I have no recollection of the source, but I read in what I recall as a reasonable source the following: Many French peasants in the mid-late 1700's would mostly sleep through winters, arising to eat (IIRC). I don't recall a mention with this of frequent death, but it could have gone without mention.
In a sense this is contemporary, compared to "early" humans, and possible to verify in the record.
In a sense this is contemporary, compared to "early" humans, and possible to verify in the record.