How did humans become cruel and indifferent hundreds of thousands of years ago

Ukraine’s outstanding new discoveries solve part of the archaeological mysteries that have long plagued scientists – when how did our ancestors survive the worst of the last ice age, when temperatures gradually dropped to extremes rarely seen in human history?

An international research team led by the University of Algarve and the University of Vienna has found rare evidence that the coldest phase of Europe’s last ice age used delicate fires, which were so severe that many areas became uninhabitable.

Philip R. Nigst, lead author and one of the archaeologists at the University of Vienna, explained: “Fire is not only about keeping warm; it is also essential for cooking, making tools and social gatherings.”

The groundbreaking study, published in the journal Geography, analyzes three ancient furnaces on Korman’9, a prehistoric site in the Dniester Valley in Ukraine. During what scientists call the final glacier maximum, using advanced technology, researchers were able to determine exactly how these fires were built and used.

“We know that the fire was widespread before and after this period, but from the height of the Ice Age, there was little evidence,” said William Murphree, the study’s lead author, and William Murphree, a geographic researcher at the University of Algarve.

What makes this discovery particularly important is not only the existence of these furnaces, but also the science and technology used to study them. The team used innovative geographic approaches including micromorphic and colorimetric analysis to examine the microscopic layers of these ancient fireplaces. Their findings suggest that people in the Ice Age built complex fires that could reach temperatures above 600°C – hot enough to use materials such as bones and stones.

One of the most notable findings suggests that these fires are mostly burned by spruce wood (rather than sometimes assumed in resource screening environments). Charcoal analysis identified wood as the primary material, challenging previous theories about fuel scarcity during this extreme climate.

“The bones found on the site were burned in the fire, with a temperature of more than 650 degrees Celsius,” explained Marjolein D. Bosch, author and animal researcher at the University of Vienna, Austria.

All three fireplaces are simple open structures without stone lining, but analysis shows that these hunters employed complex fire management strategies. Fireplaces may be constructed and used differently according to specific needs, showing significant adaptability.

“People have complete control of the fire and know how to use it in different ways, depending on the purpose of the fire. But our results also show that these hunters use the same location at different times of the year during the annual migration,” Nigst explained.

Despite this new evidence, the relative scarcity of fireplaces during this period remains confusing. The researchers have proposed some explanations, including the destructive effects of freeze-thaw cycles on archaeological sites, or the possibility that humans have developed alternative survival strategies during extreme cold times.

“Has most of the evidence been destroyed by the typical freezing, alternating frozen and melting of ice?” asked Murphy. “Or people can’t find enough fuel in the last glacier’s maximum? They’re not using fire, but relying on other technical solutions?”

During the most challenging climate periods of the planet, this study rarely understands the survival strategies of ancestors. As climate change continues to change the world today, understanding how ancient humans adapted to extreme environmental conditions may provide valuable insights into our own future.