The last ice age ended 12,000 years ago. In the most severe period, glaciation threatened man with extinction. However, after the glacier disappeared, he not only survived, but also created a civilization.
Glaciers in the history of the Earth
The last ice age in the history of the Earth is the Cenozoic. It began 65 million years ago and continues to this day. Modern man is lucky: he lives in the interglacial, in one of the warmest periods in the life of the planet. The most severe glacial era is far behind - the Late Proterozoic.
Despite global warming, scientists are predicting a new ice age. And if the present comes only after millennia, then the Little Ice Age, which will reduce annual temperatures by 2-3 degrees, may come pretty soon.
The glacier became a real test for man, forcing him to invent means for his survival.
The last ice age
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The Würm or Vistula glaciation began about 110,000 years ago and ended in the tenth millennium BC. The peak of cold weather fell on the period 26-20 thousand years ago, the final stage of the Stone Age, when the glacier was the largest.
Small ice ages
Even after the glaciers melted, history has known periods of noticeable cold snaps and warming. Or, in other words, climatic pessimums and optima. Pessimums are sometimes referred to as small ice ages. In the XIV-XIX centuries, for example, the Little Ice Age began, and at the time of the Great Migration of Peoples there was an early medieval pessimum.
Hunting and meat food
There is an opinion according to which the human ancestor was rather a scavenger, since he could not spontaneously occupy a higher ecological niche. And all the known tools were used for cutting the remains of animals, which were taken from predators. However, the question of when and why a person began to hunt is still controversial.
In any case, thanks to hunting and meat food, ancient people received a large supply of energy, which allowed him to better endure the cold. The skins of the slaughtered animals were used as clothing, footwear and walls of the dwelling, which increased the chances of surviving in the harsh climate.
Upright walking
Walking upright appeared millions of years ago, and its role was much more important than in the life of a modern office worker. Having freed his hands, a person could engage in intensive construction of a dwelling, the production of clothing, the processing of tools, extraction and preservation of fire. The upright ancestors moved freely in open areas, and their life no longer depended on the collection of fruits from tropical trees. Already millions of years ago, they moved freely over long distances and got food in river flows.
Walking upright played an insidious role, but it became rather an advantage. Yes, man himself came to cold regions and adapted to life in them, but at the same time he could find both artificial and natural shelters from the glacier.
Fire
Fire in the life of an ancient man was originally an unpleasant surprise, not a boon. Despite this, the ancestor of man first learned to "extinguish" it, and only later to use it for his own purposes. Traces of the use of fire are found in sites that are 1.5 million years old. This made it possible to improve nutrition through the preparation of protein foods, as well as to stay active at night. This further increased the time to create conditions for survival.
Climate
The Cenozoic Ice Age was not a continuous glaciation. Every 40 thousand years, the ancestors of people had the right to a "respite" - temporary thaws. At this time, the glacier retreated, and the climate became milder. During periods of harsh climates, caves or regions rich in flora and fauna were natural refuge. For example, the south of France and the Iberian Peninsula were home to many early cultures.
The Persian Gulf 20,000 years ago was a river valley rich in forests and grassy vegetation, a truly "antediluvian" landscape. Here flowed wide rivers, one and a half times larger than the Tigris and Euphrates. In some periods, the Sahara became a wet savannah. The last time this happened was 9000 years ago. This can be confirmed by rock paintings depicting an abundance of animals.
Fauna
Huge glacial mammals such as the bison, woolly rhinoceros and mammoths became an important and unique source of food for ancient people. Hunting such large animals required great coordination of efforts and brought people together noticeably. The effectiveness of "teamwork" has repeatedly shown itself in the construction of parking lots and the manufacture of clothing. Deer and wild horses among ancient people enjoyed no less "honor".
Language and communication
Language was, perhaps, the main life hack of ancient man. It was thanks to speech that important technologies for processing weapons, obtaining and maintaining fire, as well as various human adaptations for everyday survival, were preserved and passed from generation to generation. Perhaps in the Paleolithic language, the details of hunting for large animals and directions of migration were discussed.
Allerdskoye Warming
Until now, scientists are arguing whether the extinction of mammoths and other glacial animals was the work of man or was caused by natural causes - the Allerdsky warming and the disappearance of food supply plants. As a result of the extermination of a large number of animal species, a person in harsh conditions was threatened with death from a lack of food. There are known cases of the death of entire cultures simultaneously with the extinction of mammoths (for example, the Clovis culture in North America). Nevertheless, warming has become an important factor in the relocation of people to regions whose climates have become suitable for the emergence of agriculture.
