Humans and jungles are often seen as a poor combination. It is easy to write off the environment as challenging at best and a ‘green hell’ at worst. But could it be that tropical forests have repeatedly helped rather than hindered humanity’s progress?

On this episode of the PastCast, Patrick Roberts discusses his article in the latest issue of Current World Archaeology magazine (also available on The Past website), in which he explains why it is time to rethink the archaeology of the jungle. Patrick spoke with regular PastCast presenter, Calum Henderson.

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Patrick’s book, Jungle: How Tropical Forests Shaped the World, is also available to buy.