After the Ice (C. 15,000 Years Ago and Later)

Natural global warming at the end of the Ice Age, after 18,000 years ago transformed a frigid world. Hunter-gatherer societies adapted opportunistically to newly diverse environments. In Europe, people moved toward northern coasts after 9000 BCE, where fish and mollusks, also waterfowl, abounded. Populations rose and more complex societies flourished on these food sources until after 3000 BCE. The European interior saw hunter-gathers turning toward plant foods and forest animals. In Southwestern Asia, arid conditions at the end of the Ice Age supported small bands adapted to semi-arid landscapes, until higher rainfall led to more complex, settled cultures that relied heavily on plant foods. In North America, the northwest coast supported increasingly complex maritime societies after 3000 BCE. The eastern woodlands supported diverse hunting and foraging cultures, with the densest populations in river floodplain and lakeside environments. As local populations rose, ritual observances played an increasingly important role in society, a major legacy for later times.