Ann Turnbull grounds Maroo of the Winter Caves in the real-world Magdalenian culture, which flourished in Western Europe from approximately 17,000 to 12,000 years ago. In the author’s note, Turnbull explicitly identifies Maroo’s people with this Upper Paleolithic group, whose name comes from the La Madeleine rock shelter in the Dordogne region of France, one of the key archaeological sites associated with Magdalenian culture. Archaeological evidence indicates that reindeer were a primary resource for many Magdalenian communities and that Magdalenian people, like Maroo’s family, were semi-nomadic hunters who followed seasonal reindeer migrations, relying on them for food, hides for clothing and shelter, and bone and antler for tools like needles and spear points. Maroo’s deerskin trousers and bone needles and her family’s complete dependence on migrating herds reflect this historical reality. The novel is also informed by the Magdalenian people’s sophisticated artistic traditions. In her preface, Turnbull explains that photographs of Stone Age cave art in southern France inspired the novel. Magdalenian sites such as Lascaux in France and Altamira in Spain contain thousands of detailed animal engravings and paintings. These artworks, depicting bison, horses, and mammoths, suggest the importance of symbolic expression in Magdalenian society, although their precise purpose remains debated. By situating her story within this well-documented prehistoric culture, Turnbull grounds the novel’s depiction of family life and survival in the environmental conditions and lifeways of the Late Upper Paleolithic.