Julian Dorey Podcast #367 - "Groundbreaking!" - 1 Million Yr-old Skulls, Egyptian Labyrinth & Ancient DNA | Michael Button
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Dec 19, 2025 
Michael Button, a British ancient historian and popular YouTuber, dives into the depths of prehistory. He discusses groundbreaking findings like the million-year-old Dragon Man skull and the implications for our understanding of human origins. The conversation challenges the traditional timeline of symbolic intelligence and explores the intelligence of Neanderthals and Denisovans. They also unpack mysteries like Göbekli Tepe and debate the definitions of civilization, while revealing how ancient technologies might not be as hidden as once thought.
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Deep-Time Rewrites Human Origins
- The Jebel Irhoud fossils pushed Homo sapiens' origin to ~300,000 years and expanded the mystery of prehistory.
- Michael Button argues 99% of our species' story is unknown and open to reinterpretation.
Sister Hominins Shift The Timeline
- Sister species finds like the million-year-old 'Dragon Man' imply large-brained hominins existed far earlier.
- If such taxa existed a million years ago, our divergence timeline and cognitive history may shift dramatically.
Symbolic Thought Built Big Society
- Symbolic intelligence (shared myths) enables large-scale cooperation unlike any other animal.
- Button disputes the idea this cognitive leap only appeared ~50,000 years ago, citing older symbolic artifacts.