Deep Time and Human Time

This video was filmed on location on a rocky shoreline at the southern end of an island called Visingsö which is situated in the middle on one of Sweden’s largest lakes, Vättern. Archaeologist, Christina Fredengren and geologist, Alasdair Skelton, explain how our ideas about deep time have changed since Bishop Ussher determined that the Earth was around six thousand years old based on his readings of the Bible. Alasdair explains how sedimentary rocks form the pages of the book of Earth’s history, and Christina explains how layers in soil track the growing and fading of human civilizations. Together, Christina and Alasdair share thoughts on the Anthropocene from perspectives of the humanities and geology.