The role of children’s toys in adaptation during Greenland’s Little Ice Age A study published in the European Journal of Archaeology by Mathilde Vestergaard Meyer and Dr. Felix Riede examines how children’s toys influenced the adaptability of two cultures, the Norse and the Inuit, during the Little Ice Age in Greenland. This research reveals the unexpected role of childhood play in societal survival under extreme climatic conditions. Greenland, one of the world’s largest islands, has a narrow inhabitable strip of land. During the Little Ice Age (ca. 1458–1552 CE), both the Norse settlers, who arrived around CE 986, and the Inuit, who migrated from northern Alaska via Canada during the eleventh century, faced the harsh environmental challenges of colder and drier climates. While the Inuit adapted and thrived, the Norse disappeared. Traditional theories attribute the Norse decline to factors such as overgrazing, reliance on unsustainable agriculture, increased sea ice hindering trade, and violent storms. However, this study introduces a new perspective—children’s toys as a proxy for societal adaptability. More information: https://lnkd.in/efqVCGPy #archaeology #archeology #archaeologynews #iceage #greenland #norse #inuit
Ad Himmelreich
3mo
Interesting study! Playing is what animals do, what children do and what any intelligent grown-up does, in order to cope with the world as it presents itself to us. Especially in times of change.
Casemanager, volwassencoach & ouderbemiddelaar / Regiodeskundige archeologie (prehistorie & Romeins), writer, researcher
3moInteresting article that makes you think. What was the situation with toys during our Ice Age? May I ask what the dimensions are of the wooden statue figure c ? It also reminds me of the stylized, more slender figures from, among other places, Central Europe (Moravia, Northern Austria and Southern Poland), as well as from Russia, Siberia (including Malta and Buret site). The so-called 'spirit idols'. I have a spirit idol in my collection (9 cm), probably from Siberia, although it is made of reindeer antler. Kind regards, Jim Pepels.