For example Norway, Sweden and northern Russia. Why did people live there, especially in Norway, where the surrounding climate was so terribly hostile? What caused them to stay, were there just not any other parts of Europe and Asia where they felt that they could stay (as in, being outlaws, fanting to be seperate, etc.)?
Thank you so much in advance. This has been bugging me for a while, why my ancestors bothered living here!
People generally went where food was more plentiful and where competition with other peoples/tribes was less intense. Climate in the far north may be harsher, but it is easier to adapt to than a lack of wild animals to hunt or hostile enemy tribes waging war on you. Also, it is important to keep in mind that people who migrated north probably did so very gradually. It is unlikely that they moved from Africa straight to Norway in a short amount of time. More likely, the migration took multiple generations as they moved through Europe, so the change in climate would not appear very stark or sudden. Finally, once they settled in a certain area, they developed technology and adaptations that would help them survive there - things like more insulated homes, warmer clothes, ways to hunt and fish local species more efficiently - and that caused them to stay there.
hi! this question may be a better fit for /r/AskAnthropology, but FYI there have been a few related questions in here before, so get started on previous responses:
What made native people choose the inhospitable places in which they live?
Why did humans leave warm or temperate zones and migrate to colder climates?