Length: Approximately 45 minutes

Age Appropriateness Rating: This documentary television program is appropriate for students in grades 7 through 12.

Creators and Stars: Narrated by Leonard Nimoy.

Historical Accuracy: The audio content of this episode is fairly accurate overall.

Review: While the audio content of this documentary is fairly accurate, the images often are not. The director/producer seems to have weak knowledge of the subject matter, and voiceovers about Neanderthals are often given over video images of early hominids who are most decidedly not Neanderthals. It seems like the documentary was pieced together with stock footage. Additionally, there are some cartoonish graphics that may cause giggles from teenagers. We recommend that educators stay away from this video; there are better films available on this subject matter.

Miscellaneous: There are much better documentaries on early hominids out there (this one covers hominids living from 100,000 to 35,000 years ago). However, it is hard to find one that fits so neatly into a class period as this.

Click here for a note-taking worksheet that students can complete as they watch this episode.