During the last glacial era, which began 110,000 years ago, the temperatures in Europe descended until they reach 9-11 ° C. Homo Sapiens survived living in caves, where he warmed up with fire, but also by building shelters with mammoth bones, hunting giant animals and feeding on plants. The communities developed complex rites, the cult of the dead and art forms, were then the migrations to the south that allowed them to adapt to the climate, preparing man for the great revolution of agriculture.
What is a glacial era
When we talk about “glacial era” we do not refer to a single event, but to very long periods in which the earth has seen a drastic lowering of temperatures. This led to enormous geological changes and had a direct impact on life on the planet. Scholars have identified eight large glacial periods, of which four main in the Pleistocene (between 2 million and 10 thousand years ago). The last is Würm’s glaciation, which began about 110 thousand years ago: the coldest moment had between 25 and 19 thousand years ago, when Homo Sapiens already populated most of the Earth.
In Europe, medium temperatures oscillated between 9 and 11 ° C. To survive, our ancestors took refuge in the rocks, isolated the caves with animal skins and used the fire to warm up. When the ice retired, they moved south, building huts with mammoth bones and finding new adaptation strategies.
The survival of Homo Sapiens during the glacial era
During the last glacial periodthe man cohabited on earth together with ice, snow and animals that, today, seem to us mythological: mammoths, bears and lions of the caves, but also wolves, bisons, ghigtones – a small bear, now extinct – and many others including, according to a study, also the tiger with a saber teeth. Among the impervious climatic conditions and the quality of the predators with whom to live, Homo Sapiens had to refine his own cognitive and social skills.
Survival was therefore mainly based on hunting of terrestrial animals, but also fish such as salmon and seafood. Thanks to the remains of Tartaro found on the teeth – just as happened for the populations of ancient Egypt, who in fact used rudimentary toothbrushes – we know that the man during the glaciation also fed on seeds and vegetable foodsbut they scarce when the cold returned to cover the earth.
Despite the difficulties, Homo Sapiens already developed a structured community life. The rock paintings tell us about rituals related to the supernatural and very refined funerary practices. An example is the burial of the “red lady”, found in Spain: covered with ocher and flowers, testifies to a strong respect for the deceased and an important role in the community. The burials show complete families (men, women, children), a sign that the family was already a central unit. Some clues suggest that the rituals were accompanied by dance and music, involving the entire tribe.
Migration during the glacial era
The genetic finds of the “red lady” show bonds with populations much further north, in Belgium: the proof that the men of the glacial era moved to adapt to climate change. A study on fossil teeth revealed that migrations were intense between 47,000 and 28,000 years ago, and then decrease when the cold made movements more difficult. During travel, the tribes built curtains with giant bones and animal skins, similar to the tepee of Native Americans. Women were considered precious for the survival of the tribes, so much so that some research hypothesize possible “exchanges” between groups to maintain the birth rate.
The last glacial era was not only a period of frost and difficulty: it was a real “evolutionary gym”. Homo sapiens pushed to strengthen cooperation, develop new survival techniques and refine culture.
When the ice retired definitively, humanity was ready to make a huge jump: the birth of agriculture and the revolution that would change our history forever. Our ancestors, therefore, not only survived during the last glacial era, but also “exploited” the opportunity in their favor, implementing their organization, daily life, rituality and survival techniques.
