Ancient Arctic: How The Inuit Survived The Frozen Tundra | The Ancients
The Ancients
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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.
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