People in the past were not all dead by 30. Ancient documents confirm this. In the 24th century BCE, the Egyptian Vizier Ptahhotep wrote verses about the disintegrations of old age. The ancient Greeks classed old age among the divine curses, and their tombstones attest to survival well past 80 years. Ancient artworks and figurines also depict elderly people: stooped, flabby, wrinkled.
This is not the only type of evidence, however. Studies on extant traditional people who live far away from modern medicines and markets, such as Tanzania's Hadza or Brazil's Xilixana Yanomami, have demonstrated that the most likely age at death is far higher than most people assume: it's about 70 years old. One study found that although there are differences in rates of death in various populations and periods, especially with regards to violence, there is a remarkable similarity between the mortality profiles of various traditional peoples.
High infant mortality and inaccuracy at the other end of the age range skew the numbers.
(Score: 2) by dry on Thursday July 19 2018, @03:10AM (1 child)
Depends on where you lived. The natives around here spent about 2 weeks a year harvesting and curing a years worth of salmon, lots of calories for a couple of weeks of work.
(Score: 2) by Arik on Thursday July 19 2018, @04:17AM
They didn't cure up a bunch of fish then loaf the rest of the year. The cured fish gave them a reserve for winter - and not enough by itself.
Also they didn't actually cure most of the fish. Back in the day the yield from those runs was way more than they could cure. They probably fed most of it to the dogs. The dogs, also, were part of the food reserve for winter. And fresh dog was preferred to preserved fish.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?