Ancestors: An Evening with Alice Roberts

What can a grave tell us about a person? Did the Neanderthals bury their dead? Why was a man from the Alps buried in Wiltshire, four thousand years ago? How is genetics revolutionising what we know about the deep past? And what does all this mean for us, today?

These are just some of the questions Alice Roberts will be exploring as she takes us on a tour of her pick of the most fascinating burials in Britain, with behind-the-scenes insights from digs and filming – and a chance to buy a signed copy of her new book: ‘Ancestors’.

About her book ‘Ancestors’:

An extraordinary exploration of the ancestry of Britain through seven burial sites. By using new advances in genetics and taking us through important archaeological discoveries, Professor Alice Roberts helps us better understand life today.

‘While the rest of us read words, Alice reads bones – and what stories they have to tell. In her hands they seem slick with life, bearing messages from ancient worlds. I was captivated.’
– Neil Oliver

‘This is a terrific, timely and transporting book – taking us heart, body and mind beyond history, to the fascinating truth of the prehistoric past and the present’
– Bettany Hughes

We often think of Britain springing from nowhere with the arrival of the Romans. But in Ancestors, pre-eminent archaeologist, broadcaster and academic Professor Alice Roberts explores what we can learn about the very earliest Britons, from burial sites and by using new technology to analyse ancient DNA.

Told through seven fascinating burial sites, this groundbreaking prehistory of Britain teaches us more about ourselves and our history: how people came and went and how we came to be on this island. It explores forgotten journeys and memories of migrations long ago, written into genes and preserved in the ground for thousands of years.

This is a book about belonging: about walking in ancient places, in the footsteps of the ancestors. It explores our interconnected global ancestry, and the human experience that binds us all together. It’s about reaching back in time, to find ourselves, and our place in the world.