Last Glacial Maximum Hoodie

What is the last glacial maximum?

The Last Glacial Maximum was the latest point in Earth's history when global ice sheets covered much of the planet. It occurred between 26,000 and 19,000 years ago and made a huge impact on early human societies.

The Last Glacial Maximum sea level was 120 to 135 meters lower than today. The dramatically lower sea levels allowed humans to inhabit and traverse now-underwater areas such as Doggerland, Beringia & Sundaland. These groups were able to use the exposed land to walk from Asia to North America, and from Mainland Europe to the British Isles, becoming the first human population of those areas.

How did the Last Glacial Maximum influence mythology & religion?

The Last Glacial Maximum shaped human mythology in many ways, but the most famous example is the universal flood myth.

When the ice sheets melted, sea levels rose dramatically and many inhabited lands were flooded. Almost every ancient culture has some variation of the great flood myth, including Noah’s Ark in Abrahamic religion, the Epic of Gilgamesh in Mesopotamia, the myth of Manu in Hinduism, and indigenous Australian oral histories.

Many flood myths were influenced by the ancient Sumerian deluge story, and this story ties into their mysterious origins. The ancient Sumerians appeared in history around 5000 BC with their own culture, society and language unrelated to any other known language family, so where did they come from?

Their flood myth may explain this. The story goes that the Sumerians came from a perfect land called Dilmun (their Garden of Eden), and were ruled by kings who lived for thousands of years. Eventually the gods decided to wipe out humanity and sent a global flood. One man named Ziusudra built a huge boat to save his family and the seeds of all living things, and they rebuilt society after the flood.

The Sumerians likely originated in the Persian Gulf before the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. At this time it was a fertile river valley perfect for human habitation. When the sea levels rose, this valley was inundated by the ocean and became the Persian Gulf. The Sumerians lost their original home and were forced to migrate north to the lands of Mesopotamia, where they founded cities like Ur and Uruk.

They would then introduce technologies to the region like written language, the wheel and irrigation systems. The whole future of the region and human civilization would be influenced by their arrival.

Why did the last glacial maximum end?

The Last Glacial Maximum ended due to changes in Earth’s orbit around the sun. This triggered a series of feedback loops in the environment which slowly melted the ice sheets and caused sea levels to rise.

The Earth eventually stabilised into a warmer climate known as the Holocene. This allowed the beginning of modern human agriculture and centralized civilizations.