Britain's First Dog

About this episode

This episode explores the discovery of Britain's earliest known domesticated dog and its implications for understanding human and dog relationships during the Ice Age.

Fifteen thousand years ago, as the Ice Age loosened its grip on Northern Europe, humans returned to the previously inhospitable British Isles. But they did not come alone. Among their number was a companion once thought to be an impossibility: Britain's earliest known dog. In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes Dr. Selina Brace and Dr. William Marsh from the Natural History Museum to explore groundbreaking new research from Gough’s Cave that is reshaping our understanding of humans and dogs in Ice Age Britain. Together they uncover the story of a remarkable discovery: ancient remains once believed to belong to a wolf, now identified as Britain’s oldest known domesticated dog. How did this dog live alongside prehistoric hunter-gatherers? And how is this discovery changing what we thought we knew about the arrival of dogs in Britain? MORE The First Dogs: Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify End of the Ice Age Britain: Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds The Ancients is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History…

People in this episode

Host: Tristan Hughes

Guests: Dr. Selina Brace, Dr. William Marsh

Topics covered

• prehistoric dogs
• Ice Age Britain
• human-animal relationships
• archaeological discoveries
• domestication of dogs

Keywords

• ancient dog
• Britain
• Ice Age
• hunter-gatherers
• archaeology
• domestication
• Gough’s Cave

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Natural History Museum

Places: Gough’s Cave, Britain

More episodes of The Ancients

• The Pharisees · June 11, 2026 · 47 min
• The Rosetta Stone · June 7, 2026 · 45 min
• Neanderthal Art · June 4, 2026 · 1h 9m
• Spartacus · May 31, 2026 · 1h 16m
• The Fall of Hadrian's Wall · May 28, 2026 · 1h 15m
• Iron Age Britain · May 24, 2026 · 60 min