KEEPING WARM 
female figurines from the Paleolithic era 
do not depict clothing, but there is at 
least one from Buret’ in Siberia that is 
dressed: a slim figure depicted with 
trousers, a vest, and a hood, not very 
different from traditional Eskimo gar- 
ments. In many Paleolithic burial sites, 
long rows of shells and beads on the 
head, body, and sometimes feet still 
show the shape of the cap, clothes, or 
shoes to which they were attached. And 
just at the end of Paleolithic times, one 
small boy was buried with a short- 
sleeved jacket made of red squirrel tails, 
whose bones have been preserved in 
perfect order (in the cave of Arene 
Candide, in Italy). 
Many furry animals are carnivorous 
and, being dangerous quarry, are not 
usually appreciated for their meat. 
Thus, the remains of lynxes, wolves, 
foxes, and similar animals found at pre- 
historic sites suggest that they were 
sought for their fur, which was used for 
clothing, rather than their meat. Furs 
could also be spread on the ground and 
used as blankets. In the two-hearth hut 
in the cave at le Lazaret, the claws of 
furry animals were found to have the 
same spatial distribution as the shells of 
very small crustaceans that live on al- 
gae; it appears that the inhabitants 
spread beds made of algae and furs 
around the two small hearths. In most 
Upper Paleolithic habitations, the 
ground is heavily colored with ocher. 
Since ocher is still used by some peoples 
in the tanning of skins, it is possible that 
this coloring reflects, not the ritual 
spreading of ocher on the ground, but 
the much more prosaic use of furs and 
skins. 
In sum, the traditional image of pre- 
historic humans in constant struggle 
against cold rests largely on an overesti- 
mation of the harshness of the climate 
and an underestimation of Paleolithic 
capabilities and technology. Moreover, 
the human body itself, helped by an 
appropriate diet, is able to develop natu- 
ral defenses against extreme cold. In 
regions around glaciers, prehistoric 
hunter-gatherers ate marrow and animal 
fat in large quantities, and this may 
have been their most efficient means of 
resisting the cold. Despite the rather 
poor archeological data, we can con- 
clude that human adaptation to cold in 
prehistoric times relied on a variety of 
factors and techniques. Someday, we 
may be able to distinguish specific cul- 
tural groups that adopted differing 
strategies of keeping warm. □ 
This is the famous UNICEF Super 
Box Collection — 40 beautiful 
cards, including 15 note cards with 
envelopes, 15 minis with envelopes, 
and 10 multi-lingual insens (Happy 
Birthday, Happy Anniversary, Thank 
You. etc.). Plus 10 petite gift enclo- 
sures. 
It's a super value at only $9. 
And the best pan is, the proceeds 
help support health and education 
for a billion children in 111 nations. 
So ever}' note you write is a love 
note to the underprivileged chil- 
dren of the world. 
PS: The Super Box makes a 
super gift — a gift that says you're 
truly involved. 
Famous UNICEF Cards. 
They say beautiful things 
about you. 
Before you ever write a word. 
U.S. COMMITTEE FOR UNICEF 
331 East 38th Street 
New York, NY 10016 
Name 
Address 
Cits 
# « >f boxes . 
State . 
Add $2 for postage 
and handling 
( $9 00 per be >\. ) 
□ MasterCard □ Visa □ Personal Check ( Please, no cash or stamps.) 
Signature 
Acct # Required for Crvdii Cird purchase.-- 
To order faster call toll free 1-800-228-1666 in Nebraska 800 ch 2 h - 8 - 
41 
