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Neanderthals, the Final Clash: From One Murder Case to Species Disappearance
They ruled Eurasia for over 300,000 years - fearless hunters with powerful builds, advanced tools, and social structures rivaling our own. Then, they vanished. This documentary delves into the mysterious disappearance of the Neanderthals. With cutting-edge archaeology, forensic reconstructions, and genetic research, scientists are uncovering new clues: Could it have been climate change? Disease? Or did competition - and even interbreeding - with early modern humans play a bigger role? We follow experts to Gibraltar, the Caucasus, and beyond to trace the final footsteps of our closest ancient relatives. Through dramatic reconstructions and immersive visuals, we revisit the Neanderthals’ last strongholds and explore why, despite their strength and smarts, they were wiped out - while Homo sapiens survived.
Watch the full Neanderthal Apocalypse series here: https://youtu.be/KMiyN4XuPTY
00:00 The neanderthals were smarter than we thought
05:56 First murder case in human history
09:35 Interbreeding in the caves of Romania
14:07 Challenging Climate
16:56 The Supervolcano Theory
Series Credits:
WRITTEN BY: CARSTEN OBLAENDER, LAURIE K. MILLER, JOHN TERP
PRODUCERS: MARIA MACNEIL, CARSTEN OBLAENDER
DIRECTOR: JASON LEVANGIE
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: PAUL MCCURDY
EDITORS: HOLGER FINK, IAN ARWAS, TODD FOSTER, RON BATES
NARRATOR: DEMETRI GORITSAS
MUSIC COMPOSER: JIHWOAN AHN
CAMERA: ANDRE GÖTZMANN, JÜRGEN REHBERG, TOMMY SASSENBERG
GRAPHICS: ROGER GREIN, RUDI KIRSCHEN, HEATH MATHESON
PRODUCTION MANAGER: MARIA MACNEIL
UNIT MANAGER: MARC TETREAULT
FIELD PRODUCERS: STEPHAN ARAPOVIC, PHIL FRANK, BIRGIT TANNER
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: JULIA KELBLING, JEFFREY CHRISTIAN, TARA, DOYLE, LEE ANNE GILLIAN, GREG JACKSON, TINA KROHN, GISELLE MELANSON, AARON WILLIAMS
DEVELOPMENT PRODUCER: CLAIRE HEDGESPETH
1st AD: ADAM DEVILLER
3rd AD: MICHAEL COWIE
PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS: JASON CHILDS, GORDON PEASE, GRAEME PETERS, JEFF HACKETT, NICOLE MACNEIL, JONATHAN HAMES LEGGE, MARTIN TOMLINSON, JASON CHILDS, COLIN MACDONALD, KAITLIN PIANOSI, KATE FAGEN
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: ZOË BIGIO, SIOBHAN KENNEDY-CAMERON
PRODUCTION DESIGNER: ROBERT CHIASSON
PROPS MASTER: JASON JOHNSON
COSTUME DESIGNER: RACHAEL PARSONS
MAKE UP, SPECIAL EFFECTS: MARC DEVEAU, SHEILAGH MCGRORY, MATTHEW DEWILDE, LINDSAY THORNE, KELLY PROBYN-SMITH, SASHA ANDREWS
KEY HAIR: CAROLYN CONRAD
KEY GRIP: MICHAEL JACKSON
DAILY LIGHTING: KEVIN MACNEIL
BEST BOY GRIP: MAT BARKLEY
CAMERA ASSISTANTS: SCOTT THORNE, PATRICK CAMPBELL, MIKE PALMER
PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS: KELSEY MURRELL, MEGHAN HAWLEY
SOUND RECORDISTS: SEBASTIAN EHRIG, JONAS SCHREMPP, FALKO HACKEBEIL
MAKE UP ASSISTANT: VICTORIA BOUCHARD, CHRISTINE WASILEWSKI
ASSISTANT COSTUME DESIGNER: ANGELA BATEMAN, MARGARET MACCORMICK, JESSICA TATE
ASSISTANT EDITORS: DAVID STEWART, KEVIN RILEY
CREATIVE CONSULTANT: CARSTEN OBLAENDER
SOUND DESIGN/AUDIO MIX: NEAL GAUDET
PICTURE FINISHING: DOUG WOODS
DESCRIBED VIDEO: BRIAN POST
TRANSCRIBERS: ANDREW BATEMAN, ERIN OAKES
POST PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR: MARIA MACNEIL
SPECIAL THANKS TO: Andreas Kurzweil, Bärbel Auffermann, Andreas Pastoors, Hans Keppler, Bruce Vaughn, Silviu Constantin, Geoffrey Hargreaves, Dr. Dennis Lieu, Benjamin Vernot, GIBRALTAR MUSEUM, NEANDERTHAL MUSEUM FOUNDATION, UNIVERSITY OF BAYREUTH, HALLE STATE MUSEUM OF PREHISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER, NATIONAL Ice Core Laboratory, OSSERVATORIO VESUVIANO, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY, US CRYOTHERAPY, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
STOCK FOOTAGE PROVIDED BY: AXIOM, KINOCUT PICTURES, MARC, SZEGLAT, NAUTILUS LIZENZEN, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, POND 5, SHUTTER STOCK, STORM CENTRE
PRODUCED WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE: NOVA SCOTIA FILM INDUSTRY TAX CREDIT, Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: CARSTEN OBLAENDER
FOR HISTORY
Associate Producer: Zack Sweeney
Executive Producer: SUSAN WERBE
EXECUTIVE IN CHARGE OF PRODUCTION FOR SHAW MEDIA: BARBARA SHEARER, NICK CROWE
DISTRIBUTED BY: ZDF.enterprises
PRODUCED BY:
C-TALES ENTERTAINMENT INC
© STORY HOUSE PRODUCTIONS INC MMXIV
Produced in association with: Shaw
Published Sep 7, 2025