The last glacial period is the most recent glacial period within the current ice age occurring during the last years of the Pleistocene, from approximately 110,000 to 10,000 years ago.
During this period there were several changes between glacier advance and retreat.
The maximum extent of glaciation was approximately 18,000 years ago.
While the general pattern of global cooling and glacier advance was similar, local differences in the development of glacier advance and retreat make it difficult to compare the details from continent to continent (see picture of ice core data below for differences).From the point of view of human evolution, it sets apart the Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods.
