come to them, probably sat and watched it together like a telly (bit of magic show). Same with the sun. All about unity I think and celebrating, admiring nature, giving something back, offering, etc. Or, less romantic, controlling others by 'magic tricks'? It still happens today 😄 Today, an average human hardly knows anything about the sky and what's going on up there. Even my grandparents knew more about those things than people today. Now we've got google and know very little and have scarce unity left. Amazing documentary, thought provoking, with such a fresh look on those things, and not at all patronising. I'm really bored with those warship and calendar explanations that don't add up. Loved it!
I just happened upon this one doc and I am floored! As was possibly again before, you supplied so much info w/details. But you left room open for our own decisions, thoughts, dreams... I am rather puzzled why others only ever want to tell about the famous known ones. I always suspected much was left out from other docs. When you stood in that one room towards the end, and became still, my thoughts flowed and swirled as I looked at the stone items. I felt your respect and shared your wonderment. Thank you. Now I'm off to watch more!!👍
Just came across this. Fascinating! I was blown away by the standing stones of Callanish. If that site was used to accurately track the lunar cycle, do you know if it could be used to predict the tides? Where I live, in coastal Alaska, knowing when, falling or rising, or how big the tides are can be vital information on a daily basis.
I went looking for a specific dolmen in Ireland (I think. I'd have to look at my journal to know for sure). It was on private land, so no visiting without permission. I thought to maybe just see it. Of course I had no idea where I was headed, I wound up on some road I learned later was at least a mile away. I spotted a pile of rocks in a field that was surrounded by a fence. That must be a cairn. So I parked and walked through the grass. I'm pretty sure it was a cairn, it was over grown. So okay a pile of rocks overgrown, a bit of a shrug. But then I remembered that in some cases these things line up with notches in ridges, and with other cairns, so I started looking. Almost immediately I spotted three more probably cairns. I think one of the best trips to Britain or Ireland is to visit a few sites, read up on them, and then keep your eyes open. It's not just that archeology is everywhere, it's that you can spot it if you only look. I spent the last night of my hike through Dorset next to a barrow. Bedding down with the ancients.
"As if the Motorways were built by shoppers." This film so teased my imagination I had to watch it again to pick up the parts my imagination flew past on the first go. Drive eight thousand miles to look at rocks. Brilliant.To this goofy Yank you Brits are just too cool.
This came by recommendations from YT...I saw the length...I thought...''I'll watch an hour and leave the rest until coffee time''...I forgot...I was so enjoying it that I watched until the very end...coffee time will be filled will be filled...will be going through another of your videos
You guys are my new heroes! I am blown away that this was made by two amateurs. I watched this video, and then signed up for an online documentary-film-making course the next day.
Absolutely fantastic, could not take my eyes away for one moment, fascinating and so very moving. '..we're still here'.. such a beautiful denouement, I nearly cried.
I always want to say hi to you. You are such a beauty I pray to God to give you a lot of beautiful days and I hope God bless you to have a great day, I'm Williams by name from Arizona phonex and you where are you from
Here's a little nugget that might date the petrified tree: Lake Kaindy in Kyrgystan is only about 100 years old. It used to be a medium-sized ravine. About 100 years ago, there was an earthquake and the ravine was instantly filled with water that was so cold, it petrified the pine trees in the bottom. They are still standing today. Perhaps the tree in Bryn Celli Dhu was a remnant of an ice age flood and was remembered. Perhaps that site, originally, had been a village wiped out by said glacial tsunami, with that being the only surviving piece of it but remembered, revered and mourned in many centuries that followed.
Hi Danyelle! Thanks for that. You'll be interested in our update to the speculations about the 'tree' in this podcast of ours from 2018: ruclips.net/video/_yfb10pHBOk/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/LjA-jYEWlwU/видео.html Here's a link to a really interesting look at how old trees, or bark in coal layers and how we can mistake the age and formation of them etc. Using evidence from the eruption of mount St Helens and the floating log mat in Spirit Lake.
sorry to disappoint you, but the pillar stone is blueschist, a metamorphic rock which is formed et high temperature & pressure deep within the Earth, whereas petrified wood has been buried under sediment & the wood is slowly replaced by silicates Impossible to confuse the two!.
@@angelafay2329 I was wondering about that too. But maybe it's my device I just couldn't be sure if that is what I was possibly seeing. My grandfather was an amateur geologist after he retired. So I grew up with a house surrounded by stones and books all about them.
Im daughter of a Scottish mother, she came to Australia when she was 8. This made me cry, and miss a country i have never seen or touched, and ancestors i dont know, yet my whole body and mind recognises these places intimately. Thankyou for such a beautiful journey in honour of our ancestors.
In my childhood, whenever we went on a school trip, or Sunday school outing or out with the Brownies, it seemed we would almost always end up tripping over a stone circle of one sort or another. I am 71 so this would be back in the '50s. Remembering this in the past I used to contemplate the importance of these structures to our ancestors and what they could have meant. It was obviously mystical, and this documentary has shed much light on this idea. Thank you so much.
Fantastic! I may have lived all of my 68 years in Australia, but these were my people too. I may never see these treasures for myself, so I thank you so much for this gift. Please keep making content like this, it is so appreciated.
I'm of similar age to you and I'm in Australia too. I agree with all you've said. I absolutely love learning about and seeing all this. I truly wish I could go see for myself
I’m English, but I now live in Australia with my Aussie husband and grown sons. It fills my heart with joy that two Australian people on here appreciate the British history, their history. I love Australia, it’s so beautiful. I do miss the history of my homeland though. Isn’t it wonderful? 🌹
How refreshing to hear your common sense explanations of these prehistoric mysteries. Stone circles always seemed to me to be defense structures and dwellings, some more complex than others. I really liked your idea of the circular motifs on stones being maps. Fantastic overview of the stones of Britain and Ireland - I have them all mapped out (in France too) and hope to visit my favourites one day!
Thank you for making this movie and posting it on youtube. I have never heard of all these sites and had no idea that England and Ireland had so many sites. I will be re-watching this one as I am sure I will even more with doing this. Thanks!
A wonderful presentation is truly an understatement, thank you for your time, passion and effort that went into making this documentary of our fascinating heritage! Makes me yearn so deeply for the freedom to visit all these sites.
