Journeys from the Centre of the Earth S01E03 - Art

Geologist Dr Iain Stewart presents a series showing how the rocks beneath our feet have shaped the human history of the Mediterranean. His whistle-stop tour takes in many popular and seemingly familiar tourist destinations in Egypt, France and Spain, but provides a unique geologist's insight which can't be found in the guidebooks.

He explains how geology was a huge influence in shaping the history of art. Early cave painters began by scraping their colours from rocks on the Earth's surface, but civilisations like the Egyptians and Arabs developed ingenious techniques to transform rocks and dramatically broaden the range of their palettes. He brings the story up to the present day, showing how advances in the understanding of rocks have given each generation of artists new potential.