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Riding on the waves of the popular CGI movie, the History channel delves deeply into the creatures and paleo-Indians of this time period in North America.

Archeology has always fascinated me – especially excavations of ancient creatures that no longer roam the Earth, and the people who hunted them. While scientists cannot agree on some aspects of these finds, they do find some common ground. What fascinates me most is how they try to figure out why the nomadic people of 10,000 B.C. suddenly disappeared, along with certain vegetation and animals. Many don’t agree, and no one can be absolutely certain.

Their theories are illustrated in a History channel documentary, Journey to 10,000 B.C., available now on DVD. This 94-minute documentary is heavy on computer graphics, and easily interplays interviews with archeologists and other experts with illustrations of their theories. It’s not big budget Hollywood, but the graphics are good for the small screen.  Nearly everything is referenced to the Clovis, N.M. findings that were supposed to be the earliest signs of man in the U.S.

This was filmed before a recent archaeological find of life before Clovis. I would be very interested to know what the experts would have said about the discovery of those petrified turds – called coprolites in polite company –  which showed signs of man dating to two thousand years before they settled in Clovis. Other theories included the suggestion that instead of migrating through the Bering Strait, that people build primitive boats and sailed to North America from Europe.

The documentary also highlights prehistoric animals like saber-toothed tigers and furry mammoths, and what it must have been like for man to be prey to them before high-powered weapons could save the day. Its theories are numerous, with as much solid scientific backing as is available. Viewers also get a sneak peek into archaeological digs and see firsthand how scientists develop theories as they uncover ancient artifacts.

Journey to 10,000 B.C. offers an intriguing look into prehistoric life in North America, and is a must watch for subscribers to Archeology magazine, or anyone interested in prehistoric man. It is also interesting enough to capture the attention of fickle students, who might embrace a video of historic theories over words in a text book.

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