This series tells the story of mankind, in this episode starting billions of years ago with the early days of the earth's existence, when there was not yet life on our planet.

This video on the history of life on Earth looks at the emergence of reptiles and amphibians on land, and the different types of dinosaurs that roamed the land before continental drift occurred.

The dinosaurs die out and the Earth is populated with small mammals and apes, who slowly adapt to their surroundings over millions of years.

Now the apes are slowly climbing down from the trees and starting to walk upright. What are the names of the next species and what characterizes them? Join us and witness this stage of our journey through the history of mankind.

The age of Homo erectus has dawned! What abilities did he have and in what ways did he resemble modern humans? To find out, watch this video, which ends with a quotation from one of Germany's greatest poets, Friedrich Schiller.

Life is hard for Homo erectus, whose biggest challenge is to find enough food. At some point, one thing becomes very clear: It's better to hunt as a team!

In this episode of our journey through time, we meet the Neanderthals, who roamed the European continent for around 65,000 years before disappearing almost without a trace. They lived as clans of hunter-gatherers, and knew how to make tools and fire.

The Neanderthals discover that tools can be made from stones, new hunting methods are discovered, and the many different clans try to resolve disputes through negotiation.

The banished hunter finds a mate and is accepted into his new family as an equal. But there is someone who does not like that at all...

The Neaderthals discover that fire makes meat taste better than ever! As time goes on, they also refine their hunting techniques and even work out how to lay rather sophisticated traps.

The climate is getting colder, the animals are disappearing, and the Neanderthals are gradually running out of food. Times are tough, and the Neanderthals are being forced to do whatever they can to survive.

The cold weather and a shortage of food eventually drove the Neanderthals to extinction, clearing the stage for Cro-Magnons, our direct ancestors. But you'll have to wait for the next episode to find out more about that!