How Did Ancient Humans Give Birth?

How did people survive childbirth with no hospitals, no antibiotics, and no idea what was happening inside the body? The answer goes back millions of years, and it starts with a very simple rule: you don’t do this alone. In this video, we trace the history of ancient childbirth from early hominins like Australopithecus to the birth bricks of Egypt and the guidebooks of Greece and Rome. In this video: Why walking upright made human birth so difficult (the obstetric dilemma) How hunter-gatherer societies approached birth Birth bricks, Taweret, Bes, and childbirth in ancient Egypt The Ebers and Westcar Papyri Soranus of Ephesus and what he wrote about midwives Why childbirth was so dangerous, and what societies built around it Approximate chapters (adjust to your final edit): 0:00 The unspoken rule of birth 0:50 The beginning: walking upright 2:45 Hunter-gatherer births 4:10 Ancient Egypt 5:30 Why birth was so dangerous 6:25 Greece and Rome 7:30 The full picture If you enjoyed this, subscribe for more stories about ancient humans and why we are the way we are. Tell me in the comments which part of the ancient world you want next.