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My idea. Can a modern human survive in 10000 BC

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  • Registered Users Posts: 10,299 ✭✭✭✭branie2


    I doubt it


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,576 ✭✭✭Paddy Cow


    gozunda wrote: »
    Personally I reckon the biggest issue would be differences in gut flora and diseases which would wipe out any time traveller within a very short time imo
    Imagine you get a dose of the trots and all you have are dock leaves. Urgh.


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,232 ✭✭✭✭Say my name


    I'd live on the strawberries in 10,000 bc Wexford.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,942 ✭✭✭topper75


    I'd live on the strawberries in 10,000 bc Wexford.

    Maybe a strawberry flavour Mr. Freeze. Was the ice even gone then? I thought much of Ireland was under a mile of ice at that period.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,996 ✭✭✭✭gozunda


    topper75 wrote: »
    Maybe a strawberry flavour Mr. Freeze. Was the ice even gone then? I thought much of Ireland was under a mile of ice at that period.

    The last ice age was just ending but most of the southern half of the country (including Wexford) had been free of ice for some time.

    The landscape would have been similar to he Siberian tundra - with alpine plants and animals colonizing vast open plains. There is a slim chance there may have been some alpine type strawberries - would that do? Only thing is you would probably end up being a handy meal for some hungry bear or wolf....


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  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,966 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    Wibbs wrote: »
    Actually there's another two inventions I'd come up with; paper and beer.
    Wine would be way easier to invent.

    Yeast most likely already on the grapes so you are good to go.

    Hardest part would be making the earthenware.

    Beer would be tricky due to long hairs on small grains and needing to find decent yeast.


    The one good thing about 10,000 BC is lots of wood. Europeans who went to America, and Siberia and many first arrivals on islands throughout history found forests. So Fuel, Shelter, Building materials and lots of critters to hunt.

    If you had palm or coconut trees you could add food to the list.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,576 ✭✭✭Paddy Cow


    Wibbs wrote: »
    Actually there's another two inventions I'd come up with; paper and beer.
    Wine would be way easier to invent.
    Lads seriously. That sounds great and all but it's 10,000 BC. Staying alive was as good as it got back then. Ireland wasn't inhibited until 9,000 BC so god knows where we'd end up in a time warp. Being realistic it would be hard enough to get through the day without trying to further civilisation.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,996 ✭✭✭✭gozunda


    Wine would be way easier to invent.

    Yeast most likely already on the grapes so you are good to go.

    Hardest part would be making the earthenware.

    Beer would be tricky due to long hairs on small grains and needing to find decent yeast.

    The one good thing about 10,000 BC is lots of wood. Europeans who went to America, and Siberia and many first arrivals on islands throughout history found forests. So Fuel, Shelter, Building materials and lots of critters to hunt.

    If you had palm or coconut trees you could add food to the list.

    Looks like we wouldn't have to invent beer anyway - they had already discovered that. Evidence found in ancient man cave in Isreal ...
    Some 13,000 years old ago, deep in a cave in present-day Israel, a group of hunter-gatherers got very merry on some craft-brewed beer.

    https://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/archaeologists-have-discovered-the-worlds-oldest-brewery/


  • Registered Users Posts: 812 ✭✭✭Skyrimaddict


    Some things I could do, such as crop planting or shelter building..
    Stone ring forts were already made in time like this.
    My big advance could be in things like irrigation or warefare, just need to know how to get metal from rocks etc.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 22,678 CMod ✭✭✭✭Ten of Swords


    Give Skyrim a break and fire up Far Cry Primal, it'll be an education :)


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  • Registered Users Posts: 812 ✭✭✭Skyrimaddict


    Give Skyrim a break and fire up Far Cry Primal, it'll be an education :)

    It's what actually started my thought on the process.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,500 ✭✭✭BrokenArrows


    Completely depends on the person.

