The First Eden
David Attenborough explores the Mediterranean's natural and human history.
David Attenborough wrote and presented a BBC documentary series called The First Eden: The Mediterranean World and Man, which first aired in the UK on 8 March 1987. Its four 55-minute episodes explore how humans have interacted with Mediterranean habitats, from ancient settlements to contemporary cities, showcasing the region's landscapes, wildlife, and plants. Andrew Neal produced it with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and WQED Pittsburgh, and Carl Davis composed the score. Attenborough made this series between The Living Planet and The Trials of Life.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Nature documentary
- Presenter
- David Attenborough
- Composer
- Carl Davis
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Episodes
- 4
- Executive producers
- Andrew Neal
- Runtime
- 55 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- The series was released as a Region 2 2-disc DVD (BBCDVD2402) on 27 August 2007.
- It forms part of the Region 2 DVD encyclopaedia Life on Land, released on 3 November 2008.
- The accompanying book by David Attenborough was published by Collins on 9 March 1987.
Episodes
The first episode, broadcast on 8 March 1987, opens at the Dead Sea, where hot climate and intense evaporation mimic conditions that occurred when the Mediterranean basin dried out around 5.5 million years ago. The Atlantic then flooded the basin, allowing marine life to recolonise. Mountains became islands, some volcanic, others limestone; marooned species evolved into new varieties. In a Maltese cave, Attenborough finds fossil teeth from dwarf elephants.
One living species, the Mallorcan midwife toad, is discovered as he abseils to a secluded pool. Blooming wildflowers in Europe trigger insect emergence, attracting insectivorous birds like rollers and bee-eaters. As the climate warmed, birds extended migration routes between Europe and Africa, bringing spoonbills, white storks, and flamingos. Reptiles are active in summer; Attenborough catches a Montpellier snake.
Creatures such as chameleons, crested porcupines, and fruit bats have colonised Europe from Africa. Rock hyraxes have reached Israel. Human arrival 28,000 years ago is evidenced by flint tools and rock etchings in Spanish caves; cliff paintings show hunter-gatherer societies 10,000 years ago.
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