Tracing Our Roots: From Africa to West Asia

The most fascinating questions in human prehistory revolve around the origins of modern humans

We're curious about when and where our ancestors evolved from earlier hominins, and when our

early Homo sapien relatives became fully modern. Welcome to Anthromedia. Before we proceed don't forget to subscribe

Most experts believe that Homo sapiens took their first steps in Africa before a global dispersion

All modern humans came from a small source population of less than 1,000 individuals

in relatively recent times. Discovery at Jebel Irhoud in Morocco supports the notion that Homo sapiens originated in Africa

Fossils from Jebel Irhoud, dating back around 300,000 years, display a mix of modern and

primitive features, representing an intermediate stage in human evolution. This finding supports genetic evidence indicating the split between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals

around 400,000 to 300,000 years ago. Before this discovery, the oldest Homo sapiens fossils were in East Africa, such as the Omo

Kibi skull from Ethiopia around 195,000 years ago, and skulls from Hirtu, Ethiopia around

160,000 years old, demonstrating transitional form. Fossils from Africa after 120,000 years ago show fully modern features, marking the completion

of the anatomical transition to modern Homo sapiens. Scientists have used both fossils and genetics to understand human origin

Mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down only through mothers, has revealed that all modern

humans likely originated from a 200,000-year-old African population. More advanced genetic studies have revealed a complex history showing multiple branches

and migrations. Recent genetic research has identified Neanderthal and Denisovan admixture events, indicating

interbreeding between different human species. In Africa, life was not easy. Homo sapiens had to adapt to habitat changes during the Ice Age

As Africa's environment fluctuated, our ancestors developed larger brains, flexible behavior, and social structures

This allowed them to live in larger groups, have advanced hunting skills, and use tools

effectively, ultimately reducing the unpredictability of their environment. Early humans, Homo sapiens, emerged during a time of constant climate change in Africa

The climate in sub-Saharan Africa, where these early humans lived, was influenced by factors

like rainfall and drought. Recent research in Lakes Malawi and Tanganyika in East Africa revealed a significant climate

variation around 135,000 years ago. This period experienced extreme and prolonged droughts, with occasional brief periods of

higher rainfall approximately every 11,000 years. These megadroughts, especially between 135,000 and 75,000 years ago, drastically reduced

the water levels in Lake Malawi by at least 95%. Around 75,000 years ago, Lake Malawi, which was once 340 miles long, turned into small

insignificant pools only about 6 miles across. The aridity was unimaginable. Wetter and more stable conditions returned around 70,000 years ago as lake levels rose dramatically

It's interesting to note that a major population expansion in Africa occurred around 60,000

years ago, perhaps influenced by the improved and more stable environmental conditions

The question of when and how Homo sapiens left Africa and moved into Asia or Europe

is still a matter of intense debate among scientists. Around 80,000 years ago, our ancestors started moving out of Africa

Homo sapiens initially explored southwest Asia around 120,000 years ago, but permanent

settlements didn't occur until after 60,000 years ago. The early dispersal involved small, scattered groups adept at covering long distances for

hunting and gathering. Some signs of these early nomadic settlements in southwest Asia date back to around 120,000

years ago. One interesting finding was in a rock shelter called Skool in Israel

The remains found there showed a mix of features, partly like Neanderthals and partly like modern humans

In 1965, another cave called Kwave in Israel revealed more surprises. Burials of our ancestors were found, and dating methods showed they were around 90,000 to

115,000 years old. This meant that modern humans lived in southwest Asia alongside Neanderthals, possibly as early

as 100,000 to 120,000 years ago. Two groups of early humans known as Kwave and Skool had a mix of old and new characteristics

in their skeletons, like a more modern throat for speaking and fewer prominent brow ridges

They were also pretty good at making tools better than the ones before them

Some of these humans were found buried with interesting things like a red deer antler

or a boar jaw, suggesting they might have had more social connections than their ancestors

They lived in a specific area near the Mediterranean coast and the Jordan Rift Valley, where they

could find nuts, game animals, and water in a landscape full of caves and rock shelters

Around 75,000 to 70,000 years ago, the weather in the region got colder and drier, coinciding

with the beginning of the last Ice Age, which made living conditions tough

At the same time, the Mount Tobai eruption in southeast Asia caused significant cultural

change and a genetic bottleneck impacting plant and animal life. When things started getting warmer and wetter again, Neanderthals came back to areas

It took about 20,000 years before a different group, anatomically modern humans, reappeared

in southwest Asia. Around 50,000 years ago, early modern humans migrated back to southwest Asia

This happened during a period of cooling that caused Neanderthals to retreat to smaller

territories, especially along coastal areas. The Sahara Desert, a major obstacle between tropical Africa and the Mediterranean, experienced

phases of both aridity and increased rainfall, making it periodically passable. Early modern humans may have traveled through the Sahara and into the Nile Valley and southwest

Asia during periods when the climate was cooler and wetter. The landscape in southwest Asia was dry with fewer trees and more steppe desert plants

compared to tropical Africa. However, the humans who were adapted to African environments with patchy food and water were

not deterred. Skeletal evidence indicates that these newcomers were tall and thin with long legs, adaptations

to tropical conditions, helping them thrive in the semi-arid environments of southwest Asia

They brought lighter toolkits, primarily based on finely made stone blades. These blades had been used sporadically in southern Africa thousands of years earlier

although it was once believed that advanced technologies emerged with the arrival of Homo sapiens

Closer examination of earlier technological traditions shows that these innovations were foreshadowed tens of thousands of years earlier

In southwest Asia, caves like Mount Carmel sites in Israel and Shundadar in Iraq show

thousands of years of Neanderthal toolmaking. Hunter-gatherer bands visited these sites repeatedly from more than 70,000 years ago

to modern times. Over time, toolkits evolved, and around 45,000 years ago in the Negev Desert, Israel, a shift

in climate led people to become more mobile. To adapt to the drier climate, they moved away from toolmaking stone sources, necessitating

more efficient tool production methods. This environmental challenge spurred the evolution of blade technology, where long blades were

crafted from cylindrical flint cores. With its new blade technology, Homo sapiens started appearing in continental Europe around

50,000 years ago