Ancient Arctic: How The Inuit Survived The Frozen Tundra | The Ancients
The Ancients
•
46m
Tristan Hughes and Raven Todd Dilva discuss Arctic archaeology, revealing the Thule Inuit, an ancient civilisation that mastered survival across northern Canada and Greenland. This episode explores the remarkable migration of the Thule Inuit from Alaska around 1000 CE, their eventual replacement of the earlier Dorset culture, and the development of their unique lifestyle.
Archaeologist and author Raven Todd Dilva discusses how they engineered subterranean, multi-room winter homes with whale bone roofs and air-trapping entrances, allowing them to thrive in 40-degree conditions. Discover the Thule Inuit's sophisticated hunting technology, including harpoons and umiaks (large boats) for hunting huge prey like the bowhead whale, and innovative tools like snow goggles (ilgaak) and baine snow beaters. We also touch upon the Little Ice Age's impact, early contact with the Norse, and how the Thule are the direct ancestors of the modern Inuit.
Up Next in The Ancients
-
Bizarre Sharks: The Freaky 400-Millio...
Did you know fossil sharks are older than the dinosaurs and even the rings of Saturn?
Tristan Hughes and leading palaeontologist Professor John Long delve into the epic evolutionary journey of these ocean survivors, from the earliest microscopic scales to the monstrous apex predators of the 'Gol...
-
Becoming Nero: The Rise Of Rome's Evi...
Tristan Hughes and Conn Iggulden talk all about Emperor Nero's traumatic rise to power in the Julio-Claudian dynasty, featuring Agrippina the Younger, Caligula, and Claudius in this episode of the Ancients.
In this in-depth ancient history podcast, host Tristan Hughes welcomes acclaimed historic...
-
What Finally Destroyed 'The Roman Emp...
Exploring the origins of the fall of Rome, ancient history expert Dr David Gwynn uncovers the 4th-century transformation of the Roman Empire under emperors like Diocletian and Constantine. This episode delves into a period often overlooked, examining how the empire consolidated after the tumultuo...