I crawled inside a small passage tomb in Ireland and even though it was not monumental it was none the less extraordinary and constructed to last thousands of years.
Oh Caro I'm so with you in your praise...plus I have been lucky enough to have visited and lived near many of the mentioned circles and kists. They, like the History Guys are exceptional.
Thank you for it was with such pleasure to be invited to join you on this comprehensive journey. In Australia can only dream of visiting the ancient sites of my/our ancestors. Thank you again.
As I enjoy this masterpiece, sitting in my room, knowing, that I'm living in alleged cradle of Celts and even much older cultures - Czech Republic. And even though we have here lots of great historic and prehistoric sites, I must confess that I have visited only few of them. Your enthusiasm is really motivational. I should visit more of them and in some future I will visit even those wonders of your country. Thanks to all members of The Prehistory Guys for this document. (Subscribed)
A brilliant film about a much ignored and misunderstood part of human history. Its a shame Shetland doesn't merit a mention but that doesn't detract from the fantastic tale you have shown and told. Thank you.
I can't thank you guys enough. This film has awakened something deep within my soul. I've introduced my friend to this film and your channel, and we watched the film again, pausing for discussion. Last year, I started the process of converting my Galaxy into a Campercar and as soon as we are able to roam, I shall be starting on my journey of following in your footsteps and visiting as many sites as I can.
Never gave these stones a second thought,until i watched these programmes on tv.hooked instantly because of the way it was presented.theres something so relaxing about it that ive watched them numerous times.thanks rupert and Michael,well done.
I loved every single minute of this! There was no filter of time. You didn't repeat information four times as if I was not paying attention. You showed sites I've never seen in other documentaries. You don't pretend you know every ritual being done at each site like many documentaries do. I just loved all of it. Thank you so very much for doing it and putting it here where I can see the entire thing.
So glad you enjoyed it Julz - and thanks for taking the time to comment! Much appreciated. Loads of other stuff at our website: theprehistoryguys.uk/ and on Patreon: www.patreon.com/theprehistoryguys
And unmolested by so many commercials and ads we lose focus and interest. Where might I donate?
@@ld12311231 From the description: SUPPORT OUR WORK: www.patreon.com/theprehistory...
I love this video. What I like most about the presentation is the guide doesn't pretend to know what he can't, and isn't afraid to admit it. Regarding the petrified trunk at 55:12 ...Creationist geologists have long had volumes of research to demonstrate fossilization, sedimentation, petrification and erosion don't take very long given the right conditions which are typical of catastrophic flood. Most ignore it because the researchers are.....well......Creationists, and most don't want to consider those views. Geologist Steve Austin has some great presentations on RUclips. His work on Mt. St. Helens in Washingon, USA, and the Grand Canyon is fascinating whether or not you can agree with it.
Its one of the best tours of Britain on the internet!
The History Channel could learn a thing or six about how to make a Documentary from you guys. This is a stunning work. Beautifully filmed and edited; no intrusive music, no yelling announcer, no repeating the same thing over and over again. Bravo! Thank you for your efforts and the amazing information you have imparted.
Wow! Thank you so much 😊Best wishes from Michael
And no Aliens 👽
I agree! The horrible music and flashy loud annoying voice overs ruins it all! This is creative fun and attractive to the eyes and ears! They did a great job!
@@ThePrehistoryGuys 😊😊
I agree wholeheartedly, great documentary. Stunning sites there in Great Britain, had no idea there were so many of them. Thanks 🙏
I’m a seventy four year old man. Watching the presentation of this video I could feel the stirring of the sense of wonder I had as a child.
Fascinating to see the foot prints made by those who lived and died thousands of years past, the house on the Orkneys where folks had lived their lives and how similar there lives were to ours, heat to cook and warm them selves, a place to sleep, somewhere to stow your things. Makes me wonder what their hopes and dreams were, did they love and win or love and lose?.
Lovely way of putting it. Thank you Donald 😊Michael.
I’m 76 and this has been so interesting-well done and easy to understand! Thank you taking the time to make it worthwhile!
I, too, am old!! It has been a dream to visit the Orkneys and see where people lived, his reaction to going into the house was quite emotional. I really should go. Before it's too late.
@@brendaprice665 ay brenda 😂😂😂😂😂😂👍👍👍
100 % agrred. 68 and a fair interest in these past sites but now I'm fascinated. And great he gives us space to think.
No one discussing these sites in other documentaries ive seen has even hinted at just how many of these there are. This is truly complete and presented with childlike wonder and admiration. I wish mainstream stuff would learn to do it like this.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
Finally. A documentary that's not bombarding the listener with overzealous music, is presented by someone with actual interest in the topic (instead of that irritating "news reader" up and down inflection), and is incredibly informative! I wish there were more documentaries like yours out there 😊
Aghh! That bad news reader voice is pain for the ears. It’s intolerable actually. 😖
@@zerofox7347 I genuinely cannot listen to ANYTHING with a "newsreader voice". It's just grating.
I live in the northeastern part of New York State in the US but have been fascinated by stone circles and other structures for as long as I can remember. MANY trips to Scotland and Cornwall have filled me with such wonderful memories and I recognized many of them in this movie. However never have I found a documentary that comes as close to capturing the FEELING you get when you actually visit these places as this video has done. You said it in Callanish and I quite agree, no photograph can truly capture it…but there are moments in this magnificent production where you come close! Kudos! And I have to laugh when you made comments about future archaeologists trying to understand our structures long after we are gone. I laugh because I actually have made a stone circle, with astronomical alignments built into the design here in my back yard with some very large stones that were re-cycled from a Colonial era homestead that was abandoned a century ago and moved by myself thanks to a rather large tractor with excellent hydraulics! I often thought how confusing it is going to be for future archaeologists if they ever discover the thing in another few centuries! Who knows if C-14 will still work in a far future? Thank you for making this beautiful and mesmerizing video. Will enjoy visiting more of these sites next time I get across the pond. I do hope you get to the Ness of Brodgar to see the remains of the community there. I cannot help but feel there is a connection between that place, as a place of learning and other far more distant locations that encoded their knowledge in stone, such as Gobekle Tepe. I know they were not contemporary cultures, but there is a resonance of mystery that to me, ties them together.
