On Wed, 9 Aug 2000 08:48:24 -0400, Todd Moody <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

>The kangaroo lives in arid climates.  I think the more typical
>paleolithic environment was neither arid nor arctic.  As Ray has
>indicated, the Ice Age caused climate changes that produced large
>regions of "steppe-tundra" of varying levels of wetness.

The most important difference of ice ages-climate to today was its
extreme aridness. The sea-level as 60-70 meters below today, much less
ari could get humid over the sea. Much less rain.

The aridity was the main reason that trees could not grow (not temperature).

The steppe-tundra.... i've never seen any explanation at which time or
in which place Rays megafauna-tundra should have occured, despite i've asked
several times after it.

I've quoted several times the africa map of glaciation.
It looks rather deserted and arid.
Most times in ice ages were glaciation, about 1/4 of the time thermals.
(thermals were just like today).

A map of ice age africa in glaciation times:
http://www.esd.ornl.gov/projects/qen/NEW_MAPS/africa1.gif
explanation of the climate zones therein:
http://www.esd.ornl.gov/projects/qen/adams3.html


> Yes,
>the ice caps expanded, but I don't think many people were living
>on them.
Yes, cannot have.

> As I've said before, I think human viability in arctic
>conditions depends on mastery of fire.

True. If you think of first europe conquests (homo erectus and neanderthals)
which goes back about 500kyears, this is about the time, when the first
herds (fire) were found.

> At any rate, my guess is
>that the bulk of the human population spent a lot of time in
>climates that were cool and damp, perhaps a lot like conditions
>in large parts of England and Scotland today.  There is
>plenty of ground cover and shrubbery, but not too much forest.
>The winters were cold, but not so cold as to have much snow
>accumulation.

If you head for Scotland climate, i think you've to disregard
glacials, which were most of the last 2 mio years.

I had collected some climatic information in my posting of
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?A2=ind9912&L=paleofood&P=R33362

>In that sort of environment there would be a variety of sources
>of animal food of various sizes, including waterfowl and
>ruminants, plus various small but edible creatures, such as
>turtles, frogs, etc.  And of course there would be edible
>vegetation as well, including (when in season) tubers and nuts.
>Fruits and berries would be only transiently available.

I think this all sounds reasonable, except that most of the time
a more arid climate was to expect.

>My idea is that it is precisely the "quest for fat" that lured
>humans into cooler and cooler environments.

I agree for this.
Or expressed differentely:
Only fat made the expansion to the north possible.

so far

antropoclimaticwishes

Amadeus S.