    I'd be fine if left to my own devices. However interaction with other humans from the time would likely be bad. I don't think the same moral code would exist and I'd probably just get murdered.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,995 ✭✭✭Ipso


    gozunda wrote: »
    Some 13,000 years old ago, deep in a cave in present-day Israel, a group of hunter-gatherers got very merry on some craft-brewed beer.

    https://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/archaeologists-have-discovered-the-worlds-oldest-brewery/

    Probably tasted better than mine!


  • Registered Users, Subscribers Posts: 13,458 ✭✭✭✭antodeco


    I survived a weekend on Cavan a few years back, so should be alright for at least a weekend


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,061 ✭✭✭rn


    Survive in short term until rescue; yes.
    Thrive; no.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,101 ✭✭✭✭RobbingBandit


    I'd need entertainment a crow orgy perhaps, or whatever debacles nature would provide.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,576 ✭✭✭Paddy Cow


    Completely depends on the person.

    I'd be fine if left to my own devices. However interaction with other humans from the time would likely be bad. I don't think the same moral code would exist and I'd probably just get murdered.
    You absolutely wouldn't. It's fine to be an introvert in 2019 but 10,000 years ago you just couldn't survive unless you were part of a tribe. Think about the practicalities. Even if you were a proficient hunter/gatherer who managed to eat daily and build shelter, what about everything else? Pretty soon your clothes would get torn and shoes would wear out. How would you replace them? You don't have a sowing needle and material to make more so what do you do? You could run around in bare feet with a piece of fabric around your privates but that would take a lot of adjusting.

    I agree with you on meeting a tribe from then. Even if they accepted you, their social structure would be so different from today, would it be possible to adjust mentally? I doubt mental health was a big consideration back then and if you didn't confirm, you'd be ostracised or worse.

    Anyways in answer to the op, I don't think a modern human could survive in 10,000 BC. I think a more interesting take on the question would be "given your circumstances now, would you survive 10,000 years ago?" Now we have a welfare state so if you fall on hard times there is a pick me up. 10,000 years ago I think they were far harsher and if you couldn't work/were sick/old well it sucked to be you and you got left behind.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,996 ✭✭✭✭gozunda


    Paddy Cow wrote: »
    You absolutely wouldn't. It's fine to be an introvert in 2019 but 10,000 years ago you just couldn't survive unless you were part of a tribe. Think about the practicalities. Even if you were a proficient hunter/gatherer who managed to eat daily and build shelter, what about everything else? Pretty soon your clothes would get torn and shoes would wear out. How would you replace them? You don't have a sowing needle and material to make more so what do you do? You could run around in bare feet with a piece of fabric around your privates but that would take a lot of adjusting.

    I agree with you on meeting a tribe from then. Even if they accepted you, their social structure would be so different from today, would it be possible to adjust mentally? I doubt mental health was a big consideration back then and if you didn't confirm, you'd be ostracised or worse.

    Anyways in answer to the op, I don't think a modern human could survive in 10,000 BC. I think a more interesting take on the question would be "given your circumstances now, would you survive 10,000 years ago?" Now we have a welfare state so if you fall on hard times there is a pick me up. 10,000 years ago I think they were far harsher and if you couldn't work/were sick/old well it sucked to be you and you got left behind.

    Go in as the mystic shaman / faith healer. Through sign language and lots of bizarre dancing (the haka basically) let them see youre not to be messed with. With the box of matches / lighter in your pocket demonstrate to them that you control fire! Select a nice cave or similar locally and wait for the locals to show up with tribute. Keep them guessing. Job done.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,995 ✭✭✭Ipso


    Predict the next full moon, and you'll be given whatever you want. On the other hand, if you get it wrong you'll be inside the next wicker man.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,390 ✭✭✭Airyfairy12


    No internet, killing my own food, freezing in a mud hut. Id prefare to just die.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 812 ✭✭✭Skyrimaddict


    Ipso wrote: »
    Predict the next full moon, and you'll be given whatever you want. On the other hand, if you get it wrong you'll be inside the next wicker man.