Thank you again for this lovely production! ❤
You probably have these same things where you live! New England & NYS have lots of them! Have you seen the videos here? A walk in the woods might bring a surprise or two!
Loved your comment.
Keep exploring. Hi from Aotearoa/New Zealand, where there are very mysterious ancient stone walls.
The sensitivity shown when first walking through the homes of Skara Brae made me cry. The whole documentary was filled with respect. Thank you.
Thank you Sandra, Rupert here. It really is a wonderful experience when you genuinely know you are sharing a space with the past. So glad you enjoyed it:)
Sandra Mann cry us a river.
When you stand in a place like Skara Brae try to be alone without any distrations,that's when the magic happens,for me anyway !
@@ThePrehistoryGuys what's the theory of the roof construction at those ancient abodes? The span from wall to wall is significant.
MCI - thanks to various excavations they have been able to deduce what the functioning structure was like. If you google Skara Brae reconstruction you’ll find a number of sites. There is a full blown reconstruction at the Skara Brae visitor centre, well worth a visit.
This is how a documentary should be made. Ten out of ten!👏👏👏
I keep coming back to watch this film, I think the biggest mystery is how you managed all those miles in a Land Rover Freelander without breaking down 😂. Congrats on a wonderful and enlightening documentary
This truly is one of the best, if not the best documentary made about the prehistoric stone circles. Full of information and stone circles I had never seen before. To think this was made by non-professionals, it puts all of the other documentaries made by professional TV companies and fronted by professional archeologists/historians to shame. It just shows what can be done if you truly want to share the passion and knowledge of a subject. The amount of views shows that this type of in depth documentary (which the BBC used to do years ago before they decided that nobody needed to learn anything anymore and should be spoon fed snippets of information because that is all we are capable of absorbing) can still be popular.
Almost blushing! 😊 Thank you Stephen - you've perceived exactly what we set out to do. We're a bit old school and we too were missing the way docs were put together in the past. Hey ho. It must be acknowledged however that what we lacked in money/personnel was made up for by what we did have: time. That was the factor that made the most difference. But thank you. It's really heartening when folk such as yourself 'get' what we were trying to do!
agreed :(
BBC, the propaganda network. Pretty much like ours in the US these days as well.
Agreed Stephen. You can immediately tell this guy is not a professional because he combs his hair and is far too nicely dressed. This is the best docu I've seen in years, and I like documentaries.
I think this highlights the changing nature of media and just how much money is wasted in so many productions. With the greatly reduced cost of quality video equipment and the ability to transmit video to millions at a minimal or non-existent cost to the creator, we will see some incredible independent documentaries on every subject imaginable. This may also open up certain fields which have a history of being not only resistant to new ideas, but actively hostile to the point of harming our understanding. I could use many examples but Blue Fish Caves is one of the most blatant examples of good evidence being disregarded because it trod on the toes of people who had invested a great deal into the Clovis first theory.
I also had never heard of half these stone monuments before seeing this and I am blown away at the sheer quantity that are spread throughout Britain. When I get the chance to return home I will definitely be traveling to these locations, all because of the efforts of these two men. I doubt I will be alone.
While lots of people are watching tiger king, I’m soaking up documentaries of the ancient world and loving every second!
This is a great documentary, but Tiger King had a place in time.
I'm 37, and I've been watching documentaries for all my life. This is the best one yet. The dedication and passion for the subject is great. The personal approach, yet scholarly quality is even greater. Thanks.
Wow, thank you!
Kllrtofu and respect for our ancestors,.. fur wearing Neanderthals?,... I think not.
@@corrinnegarfield2460 I don't seem to be able to understand your remark.
Here is the very first full length documentary ever made!
ruclips.net/video/9tuTKhqWZso/видео.html
As an American, to be looking upon the works of my ancient ancestors is a transcendent experience...
Indeed. American that is Genetically speaking 100% Irish-English-Scots-Welsh mutt. Fascinating video. Looking to visit soon.
@@pentegarn1
why don't you look at the Myan's and the Incas
@@annychest718 I've tried it too if you're not in the bloodline you're pretty much shunned that's what I've dealt with also
Dude, Watson Brake in Louisiana is older than Stonehenge, about 3500 BCE. Two mounds on the LSU campus are now under investigation as the ‘oldest’ man-made structures in the Americas. The Clovis Culture in New Mexico dates from 11,500 - 10,800 BCE. Clovis weren’t even the ‘first’ Americans.
Cactus Hill near Richmond, VAnwas inhabited 16,000 - 20,000 years ago. Norte Chico culture of Peru (Caral Supe) is contemporaneous with the Unification of Egypt under King Narmer.
There’s abundant prehistory in the Americas but the distances are vast…. The earth work and mound building civilizations used to hold a larger part in our imagination and our history books, but nobody really spends much time on this anymore. The pre-history is there in abundance and it is accessible.
@@annychest718as an American that’s what I was thinking.
Whenever i hear about the Druid's last stand on Menai, i cannot help but feel a deep sadness about our history and wisdom that we lost.
Fantastic production you have created, I'm not all the way through it yet, I'm thoroughly enjoying it but had to comment when you mentioned the destruction the Romans csused.
⁰
The Romans, yes. 😢🥺😔
Having watched this over and over I am awed and enthralled with every detail, appreciative of the time and effort spent on this wondrous journey. Being at my home in Stone Mountain, GA these last 10 months in the USA, as I am at risk, and seeing how full of hate and utter selfishness many of my fellow American's are, having concerns for our very Democracy, fears for my children and young grandson, so much fear. This breathtaking trip through ancient and mystical ruins is like finding a lake in the desert. I am grateful and feel so much peace and hope from this great work. It makes me realize how small and meaningless are all our woes. Thank you to these guys from my heart, from my bones!
Lovely way of putting it. And how warming to hear we've provided some solace.Thank you Ms. Siege 😊Michael.
Stone Mountain, GA was the pinnacle of hatred back in the 20th century and before, with its KKK active even through the 1990's. I've since moved from Atlanta to warm & sunny St. Petersburg, FL. I trust that is the hatred you are referring to. I saw it all when I lived in Atlanta including a race war heat up in the 90's. Glad I am out of there.
