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4 - The Initial Peopling of the Circumpolar North

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 March 2023

By
Bjarne Grønnow
Edited by
Adrian Howkins  and
Peder Roberts
Adrian Howkins
Affiliation:
University of Bristol
Peder Roberts
Affiliation:
University of Stavanger
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Summary

When and why did the originally tropical being, Homo sapiens, enter the circumpolar north? What attracted human societies to this part of the Earth characterized by extreme seasonal variability, long periods of darkness, rough and cold weather, barren tundra, high mountains, ice caps, and vast areas of sea ice? Through analyses of ancient material remains such as stone-built structures, artefacts and bones preserved in cultural layers on dwelling sites, Arctic archaeology provides some insights into these basic questions about the expansion of human societies into the circumpolar north and how they managed to thrive there for millennia.

Keywords

InuitArcticmigrationarchaeologySiberiaBeringiaGreenlandCanadaThuleDorset
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge History of the Polar Regions , pp. 79 - 105
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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