Was Dar living in the ice age?

(from Gaby, Age 11)

Marjorie answers:

Dear Gaby,
You’ve asked a good question. Most people think that the Ice Age was a long, continuous period of time when the climate was severe and survival difficult. In fact, the climate has kept changing with periods of intense cold alternating with warmer weather. The warmer periods are called ‘interglacial’ and how many such periods there were is still an open question today. I had Dar and the Cro-Magnon people in western Europe living in an interglacial period because I wanted the problems Dar and his clan were facing to be the most important part of the story. I do think, however, an interesting book could be written when day-to-day existence was brutal and difficult. To get some idea of the skill this would take read about the Eskimos and find out what goes into mastering such a life.
Sincerely, Marjorie Cowley