Traces from Prehistory

When glaciers retreated and humans returned

Europe was shaped by four major glaciations: Günz, Mindel, Riß, and Würm. The last one, between 115,000 and 10,000 years ago, left its decisive mark on the Alps, creating much of the landscape we recognize today.

As the glaciers began to retreat around 20,000 years ago, humans returned to these areas. Near Lake Lang (Lago Lungo), archaeologists discovered an open-air camp once used in summer by hunter-gatherers of the Late Paleolithic (14,000–10,000 BC) and Mesolithic (10,000–5,500 BC). Flint tools and knapping fragments provide clear evidence of their presence.

Rising temperatures and a higher tree line pushed humans – and the game they hunted – to increasingly higher altitudes.

Modern paleoclimatology adds another layer to this story: in 2011, ice cores drilled on the Ortler summit plateau (3850 m) revealed that by around 5000 BC even South Tyrol’s highest peak was ice-free. A striking confirmation of rapid deglaciation and the climatic optimum that made the mid- and high-mountain zones habitable once again.

Ortles Ice Core Project

Drilling dome

Coring operations