How Did Humans Survive the Ice Age?

Contrary to the popular image of ice age humans — or “cavemen” — living in deep caves, our ancestors were more likely to have built sturdy rock shelters. While these shelters often made use of natural features, such as a depression in a cliff face, early humans would also have made extensive modifications to further weatherproof their shelters, such as draping large animal hides from overhangs to block out the bitter winds. With a warm fire blazing inside, these shelters provided ample protection from the cold. In the brief but slightly warmer summer months, when hunters moved out onto the open plains, they built dome-shaped huts or tents out of mammoth bones, which were then covered with animal skins.