@@paulazemeckis7835 We bought our Stone Mountain home in June of 1993, as "white flight" took place. We intentionally moved here to raise my daughters in a mixed neighborhood with many types of people and religions. My daughters are all about unity and open-mindedness. It was also in the county with the largest number of Democrats in the state. Everyone in my neighborhood wears a mask and during the election I never saw one single Trump sign. The one old timer who flew a rebel flag took it down 10 years ago when his mixed race grandbaby was born. In Stone Mountain we have moved on from the KKK.
@@paulazemeckis7835 Glad you are also happy where you live! My father is from St. Pete.
@@paulazemeckis7835 , it is good that you have left because the kkk has been replaced by the modern day democratic party, a much more evil and sinister entity.
This is the first time a documentary has made me seriously want to move to Britain.
I had no idea that the stone circles and henges were so widespread as well as absolutely beautiful.
I've watched this at least a dozen times and I can honestly say that every time I do I come away with a greater sense of wonder.
Simply put, this is without a doubt the most concise and comprehensive film on this topic I have ever seen.
Kudos to you guys for an excellent presentation.
And many thanks for your efforts and sharing this.
Hi Ross, Rupert here. Thanks very much for your comment, glad you enjoyed it so much. It's certainly true that Britain is a pleasure ground for stone hunters. You could move here and visit a site a day for the rest of your life, whatever age you are!
Go EGYPT PYRAMIDS.
What a refreshing, sensible point of view. I love this. Having the humility to say, "we don't know" should be the most prized asset of any historian rather than the arrogant views we often get.
I totally agree
What a GRAND way to portray simplemindedness! Thank you!
What a refreshing, sensible point of view. I love this. Having the humility to say, "we don't know" should be the most prized asset of any historian rather than the arrogant views we often get.
I agree as he stated near the beginning of the documentary that we find these structures but we do not know the purpose. I would guess that the interiors could have turned to dust centuries ago.
Breathtaking in scope and content - an absolute tour de force and one of the finest prehistoric documentaries that I've seen in my 50 years walking the lands of my ancestors. Thank you!
I concur, also in my 50’s & like this documentary have roots that go all over the UK. This was utterly brilliant. Hope you’re well
Came for the stone circles, stayed for the button. Gorgeous documentary that does not dabble in nonsense, treats its viewers with respect, and takes us on a beautifully filmed journey across the deep time evident in your fabled land.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
This documentary is absolutely brilliant, I kept pausing just to gaze at the scenery I'm going to watch it again once is not enough.
Aw - thank you Ann. That's great to hear. 😊
Me too! I’ve just got to get it on a bigger screen lol. 😀
Yep, I'm on my third watch in two weeks
Peak Weimar what??🤨
one of the best most honest documentary's I have watched in years
You bet me to it. He doesn’t tell you what they are ... just that they are.
and created roughly 10 years ago... or an epoch in electrical, electronic time
before people decided they had to think for you and scold (or worse) you - when you got out of line.
Rupert, you’ve created a masterpiece of quiet miracles, that I’ve always been interested in, but about which I knew nothing. It still looks as though the mystery continues but pointing out the thousands of stone monuments at least gives so much credit to our ancestors. Thank you so much because you’ve given me, (For one), a much better idea of what’s gone on before. I have now seen the very best documentary I’ve ever seen, and at 76, I have seen hundreds. Dave in Phoenix Arizona USA
Not sure how many times I have watched this, but again today I have a lump in my throat at the very fine ending. It's a touching conclusion and the whole project is so insightful. Thanks again!
This is one of my absolute favorite things to watch. I don't think this film gets nearly enough credit for the sheer scope of what it accomplishes. This film and the companion book are mainstays that I always return to, I simply never get tired of it.
How engaging this man is- and what a lovely manner in which he imparts his knowledge. Thoroughly recommend this.
Very kind of you to say so! 😊Best wishes from Michael
The Prehistory Guys The best one I’ve seen. I’ve watched a few; not as many as I would like but the best yet. An added benefit- it more than likely lowered my blood pressure but peaked my curiosity. I stayed awake the entire two hours fifteen minutes.... as I was trying to go to sleep.
I agree, excellent!
I have a passion for pre- and ancient history. Refreshing not to hear the adjectives "religious, sacred, beliefs or temple". Also, I am amazed of the number of stone sites. I knew there were more, but so many and so different in the formation and style? Main stream media neglects to show all the other wonderful sites beside, the famous "Stonehenge ". I am curious, what did the ancients do for fun or humor? Although, we will never know, they were human. The purpose of their stones had to bring some sort of emotional gratification. This is my introduction to this site. I look forward to see and hear your thoughts on more history. Thanks
He is lovely but I am biased he's my brother!
Remnant Englishness surviving the death of modernism.
Love watching this beautifully made documentary over and over.
always want to say hi to you. You are such a beauty I pray to God to give you a lot of beautiful days and I hope God bless you to have a great day, I'm Williams by name from Arizona phonex and you where are you from...?
I have read numerous books on this topic over many years, and I learned more by watching this program than in all of them. My wife and I have watched this at least 5 times and will always return to it. We wish it were a series. Thank you for putting your passion into it.
As an American of Irish and English descent, I deeply appreciate the time, effort, and care you employed to bring the past to light for me. A complete joy to watch which I will pass on and repeat for myself. Thx much.
A look with an open mind, *"how refreshing"!*
More please
Beautiful and moving and informative. Thank you!
Im not sure how you tube is just recommending your site to me … but, boy do I have some binging to do! This made my heart sing, gave me chills at times, makes me want visit the uk again and follow your path to see these sites… and felt like a real us weakling when you climbed that ax making mountain in such nasty weather … respect for all of you on that day of filming!! Let the binging begin!! I’m also wishing I’d followed my love of history instead of the career I’ve had… I’m nearly 60 now, but it’s never too late to learn I always say. Thanks for making it easy by bringing it to my living room
I've watched this documentary several times and it just gets better and better.
This is amazing! Who knew that an entire video devoted to stones would be so utterly fascinating! The pace is perfect and I love the truthfulness of "we don't know" that is brought out in this video. There is no pretending to be all knowing like so many other videos about ancient artifacts or people. That's quite refreshing. Thank you also for including a map with place names and tracing the route of where you guys went. That's so helpful when it comes to jotting areas down for those of us who would like to travel to these places or find out more about them :) Great job Prehistory Guys!
