Archeology Quest: The Paleolithic Age

The world of fungi has been exploited by humans for tens of thousands of years, whether it's for food, medicine, leaving messages, or other practical purposes. Plenty of modern humans have continue to practice foraging as well, but it's a skill that takes time and practice to master. For two amateurs, the forest is equal parts danger and discovery.

Spears are the earliest form of projectile weapon, with the oldest known wooden spears dating back 350,000 years. Over time, hominins figured out how to improve on the initial invention: sharp stone tips, then a spear launcher called an atlatl. And while some modern humans still use these weapons for hunting, you're much more likely to get meat at the grocery store. Learning to throw spears as a complete novice takes precision, skill, and most of all-lots of practice.

The first step in hominin technology was stone tools, and they endured for 3 million years. Used by Australopithecines, Neanderthals, Homo erectus, and Homo sapiens, the tools come in a huge variety of styles. Today, though, only experts know how to create these tools. Learning to make them can be a real challenge for beginners and comes with its own risks.

Pottery has been around for at least 23,000 years and is one of the most common things found at archeological sites. It can tell researchers a great deal about ancient societies: what they were eating, how the culture was organized, and how ideas traveled. But for two modern humans attempting to learn the skill over the course of a few days, there are more than a few pitfalls.