    See, things like that I would think would be good also, tides, moons, eclipses etc


  • Registered Users Posts: 15,176 ✭✭✭✭ILoveYourVibes


    Was thinking this, would a modern person be able to survive or even thrive of you found yourself in the past?
    Was reading about how the Egyptians made the pyramid and thought would wonder how would I fare if I went back in time.

    What do you think would help of it happened?

    Life expectancy for people used to and born to that life was 30.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 587 ✭✭✭Redneck Reject


    Technology over the years IMHO have kind of dumbed down humans when it comes to basic survival skills. Folks these days won't know how to make tools, track prey, build a structure or make fire from flint. So modern man going back to 10000 bc is pretty much a death sentence.


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,966 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    Folks these days won't know how to make tools, track prey, build a structure or make fire from flint.

    So we're all Golgafrinchan Ark B material now ? :(


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 587 ✭✭✭Redneck Reject


    So we're all Golgafrinchan Ark B material now ? :(

    Pretty much yeah. Folks think watching survival skills on YouTube without actually doing it prepares them for when things go bad. They are setting themselves up for failure. Just like the preppers storing items don't realize someone with bigger guns and more people will just kill them and take it. People these days don't have any idea about having the mindset to just survive.


  • Registered Users Posts: 13,715 ✭✭✭✭josip


    On average we'd be 10cm (3in) taller than whoever was around then, so that might be useful to intimidate your way into a tribe.
    Once they realised how sh1te you were at hunting though, they'll cut your throat in your sleep.
    If you try to go it alone, you'll need to sleep off the ground so that the wolves don't get you in your sleep.
    If there are bears around, yer fcuked unless you get that log cabin built.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,576 ✭✭✭Paddy Cow


    josip wrote: »
    On average we'd be 10cm (3in) taller than whoever was around then, so that might be useful to intimidate your way into a tribe.
    Once they realised how sh1te you were at hunting though, they'll cut your throat in your sleep.
    If you try to go it alone, you'll need to sleep off the ground so that the wolves don't get you in your sleep.
    If there are bears around, yer fcuked unless you get that log cabin built.
    I don't think I'd want to survive. Imagine how sh!te winters in Ireland would be without electricity, internet, toilets, running eater etc. Our ancestors would be disgusted at how weak we've become!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,281 ✭✭✭CrankyHaus


    It really depends where you'd be. Ireland 10,000 years ago would be no picnic but somewhere warm with abundant resources (that no pesky humans have stripped yet) would be well doable. There's a reason why primitive tribes in warm areas remained in that state and continue to thrive in such places until "civilization" comes and Fs them up. Obviously you'd need to hook up with some locals in the medium to long term.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,111 Mod ✭✭✭✭Wibbs


    Life expectancy for people used to and born to that life was 30.
    Nope. Common fallacy. Overall life expectancy was mid 30's when taking the entire population into account. What skews the stats was the truly awful child mortality rate. At least half didn't get much beyond toddlers. However if you made it to adulthood your chances of seeing 60 were pretty good and 70 wouldn't have been that rare. Particularly if male as childbirth wasn't in the picture as a risk. Even a few Neandertals made it to 50 plus. On top of that around 40-50,000 years ago fully modern humans like us started to live longer, for reasons nobody can really pin down, with many more of us getting to old age compared to before.
    make fire from flint.
    Funny enough you don't make fire with flint. At least not unless you have iron in your bag of tricks which didn't come along until much later in the game. EG the Egyptian pyramid builders didn't have iron*(Iron pyrites might have been used on occasion though). If you bash flint together no sparks are produced. A good thing considering you would have been making tools from the stuff. :D




    *Well... they kinda did, though in absolutely tiny amounts from of all things iron meteorites. If they found one the iron was often pure enough that you could heat and forge it into items. Basically you didn't need the higher temps required for smelting it. King Tut had a meteorite iron dagger among his grave goods.

    Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.



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  • Registered Users Posts: 10,558 ✭✭✭✭Fourier


    Wibbs any books you'd recommend on anthropology?


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