clan of the cave bear was set bp in 19,950 years.
when is clan of the cave bear set bp?
19,950 years
the novel references the advance of the polar ice sheets, setting the story before 19,950 years before present (bp) or 18,000 years bce, when the farthest southern encroachment of the last glacial period of the current ice age occurred. auel's time-frame, somewhere between 29,950 and 26,950 years bp or 28,000 and 25,000 bce, corresponds generally with archaeological estimates of the neanderthal branch of mankind disappearing.





























section::::plot summary.
the clan of the cave bear
the clan worships animal spirits, most notably ursus the cave bear, for, as is related in one of the best known clan legends, it was the spirit of the great cave bear that taught the clan to wear fur, live in caves, and store up reserves during the seasons of abundance in order to survive the winter. the honoring of ursus is what binds the clan together as a people, and it is for this reason that the bear ceremony, and feast of ursus which follows it, held at the clan gathering are the highest religious rituals of the clan. as described in chapter 22 of clan of the cave bear when brun's clan chanced to see a living cave bear on their way to the clan gathering, "but it was more than the tremendous size of the animal that held the clan spellbound. this was ursus, the personification of the clan itself. he was their kin, and more, he embodied their very essence. his bones alone were so sacred they could ward off any evil. the kinship they felt was a spiritual tie, far more meaningful than any physical one. it was through his spirit that all clans were united into one and meaning was given to the gathering they had traveled so far to attend. it was his essence that made them clan, the clan of the cave bear."
earth's children