The spare, elegant, and imaginative National Geographic video below traces the history of London from wooly mammoths to present day--all through paper animation. You'll find a chartaceous Queen Boudica, a Shakespeare the beige of manilla envelopes, cardboard cutout plague doctors and more. At just under three minutes, this papyrophilic historical overview is a real page turner.

It's inspired by a big dig going on currently in London, "peeling back the pavement," writes Roff Smith. While excavating in preparation for a new Bloomberg skyscraper, the archaeologists have discovered 1,900 year-old skulls, an enormous 2nd century fresco, Roman wood structures, and 400 writing tablets. Go to National Geographic to see spectacular photos of some of the finds, and when in Londinium (the Roman name for London), be sure to check out some of the Museum of London Archaeology  events.

https://youtu.be/ovzoNbUkg6k