Thanks very much @backyardprovence!
best comment ever.. and completely agree.. thanks for sharing so much interesting knowledge & merry xmas 2020 all x
I'm in the US and I've seen this 4 or 5 times this week alone!! So enjoy every single minute, thank you!!
you have no life
Berenice Strnot
I just watched it for the first time today, and know already that I'll come back and back again to enjoy the fantastic descriptions and the wonderful landscapes. I'll recommend this piece of art to my friends.
I first saw your program in 2009. My family and I traveled to the UK and Scotland and visited some of the sites in the program. Your work genuinely inspired me. I put your lessons in my little treasure chest and have found them invaluable to piecing together my own puzzles of the past. Many of the methods I have found particularly useful working in the higher-educational system. In 1809 Edward Davies published "The Mysteries and Rites of the British Druids" which is less about the traditional robed Druids of lore, and more about how druids, bards, and others were masters of languages. Their system of instruction was developed from techniques perfected in prehistory. This work contains tantalizing clues to how our ancient forefathers progressed from ancient stone circles to language ripe with symbolism and allegory. Thank you for your work. It has really made an impact on my hobbies and understanding of this wonderful Earth. You can almost trace a path from these stones to ancient languages, myths, legends and stories;, the development of original schools of education; alchemy, which led to what we know as modern science; and our understanding of the universe. Truly the circles are of such significance but one cannot put them into proper context without studying much of prehistory. Your work is invaluable and I return to it year after year. Well done and I am happy to be your Patron!
Thank you so much Michael - really appreciated.
Go to the PYRAMIDS.
Finally, a history programme which moves the wonderful stories without recourse to unnecessary dramatic’ recreations’. It is beautifully shot with clear explanation and honest comments. I have enjoyed this immensely and learned so much. I will definitely be in these great landscapes amongst these amazing structures as soon as possible. Thank you for this.
Wow! Thank you so much 😊Best wishes from Michael
always want to say hi to you. You are such a beauty I pray to God to give you a lot of beautiful days and I hope God bless you to have a great day, I'm Williams by name from Arizona phonex and you where are you from...?
«... they didn’t go anywhere - we are still here» - this ending is so powerful.
Many thanks from Michael! So glad you enjoyed it 😊
Agreed! I still get goose-bumps just remembering watching it.
This is actually my third time watching this. Excellent quality, and not click bait where half the info is incorrect.
I loved this work. The only major trip I ever took (I live in the American midwest) was to England, Scotland, and Orkney around 1985 on my own. I signed up for a week-long archaeological tour that visited the sites on Orkney included here, and it was one of the highlights of my life. I was so happy as you ended with the Tomb of the Eagles. A few artifacts that the family had they kept in their home, and as Stan Headley was a friend, we were invited to touch and explore. The tomb was remarkable. Thanks for bringing back the awe I felt visiting Maes Howe, Skara Brae, and the stone circles.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
I pray to God to give you a lot of beautiful days and I hope God bless you to have a great day, I'm Williams by name from Arizona phonex and you where are you from?
Go to Egypt.
my ancestor was the Queen of Orkney..illegitimate line of William of Orange
should this be the Tomb of the Golden Eagles?
A real quality documentary, the like of which most have forgotten how to make.
Stunning photography, intimate knowledge, a passion for the subject, just takes you on a trip through these Isles of ours.. We were so much more before we were the jingoistic little people we are now.
Thank you so much for sharing your excitement and wonder... Over two hours just gone... taking me on a journey deep into the past..A real pleasure to watch.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am a Brit living in the Smokie Mountains of the USA, and I built a 10 FT high HENGE in my large garden just last year out of the local granite rock....I am a dowser and knew I had to do this. My health improved in everyway.....these Stones (Needles...) definitely tap into and open up the earth energy. I sleep looking out onto these massive stones, lined up in a row, glowing white in the moonlight....I call them my Guardians. I feel so blessed!
Do u live on lay lines? Let lines? Spelling?
@@tnt75142 It's ley lines, I think :-)
chichibond Energy dowsing is self delusion. You cannot dowse for unknown energies, and every sort of energy can be measured by science.
@@Foxglove963 "every sort of energy can be measured by science". Really?
@@Foxglove963 Known energies. There is ALOT that we have yet to explain or understand yet.
From the introduction where he says that he is not an academic or an expert and modestly admits that he may be talking rubbish, he got my attention. Clearly an honest man. They have jointly created a masterpiece.
Very kind of you to say so! 😊Best wishes from Michael
I loved this documentary! I've been "trying" to get fascinated by this era and standing stones for a while, but it every other presentation has always made it all appear to be nothing but a bunch of rocks. There is passion, charisma and spot-on humour in this documentary that I absolutely love. Thank you to the filmmakers and researchers! More please!
Thank you Thomas - and it's just the two of us, Michael and Rupert. Do subscribe to our Prehistory Guys channel or our patreon if you'd like to see more.
always want to say hi to you. You are such a beauty I pray to God to give you a lot of beautiful days and I hope God bless you to have a great day, I'm Williams by name from Arizona phonex and you where are you from...?
Im a history buff, and this video is one of the best I have ever watched. Its not only a wonderful adventure, its more informative than anyone might hope for. 🤗🤔🤗🤗🤗
The best documentary I've seen about my favorite period in human (pre)history. Measured, rational, unassuming, humble, and humbling.
Blessings to you Tipi. Thank you.
Mine too, i cant get enough of pre roman Britain, it's super fascinating. Too bad everything we know is just the tip of the iceberg, man i wish so much that we had a perfect picture of like for example, the isle of Anglesey during the height of druidism.
@Libby Berman His name is Rupert Soskin thamesandhudson.com/authors/rupert-soskin-17414
@@ThePrehistoryGuys Have you ever thought using a mini drone to get above views of those ancients sites?
Drones weren't available back in 2006/7 when we were making the film. However, if you look through the films on this channel made in the last two years you'll get plenty of drone action! 😁
What a really wonderful, gorgeously produced video! We often forget that archaeology and paleontology came into being as the result of enquiring, non-academic minds (many of them British) who just looked, dug, collected and put forward suggestions. And for once not having some overblown presenter tossing their hair about and being melodramatic was a treat. And linking modern day or latter day folklore to the deep past is exactly how Schliemann - another amateur - discovered Troy. When I lived in Kiev I wondered why Ukrainians don't shake hands with arriving guests in the doorway to their home, and never embrace hello or goodbye there either. It was odd the way they shied away from being touched when entering my flat or my office as guests. I did some research and found out that Bronze Age Ukrainians buried their dead beneath the entrance ways to their dwellings and for me, at least - and I'm not an archaelogist - that explained it. Not clearly, but enough to see the connection. Complete thumbs up for this doc - 'liked' and 'subscribed'!
Chuckle chuckle at the long hair reference.....................
This is so well presented, the shear quantity of sites all over Britain--which truly opened my eyes. Especially your theory on cultural change. Moreover, how our ancestors have been mostly forgotten and our lives replaced with artificial nuances--that have very little meaning. Thank you so much for this paradigm shifting experience.
wonderful. Love that it brings out the fact that these people were *people* something I often muse on visiting these sites. The bit at the end - I visited the Tomb of the Eagles one winter in the late 90's when I felt like the only tourist in the whole of orkney (when I visited Maes Howe the lady showing it turned all the lights out for me to show the sun down the passage). My visit to the tomb was wonderful - from using a pair of knee protectors made from old tire to scramble in and I realise it was Ronnie Simison who told me where to go and invited me into his - conservatory makes it sound way too grand - and showed me many of the things now in the museum and let me hold them!
I've been a time team fan for at least 10 yrs, and I wish I had known of these guys long ago! I'm a Canadian with Scottish heritage. I want to know how I can recreate and revisit every site in this documentary. I'm in awe and tip my hat in great respect for such a production involving 8 yrs of research and filming! Amazing, I will watch this many more times. Thank you for creating such a feat. Impressive! I will visit these sites one day.
What a lovely comment. Thank you. Feedback like this is a great affirmation of why we made the film in the first place. Do check the rest of the channel and the podcasts. Website: theprehistoryguys.uk/ Patreon: www.patreon.com/theprehistoryguys
Bloody fantastic. Such a well made, and generous film. One thing for which I'm incredibly grateful is the absence of musick when you're speaking, I appreciate being able to listen to what you're saying. Brilliant production. This popped up on my RUclips feed when I was missing Kilmartin, one of my favourite places on the planet. I was very much in need of a prehistoric hit. Thank you 😊 fab and well used graphics as well.
ha, I watch so many history doc's and YES the music can ruin the show.
always want to say hi to you. You are such a beauty I pray to God to give you a lot of beautiful days and I hope God bless you to have a great day, I'm Williams by name from Arizona phonex and you where are you from...?
This is so beautiful and fascinating. It's exactly what I've been hoping for - more in-depth information about stone age monuments in Ireland & Britain, with lots of up-close visuals. So often in books and documentaries on this subject, you just get a few little pictures or a few short clips, but this documentary really shows the feeling of being right there among the stones. Lots of interesting theories on their purposes, too.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I always want to say hi to you. You are such a beauty I pray to God to give you a lot of beautiful days and I hope God bless you to have a great day, I'm Williams by name from Arizona phonex and you where are you from
In between chores and visits this New Year’s Eve, I have been watching this - honestly, it has made my day. So good in every way - to watch someone passionate and open-minded about history, to see a comprehensive ‘tour’ of Britain - perfect in every way; thank you ❤ I’m alone tonight but happy to spend it with the ancestors, my pet rabbits and a good glass of wine 🍷 🎉
I'm halfway through and already fully agree with the other comments praising this. Fantastic quality of investigation (petrified tree!), lively, measured narration, not preachy or conspiratorial while also encouraging fun, open-minded speculation. Great work!
The petrified tree has been known about for at least forty years I'm afraid, I was shown it and told about it as a kid in about 1982.
@@sistersvsdad8579 I think the "new" part might be the marks that look like they were made in the bark.
By the way, it isn’t a tree. Michael and Rupert thought it was a tree when they made the film but have since found out it is actually stone 🙂
fantastic trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. I have said to myself many times : my main reason to go to England and Ireland, would be to visit all those stone circles, by seeing this documentary makes my desire to see them even greater. THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Me too. I have already made a route , thought about the hire car and bow just waiting for a little virus to subside....
Don't forget Wales and Scotland!
Such a stunning piece of film. Thank you. Thank you. . . And again, Thank you!
As an American watching this I’m struck by many things as I tagged along with you on this journey. The main thing is what’s missing around the major sites…the lack of commerce that would encroach around such sites if they were in the U.S. Where are the Holiday Inns? I had the good fortune of going to Stonehenge (and a few sites in Ireland). I was completely gobsmacked when from our car we could see that magnificent site miles away without businesses and billboards blocking our view. Much respect to the UK et al.
Fantastic documentary, a great reminder of the wealth of history i have left behind in Britain. How amazing the passing of time is. Out here in Australia where i now live is a very old culture though sadly troubled and often under appreciated by the newer more sophisticated and destructive culture super imposed upon it. The Colonials have much to learn from the people who have protected the fragile land for the last perhaps 60 millennia. Love your work.
ACADEMY AWARD material here. Absolutely stellar. Rupert Soskin and Michael Bott have produced an introspective look at our ancestors - through their passion for British archaelogy.
There is no filler here. Every bit of this documentary wonders what our ancestors were up to. It is incredible that hundreds of thousands of person hours were devoted to building these thousands of artifacts. Maybe our ancestors were not so worried about astrology, as they were interested in leaving a trace of their lives for future explorers to discover. THANK YOU to all involved in this wonderful production. It is just amazing.
Thanks for that Jeff - much appreciated 😊
This is incredible, I'm absolutely stunned! What an amount of work. Thank you. Exactly what I had always hoped to see in a single film since I won't be able to visit the sites myself. Just great.
Wow, thank you! Much appreciated 😊
Beautiful. No hand-waving or outlandish claims - just showing what's there and letting it tell its story. Kudos.
I stumbled across your video as I was searching for something else. I COULD NOT stop watching! This was absolutely fascinating! I had no idea whatsoever that there are so many sites scattered throughout the United Kingdom. Just wonderful. Thank you very much!
Highly recommended! I've always wanted to find a doc on British ancient sites.
Well photographed! Well written! Nicely done.
