The Ancient Mystery Of The Methuselah Tree | The Oldest Tree On Earth | Timeline

On a desolate mountain top in California lives the world’s oldest organism – a gnarled and twisted bristlecone pine. The scientist who discovered the tree gave it the name Methuselah. It was a seedling when the Egyptian pyramids were being built and a mature tree at the time of Christ. It is now over 4,000 years old. The Curse Of The Methuselah Tree shows how the climate and dramatic events – from volcanoes to nuclear tests – over the last 4000 years have affected Methuselah’s growth rings. Archive footage and stunning computer animation are interspersed with Methuselah’s own narration, supplied by poet Roger McGough. The programme also contemplates the tree’s future and reveals the curse that has followed anyone who has dared to work on the tree – an early death. It’s like Netflix for history... Sign up to History Hit, the world’s best history documentary service, at a huge discount using the code ’TIMELINE’ ---ᐳ You can find more from us on: