Pleistocenen

Pleistocenen, known in English as the Pleistocene, is the earliest epoch of the Quaternary period. It spans from about 2.58 million years ago to approximately 11,700 years ago. The name derives from Greek and reflects its place as the most recent major division of the geologic timescale.

The epoch is characterized by repeated cycles of cooling and warming, leading to alternating glacial and interglacial periods. Large ice sheets advanced over much of North America, Europe, and Asia during the colder phases, while warmer intervals allowed forests and grasslands to expand in other regions. These climatic shifts influenced sea levels, geography, and patterns of biodiversity and hominin migration.

Biologically, the Pleistocene witnessed significant evolutionary and behavioral developments. It includes the emergence of Homo sapiens in Africa, their eventual dispersal to other continents, and the presence of other hominins such as Neanderthals in Europe and western Asia. Megafauna—such as mammoths and saber-toothed cats—flourished during much of the epoch but declined and went extinct in many regions near its end, for reasons linked to climate change and human activity.

Subdivisions of the Pleistocene are defined in terms of stages or ages, commonly Gelasian, Calabrian, Ionian, and Tarantian (Late Pleistocene), progressing from the early to the late part of the epoch. The Pleistocene ends with the onset of the Holocene, about 11,700 years ago, marking the beginning of the current interglacial period.