Awesome! Thank you! 😊
Highly recommend this to anyone who reads the comments to decide if it’s worth a watch. It is most definitely worth a watch! 🙌🙌🙌
Definitely worth watching, i've spread the word to a dozen or so people. I'll be traveling to some of these sites once CV has ended, some of them have unusual magnetic behaviour and i'd like to know why.
Gary McKinnon - make a film of it with the results....sounds interesting! 🙌
Absolutely incredible amount of time, effort and energy went into this wonderful program. So very fascinating, I hung on every word and delighted in every image! Having been to some of these magical places in Ireland and Scotland brought every memory back! Thank you a thousand times over! Bravo!
This was so interesting.
I’m actually going to Orkney in September, I cannot wait!
To see a village so well preserved will be an incredible experience.
I am addicted to documentaries. I watch them all the time, mainly about history, but about many other subjects too. This is the BEST documentary I've ever watched. Absolutely riveting. Beautifully filmed, enthusiastically presented and thoughtfully put together. There's nothing I can say that can make justice to this breathtaking documentary masterpiece. Thank you for efforts and great artistry. It has been (and it shall be, for I intend to watch it many times more) a wonderful experience. I shall recommend it to everyone I know.
Wow - bit overwhelmed there! Thank you so much 😊Best wishes from Michael
@@ThePrehistoryGuys Superb Program 👌 Love it much.
very rarely do I start to watch a program that is 2 hrs+ Long and sit and watch transfixed wishing it was 4 hrs long
Thank you for this
Absolutely loved this and the respect and curiosity of Rupert as he travels the length and breadth of the British Isles taking us on this journey into the past. Thanks an amazing insight into all these amazing locations and their monuments.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
I always want to say hi to you. You are such a beauty I pray to God to give you a lot of beautiful days and I hope God bless you to have a great day, I'm Williams by name from Arizona phonex and you where are you from
I've been to Kilmartin years ago, led by some interesting spots on the map and found those standing stones and engraved circles. Always wondered what they were. A map or a kind of 'mother stone' is a sensible explanation. I suppose people who made it all weren't just simple shepherds but at the same time, they couldn't have some master's degrees. They just had to have great connection with nature and observed it since they could walk, were thaught by elders, their lives depended on those skills. I guess that connection made them do those things, get together and create something that would represent unity between people, nature and the universe. I.e.: that moon 'walking' on the laying stone: they couldn't go to see the moon up close so they made it come to them, probably sat and watched it together like a telly (bit of magic show). Same with the sun. All about unity I think and celebrating, admiring nature, giving something back, offering, etc. Or, less romantic, controlling others by 'magic tricks'? It still happens today 😄
Today, an average human hardly knows anything about the sky and what's going on up there. Even my grandparents knew more about those things than people today. Now we've got google and know very little and have scarce unity left.
Amazing documentary, thought provoking, with such a fresh look on those things, and not at all patronising. I'm really bored with those warship and calendar explanations that don't add up. Loved it!
I’m BLOWN AWAY. OMG.
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL.
WELL DONE 👍🏻
What a pleasure: wonderful cinematography, lesser known sites, fresh perspectives. A great way to spend an evening!
Glad you enjoyed it Miranda! 😊
I just happened upon this one doc and I am floored! As was possibly again before, you supplied so much info w/details. But you left room open for our own decisions, thoughts, dreams... I am rather puzzled why others only ever want to tell about the famous known ones. I always suspected much was left out from other docs.
When you stood in that one room towards the end, and became still, my thoughts flowed and swirled as I looked at the stone items. I felt your respect and shared your wonderment. Thank you. Now I'm off to watch more!!👍
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it.
Just came across this. Fascinating! I was blown away by the standing stones of Callanish. If that site was used to accurately track the lunar cycle, do you know if it could be used to predict the tides? Where I live, in coastal Alaska, knowing when, falling or rising, or how big the tides are can be vital information on a daily basis.
I went looking for a specific dolmen in Ireland (I think. I'd have to look at my journal to know for sure). It was on private land, so no visiting without permission. I thought to maybe just see it. Of course I had no idea where I was headed, I wound up on some road I learned later was at least a mile away. I spotted a pile of rocks in a field that was surrounded by a fence. That must be a cairn. So I parked and walked through the grass. I'm pretty sure it was a cairn, it was over grown. So okay a pile of rocks overgrown, a bit of a shrug. But then I remembered that in some cases these things line up with notches in ridges, and with other cairns, so I started looking. Almost immediately I spotted three more probably cairns. I think one of the best trips to Britain or Ireland is to visit a few sites, read up on them, and then keep your eyes open. It's not just that archeology is everywhere, it's that you can spot it if you only look. I spent the last night of my hike through Dorset next to a barrow. Bedding down with the ancients.
Lovely to hear. Thank you 😊
"As if the Motorways were built by shoppers." This film so teased my imagination I had to watch it again to pick up the parts my imagination flew past on the first go. Drive eight thousand miles to look at rocks. Brilliant.To this goofy Yank you Brits are just too cool.
Great visual tour of megalithic sites, stone circles and cairns across the British Isles. Fascinating and enlightening!
I was completely mesmerized, because I was completely there! What a grand exposition of prehistoric times, so carefully described. I LOVED IT.
Thank you so much Nicki! Best wishes, Rupert
This came by recommendations from YT...I saw the length...I thought...''I'll watch an hour and leave the rest until coffee time''...I forgot...I was so enjoying it that I watched until the very end...coffee time will be filled will be filled...will be going through another of your videos
An evocative, thought-provoking and beautifully produced documentary , which I thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you
Glad you enjoyed it!
You guys are my new heroes! I am blown away that this was made by two amateurs. I watched this video, and then signed up for an online documentary-film-making course the next day.
Thank you so much for taking the time to say so Myra! Much appreciated. 😊 Good luck with the course!
Absolutely fantastic, could not take my eyes away for one moment, fascinating and so very moving. '..we're still here'.. such a beautiful denouement, I nearly cried.
