The Norwegian human history timeline
Historians divide Norwegian human history into distinct periods, each contributing to the gradual development of a unique Norwegian culture.
First came the Ice Ages
Over millions of years, the Earth went through many ice ages. Enormous glaciers covered vast areas of the planet, including the Scandinavian Peninsula, and reshaped the landscape beneath them completely.
But the ice was never constant. During warmer intervals, called interglacials, plants and animals returned. In Norway, scientists have found fragmentary remains of mammoths, muskoxen, and woolly rhinoceroses from these periods. However, as far as we know today, there were no humans in this region before or during the ice ages.
The first humans
In Scandinavia, the most recent glacial cycle lasted from approximately 115,000 BC to 9500 BC.