The study examines the resilience of past human populations to disturbances over a 30,000-year period, using a global sample of prehistoric population data. The analysis reveals that frequent disturbances enhance a population's capacity to resist and recover from downturns. Land-use patterns, particularly those associated with farming and herding, are found to mediate this resilience. The results suggest that the shift to food-producing economies during the Holocene may have increased vulnerability to disturbances but also enhanced adaptive capacity through repeated exposure. The findings highlight the importance of understanding past responses to disturbances for developing solutions to future crises, emphasizing the need for a comparative and long-term perspective in the historical sciences. The study also discusses the trade-offs between different land-use strategies and the potential for biased cultural transmission to enhance resilience. Overall, the research provides insights into the dynamics of human population resilience and the factors that influence it.The study examines the resilience of past human populations to disturbances over a 30,000-year period, using a global sample of prehistoric population data. The analysis reveals that frequent disturbances enhance a population's capacity to resist and recover from downturns. Land-use patterns, particularly those associated with farming and herding, are found to mediate this resilience. The results suggest that the shift to food-producing economies during the Holocene may have increased vulnerability to disturbances but also enhanced adaptive capacity through repeated exposure. The findings highlight the importance of understanding past responses to disturbances for developing solutions to future crises, emphasizing the need for a comparative and long-term perspective in the historical sciences. The study also discusses the trade-offs between different land-use strategies and the potential for biased cultural transmission to enhance resilience. Overall, the research provides insights into the dynamics of human population resilience and the factors that influence it.