I always want to say hi to you. You are such a beauty I pray to God to give you a lot of beautiful days and I hope God bless you to have a great day, I'm Williams by name from Arizona phonex and you where are you from
Here's a little nugget that might date the petrified tree: Lake Kaindy in Kyrgystan is only about 100 years old. It used to be a medium-sized ravine. About 100 years ago, there was an earthquake and the ravine was instantly filled with water that was so cold, it petrified the pine trees in the bottom. They are still standing today. Perhaps the tree in Bryn Celli Dhu was a remnant of an ice age flood and was remembered. Perhaps that site, originally, had been a village wiped out by said glacial tsunami, with that being the only surviving piece of it but remembered, revered and mourned in many centuries that followed.
Hi Danyelle! Thanks for that. You'll be interested in our update to the speculations about the 'tree' in this podcast of ours from 2018: ruclips.net/video/_yfb10pHBOk/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/LjA-jYEWlwU/видео.html Here's a link to a really interesting look
at how old trees, or bark in coal layers and how we can mistake the
age and formation of them etc. Using evidence from the eruption of mount St Helens and the floating log mat in Spirit Lake.
sorry to disappoint you, but the pillar stone is blueschist, a metamorphic rock which is formed et high temperature & pressure deep within the Earth, whereas petrified wood has been buried under sediment & the wood is slowly replaced by silicates Impossible to confuse the two!.
angela fay - just about to say the same. It took 10 seconds on google to find this out.
Otherwise, good documentary.
@@angelafay2329 I was wondering about that too. But maybe it's my device I just couldn't be sure if that is what I was possibly seeing. My grandfather was an amateur geologist after he retired. So I grew up with a house surrounded by stones and books all about them.
Im daughter of a Scottish mother, she came to Australia when she was 8. This made me cry, and miss a country i have never seen or touched, and ancestors i dont know, yet my whole body and mind recognises these places intimately. Thankyou for such a beautiful journey in honour of our ancestors.
That's very moving to hear. Thank you for telling us! 😊
You must come and visit. This is our history, our culture.
In my childhood, whenever we went on a school trip, or Sunday school outing or out with the Brownies, it seemed we would almost always end up tripping over a stone circle of one sort or another. I am 71 so this would be back in the '50s. Remembering this in the past I used to contemplate the importance of these structures to our ancestors and what they could have meant. It was obviously mystical, and this documentary has shed much light on this idea. Thank you so much.
I loved and felt every minute of this documentary. Thank you for sharing these experiences so vividly and with such passion.
Fantastic! I may have lived all of my 68 years in Australia, but these were my people too. I may never see these treasures for myself, so I thank you so much for this gift. Please keep making content like this, it is so appreciated.
Glad you enjoyed it! We'll do our best to keep it coming ... 😊
I'm of similar age to you and I'm in Australia too. I agree with all you've said. I absolutely love learning about and seeing all this. I truly wish I could go see for myself
I’m English, but I now live in Australia with my Aussie husband and grown sons. It fills my heart with joy that two Australian people on here appreciate the British history, their history. I love Australia, it’s so beautiful. I do miss the history of my homeland though. Isn’t it wonderful? 🌹
K.A Layne...I am 68 too, I too live in Australia and these were my people too...could we be twins separated at birth?
Thanks for not destroying the fantastic experience with commercial interruptions.👏🏻
The pre-Roman age is the most interesting to me. Would have loved to travel back in time and seen what happened in those ancient times.
How refreshing to hear your common sense explanations of these prehistoric mysteries. Stone circles always seemed to me to be defense structures and dwellings, some more complex than others. I really liked your idea of the circular motifs on stones being maps. Fantastic overview of the stones of Britain and Ireland - I have them all mapped out (in France too) and hope to visit my favourites one day!
Thank you for adding this in full length! I've seen this many times, and it never gets old; always fascinating.
Less than 5 minutes in and I am HOOKED. Loving this. Thank YOU so much!!!!!!
So glad! Thank you 😊
Thank you for making this movie and posting it on youtube. I have never heard of all these sites and had no idea that England and Ireland had so many sites. I will be re-watching this one as I am sure I will even more with doing this. Thanks!
Thank you so much for taking the time to say so Laura! Much appreciated. 😊
Wow! Literally, I have come across such a beautiful picture with a killer smile after a long time and you answered my name.
A wonderful presentation is truly an understatement, thank you for your time, passion and effort that went into making this documentary of our fascinating heritage! Makes me yearn so deeply for the freedom to visit all these sites.
I crawled inside a small passage tomb in Ireland and even though it was not monumental it was none the less extraordinary and constructed to last thousands of years.
Special places indeed. Hope you enjoyed the film. 😊
So lucky. Musta been nice.
Easily the most fascinating documentary I have ever watched.
Wow. Thank you! 😊
Oh Caro I'm so with you in your praise...plus I have been lucky enough to have visited and lived near many of the mentioned circles and kists. They, like the History Guys are exceptional.
Wow! What can I say, that was absolutely beautiful to watch, truly a work of art and a joy to watch 👏👏👏 bravo and thank you to everyone involved 👏👏👏
Thank you for it was with such pleasure to be invited to join you on this comprehensive journey. In Australia can only dream of visiting the ancient sites of my/our ancestors. Thank you again.
As I enjoy this masterpiece, sitting in my room, knowing, that I'm living in alleged cradle of Celts and even much older cultures - Czech Republic. And even though we have here lots of great historic and prehistoric sites, I must confess that I have visited only few of them. Your enthusiasm is really motivational. I should visit more of them and in some future I will visit even those wonders of your country.
Thanks to all members of The Prehistory Guys for this document.
(Subscribed)
You're very welcome Pavel Brodský 😊
A brilliant film about a much ignored and misunderstood part of human history. Its a shame Shetland doesn't merit a mention but that doesn't detract from the fantastic tale you have shown and told. Thank you.
Excellent work. Amazing quality, Honest unbiased narration. Thank you
Many thanks from Michael! So glad you enjoyed it 😊
I can't thank you guys enough. This film has awakened something deep within my soul. I've introduced my friend to this film and your channel, and we watched the film again, pausing for discussion. Last year, I started the process of converting my Galaxy into a Campercar and as soon as we are able to roam, I shall be starting on my journey of following in your footsteps and visiting as many sites as I can.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing.
Never gave these stones a second thought,until i watched these programmes on tv.hooked instantly because of the way it was presented.theres something so relaxing about it that ive watched them numerous times.thanks rupert and Michael,well done.
Thank you Dean. We appreciate you taking the time to say so and hope you find our other content as rewarding! Cheers!