You would have eventually found it more tolerable. Adaptation time is typically on the order of a couple weeks. Above a certain temperature (~100F for myself ),

You would have eventually found it more tolerable. Adaptation time is typically on the order of a couple weeks. Above a certain temperature (~100F for myself ), you'd still be uncomfortable regardless. Historically, in hot climates you'd also spend some of the hottest parts of the day doing things inside, which helps tremendously. That can be tens of degrees cooler. On top of that, you'd also have a house designed for the climate. In the desert that might be a big adobe building, which would get you another significant reduction in temperature. Bedouin-type clothing also helps a lot. The point is actually to be flowy and generate lots of airflow over your skin while blocking the sun. Beyond that, historically you just didn't live in places where it was unlivably hot. Typically those are places without much water, which is a bad thing. Dangerous wet-bulb temperature was significantly less common prior to the modern era as well. I also have a relevant Askhistorians answer about the desert southwest you might find relevant [1] which gives real numbers and some further discussion of historical strategies. [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/c8rizq/how_did_native_americans_in_the_american/ https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/c8rizq/how_d...