Beringia was a land bridge connecting Asia and North America during the Last Glacial Maximum, inhabited by nomadic humans between 22,000 and 16,000 years ago. It was an ecological refuge for flora and fauna, and humans survived in a freezing climate despite hostile animals. Evidence of human habitation has been found, but most sites are submerged.
Beringia is a large region around what is now the Bering Strait associated with a time when sea levels were 200 m (656 ft) lower than today and a huge land bridge connected Asia and North America . At its greatest extent, this land bridge was approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 km) north to south. The term “Beringia” refers to the region’s vast expanse of tundra, which was settled by small groups of nomadic humans between approximately 22,000 and 16,000 years ago.
About 19,000 years ago there was the Last Glacial Maximum, a time period when continental glaciers covered much of northern Eurasia and North America. The only reason Beringia was habitable at the time was because the heavily glaciated Alaska Range to the east absorbed much of the snowfall in the area, creating a snow shadow that prevented glaciers from forming in the Beringian tundra.
Genetic testing on modern humans, coupled with anthropological evidence, suggests that during the Last Glacial Maximum, a population of humans was isolated from its Asian ancestors in the Beringia region for at least 5,000 years. During this period, the entire Beringia region would have been an ecological refuge for the flora and fauna of the area, which would otherwise have been driven south or wiped out by advancing glaciers. For a time, Beringia may have actually been surrounded by a wall of glaciers that prevented anything from entering or leaving.
Arrowheads, stone axes, carved bones, and the remains of humans and domesticated dogs have been found at sites in what’s left of Beringia, although most of the interesting sites are probably submerged. It is remarkable that humans have managed to survive for thousands of years in this freezing climate. They had to contend with cold temperatures and hostile animals such as cave hyenas, which vied with humans for cave sites and likely preyed on the young, old and/or weak. The earliest evidence of human habitation in Alaska is contemporary with the local extinction of cave hyenas, leading some scientists to postulate that cave hyenas prevented humans from traveling east and into North America as the glaciers melted.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
