Life & Death At The Height Of The Ice Age

The Life and Death of 'Il Principe'

Huge thanks to my patreons for providing the funds for all the artwork and footage.

Artwork by Ettore Mazza:

Huge thanks again to Dr. Natasha Reynolds for consulting on the script. Any mistakes embellishments and flat out frauds are my fault and nothing to do with her.

Sources:
(forgive the lack of footnotes in this video, I forgot to add them and had to finish the video before I travelled)

Disclaimer: Use my videos as a rough guide to a topic. I am not an expert, I may get things wrong. This is why I always post my sources so you can critique my work and verify things for yourselves. Of course I aim to be as accurate as possible which is why you will only find reputable sources in my videos. Secondly, information is always subject to changes as new information is uncovered by archaeologists.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[StefanMilo]

Check out "Life & Death 3, 000, 000 Years Ago" if you haven't already.

[juanjuri]

"We shouldn't assume that his lavish burial equaled a strong social position. He could have simply been loved."

that hits hard ngl

[briangarrow]

Those handprints remind me of a ritual my father used to have our family participate in every time we poured concrete at my childhood home while I was growing up. He would have all of his kids put handprints into the concrete pour he was working on. Home foundation, fence footings, driveways and sidewalks ALL had our handprints in them, courtesy of my dad. I think he did it as a reward for not messing around with his concrete projects! The old- if you guys are good, I’ll let you put handprints in the job when we get close to the finish. This little trick did work with 3 boys and my sister as a reward for good behavior.

[IbnBahtuta]

The handprints are so personal and full of intent. A moment in time linking them to us. I really enjoyed watching the story unfold.

[TyrSkyFatherOfTheGods]

Your content has always been of such high quality, but you've come a long way since the days! You're doing such important work; honouring our ancestors through telling their stories; and connecting us with them. It has helped me realise that those of us alive today can - like them - leave an important mark for future generations and find unity in our diversity. Keep us the great work!

[thevoidborn]

This is why I chose this field. I started crying at the deer coin and I’m not even halfway through the vid and I’m still going. Thank you for showcasing all this and more, the beauty and awe is just devastatingly human

[YamuYamswirl]

I love these videos so much! I grew up in a very Christian family and wasn’t really allowed to look into these types of things further than what school talks about. Not only are these videos very informational and high quality, they’re fun to watch! It’s not just a few pictures with a monotone voice! Please keep making videos like this for teens like me who can’t research thing like this ourselves! 😄

[HistoryTime]

There's poetry in this script. Really beautiful stuff

[seekingsomethingshamanic]

the sound of that shell work mustve been magical in such a quiet world

[AncientArchitects]

Great video, Stefan. Again… As always… The Gravettian period is fascinating.

[readitandweep]

I’m 28 - I have no idea how this happened but somehow learning about ancient history has become a hobby of mine and I feel like I’m not the only person! You’ve taught me 90% of what I know and this is an awesome video too! Thanks dude !

[Ateesh]

I’ve been watching documentaries of this ‘genre’ for at least 50 years. It is amazing how you have found the balance between being informative and pulling the viewer/listener into the world you are speaking about without overburdening the brain of the average viewer. At the same time and equally importantly, listening to you I NEVER think “how the heck they know that?” because you make it very clear what we know and what we assume, what is a fact and what is an insight — while also avoiding the trap of making it all sound mythical or superhuman. Excellent writing and delivery, my friend. Thank you.

[NORTH]

I just talked about those hands like 2 weeks ago, we must have been researching at the same time. Bravo!

[martialfitnessnyc]

I'm only 5 mins and I'm loving this one. The quality is very impressive, it feels like a LOT of work went into it.

[JohnWilliams-fcxi]

the thought and attention to detail you have put into this really shows - thank you very much, I think using a specific example of a period is a very effective way to teach, great job

[jeanninepenniment]

Oh this is beautiful!
I love the exploration of children's lives. It is so often left out of history content.

[SuperManning]

Oh my, Stefan, this is an absolute masterpiece—I was lost in the narrative to the point where I began to feel cold in my bones. Stunning presentation, you just keep outdoing yourself. Thank you for these videos!

[lisadavis]

I am glad you mentioned the hand prints, they are my favorite too!

[CorwinFound]

I'd like to imagine that he died doing something heroic. Maybe saving the lives of one or more other hunters. Or in a fall trying to save a child. And that his community as a final thank you for his sacrifice gave him a lavish funeral and burial goods. No proof this is the case but a possible answer that appeals to me.

[Labroidas]

The paleolithic era is so fascinating. It seems like humanity was culturally so united then, no matter were they were, and also like things were very unchanging over tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of years. You could trust that your ancestors had lived exactly the same way you did, and that your children would live like you did long after you're gone. It feels like maybe nowadays we've lost the very important connection to the humans that came before us, like somehow we can't understand them anymore.

Nowadays is a time of great incertitude. We have a tough time imagining the daily lives of people even just 100 years ago, and we have no idea what life will be like 50 years from now. It's difficult to give our children lessons that will benefit them, because we have no idea what to prepare them for.