These Ice Age Humans Somehow Survived North of the Arctic Circle

Archaeologists uncover ancient human tools, mammoth bones and crafting supplies that show Yana society was king of the north.

By Bridget Alex
Nov 26, 2019 7:52 PMNov 26, 2019 10:04 PM
Mammoth Bones - J Archeological Sci
Woolly mammoth bones, Yana River Valley, Siberia. (Credit: Basilyan et al. 2011 Journal of Archaeological Science)

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The Arctic Circle — during the Ice Age — may not seem like a suitable place for human habitation.

And until recently, archaeologists would have agreed: Many thought the far north remained unpopulated until after the last glacial period began to wane, some 18,000 years ago.

But archaeological discoveries in Siberia, made in the last two decades, have overturned this view. Sites frozen in the banks of Russia’s Yana River reveal that a sophisticated culture lived north of the Arctic Circle 30,000 years ago.

We’re just beginning to learn who these northern pioneers were, and how they adapted to life on frozen lands.

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