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As modern humans spread across the world at the end of the Pleistocene, they learned to survive in a remarkable range of environments. How did those hunter-gatherers preserve their knowledge and pass it on from one generation to the next? In this episode, Helen and Erich speak with Patrick Nunn to explore the role of oral history, myths, and storytelling in the preservation of knowledge among preliterate societies. Welcome back to a new season of Before Us!

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Key People

Patrick Nunn

Key Places

Backstairs Passage

Pentecost Island, Vanuatu

Further Reading

Nunn, Patrick. Whispers from Celtic seas: the true meanings of ancient stories from Northwest Europe. Reaktion Books, Limited, 2026.

Nunn, Patrick D., et al. "Calibrating Holocene human–environment interactions using ancient narratives: The example of Ngurunderi in South Australia." Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology 20.3 (2025): 563-587.

Nunn, Patrick. Worlds in shadow: Submerged lands in science, memory and myth. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021.

Nunn, Patrick. The edge of memory: ancient stories, oral tradition and the post-glacial world. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018.

Walshe, Rory A., and Patrick D. Nunn. "Integration of indigenous knowledge and disaster risk reduction: A case study from Baie Martelli, Pentecost Island, Vanuatu." International Journal of Disaster Risk Science 3.4 (2012): 185-194.

Before Us is produced by Worlds Before LLC. Erich Fisher writes and produces each episode and handles sound design and editing. Helen Farr co-hosts and contributes with writing and producing. Ian Laurence composed the theme song. The voices of our hosts and guests are real and have not been generated by AI.