Early Old World migrations of Homo sapiens: archaeology (original) (raw)
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The African origin of our species has essentially been accepted as a scientific fact, but evolutionary advantages connected with the reasons and circumstances of modern human dispersal remain widely unexplained or controversial. Consequently, this paper provides an overview of the natural and cultural context of earliest AMH (Anatomically Modern Humans). According to the locations and dating of AMH fossils, the focus is on E-Africa, NE-Africa and the Middle East within a time range from 200 ka to 70 ka. At least three different “contextual areas” appear to have existed at the time, two of them in E-Africa and NE-Africa, dominated by “Bifacial-plus-Levallois” technology, and the third one in the Middle East, mostly connected with an “only-Levallois” technology. A comparison with some non-AMH sites from Eurasia displays similarity of technological principles between artifact assemblages from African AMH sites and Eurasian non-AMH (early Neanderthal) sites on the one hand, and dissimilarity between African AMH sites and Middle Eastern AMH sites on the other hand. This is particularly surprising if environmental contexts are taken into account – tropical in Africa and glacial in Eurasia.Thus, compared to their archaic neighbors (particularly early Neanderthals), earliest modern humans currently seem to lack any specific “cultural fingerprint” and their demographic success may not be explained by behavioral superiority alone. The idea of a small group of early AMH people migrating out of Africa, enabled by cultural superiority over their neighbors appears highly questionable in the light of archaeological evidence. Moreover, the concept of virtual “migration routes” deserves a revision if ethnodemographic evidence about spatial behavior of hunter-gatherers is taken into account. The proposed concept of “contextual areas” serves as a methodological alternative, comprising linked cultural and environmental features.
This paper revises the current state of the debate about the earliest hominin dispersals out of Africa. First we review the archaeological evidence for the earliest occupation of Asia and Europe. Next we summarize the environmental parameters related to the earliest phases of human evolution - specifically, climatic implications for human adaptations and faunal dispersals. We discuss which were the first hominins to leave Africa, and we propose the invention of technology as a fundamental step for the development of our genus, likely related to changes in subsistence and diet during the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene. From our point of view, hominins were able to generalize the use of technology, as well as to generate, integrate, and diffuse new information into their collective social behavior. We refer to this concept as "socialization." Hence, technology and the socialization thereof became integral aspects of the ecological niche of hominins
Eurasian gates: the earliest human dispersals
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This paper revises the current slate of the debate about the earliest hominin dispersals out of Africa. First we review the archaeological evidence for the earliest occupation of Asia and Europe. Next we summarize the environmental parameters related to the earliestphases afhuman evolution-specifically, climatic implications for human adaptations andfaunal dispersals. We discuss which were the first hominins to leave Africa, and we propose the invention oftechnology as a fundamental step for the development of our genus, likely related to changes in subsistence and diet during the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene. From our point of view, hdminins were able to generalize the use of technology, as well as to generate, integrate. and diffuse new information into their collective social behavior. We refer to this concept as "socialization. " Hence, technology and the socialization thereofbecame integral aspects ofthe ecological niche ofhominins. SINCE THE LAST DECADE OF THE TWENTIETH CENTIlRY there have been a plethora of scientific publications discussing when and where the first hominin dispersals out of Africa aod into Eurasia took place (e.
Modern human origins and dispersal: current state of knowledge and future directions
Accumulating evidence from various fields of study has substantially advanced our understanding of modern human origins and dispersal. Fossil evidence in hand supports the African origin of our species, although its sparseness leaves many questions unanswered. Similarly, genetic studies provide unprecedented insights into the evolutionary history of our species, lending further support to its African origin and Late Pleistocene dispersal beyond the continent. On the other hand, inferring the origin and dispersal of a given hominin species based on archeological evidence is more difficult because Paleolithic technologies do not necessarily imply the taxonomic or genetic affinities of their makers. Perhaps most difficult of all is inferring the origin and evolution of behaviors, such as language, which leave hardly any trace in the Paleolithic record.
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