© NHM Vienna, C. Potter
During the Ice Age, people lived under rock overhangs or in the light-filled entrance areas of caves. In the open landscape they built tents out of wooden poles or mammoth bones. These tents were so large that an entire family could fit inside. In the middle was a fireplace to provide warmth and for cooking.
Ice Age people did not live in the same place all year round. They went to where there was food and raw materials. With the changing seasons, they followed the animals and looked for places with edible and useful plants or with stones for tools and weapons.
Fire!
Fire was essential for Ice Age people. There were various techniques for starting a fire. You could use a ‘lighter’ made of flint and pyrite, you could strike sparks and get tinder fungus or dry grass to burn, or you could turn a stick on a dry piece of wood until it started to smoke.
Magical object or toy?
In Pavlov in the Czech Republic a whole zoo of animal figurines was found. Researchers usually interpret them as being magical objects. Recently, however, it has been discussed whether they could have been used as toys.
Thaumatrope: In the Stone Age the thaumatrope worked like an animated film: when you pull the strings, the disk starts to rotate and the animal seems to move.
Ice Age fashion
To protect themselves from the wind and weather, people in the Ice Age made clothes and shoes out of fur and leather. They
decorated their clothes with beads, shells, and other ornaments. This not only made them more colorful and beautiful but also
showed which group they belonged to and their position within that group. This shell necklace made of scaphopods is 24,500
years old.
Body care & health
Even in the Stone Age, people took care of their health. For example, we know that they chewed birch pitch - probably to keep their teeth healthy. The made natural medicines from berries, herbs, and mushrooms to treat illnesses. Moreover, they used sun cream, deodorant, and probably also toilet paper.
