- What favored the movement of hominids from Africa to other places?
- Climatic causes
- Anatomical and cultural causes
- References
The displacement of hominids to other places, according to the theory of African emigration, occurred more than 80,000 million years ago and could be favored by climatic, anatomical or cultural causes.
The word hominids, in its traditional sense, refers to species directly related to human evolution. These species comprise modern humans and the ancestors that emerged from the split from the chimpanzee branch.
Map of places where fossils of the first hominids have been found.
The theory states that the entire human race is descended from an archaic Homo sapiens population based in Africa. These migrated to other places, destroying all other lower archaic forms.
The causes that favored this migration are uncertain, but researchers have proposed several hypotheses.
What favored the movement of hominids from Africa to other places?
Climatic causes
Some scholars of the subject consider that one of the reasons for the displacement of hominids from Africa was climatic changes.
A sudden cooling of the planet in the last ice age exacerbated the survival conditions of these hominids. There is evidence that the population was drastically reduced.
After conditions improved, there was an increase in population and many left for other lands. The declines in sea level may have opened land bridges that contributed to displacement.
Others believe that the periods of humidity that followed the glaciations forced these ancestors to seek drier places to settle. And when conditions changed again, they moved again.
A study by Timmermann and Friedrich of the University of Hawaii reveals that the migration of hominids from Africa was carried out by waves through the Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea. This happened every 20,000 years or so for more than 100,000 years.
According to the researchers, changes in climate and vegetation in tropical and subtropical regions opened green corridors between Africa and the eastern Mediterranean and between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. This facilitated travel to other continents.
Anatomical and cultural causes
Some academics argue that these hominids needed to develop some physical and cultural attributes in order to survive in such harsh environments. Only after this was their displacement from the African continent possible.
It is thought that there was a change in their body anatomy that allowed them a more efficient gait. With this they could make long-distance trips. His intelligence was also developed enough to meet certain challenges in unfamiliar environments.
One of the biggest challenges was providing food and fresh water. These were resources that depended on the seasons. There is talk of a possible genetic mutation that suddenly increased his intellectual capacity.
Similarly, it was important to survive in harsh environments that they knew how to create and use rudimentary tools. There is sufficient evidence of the use of tools made of bone and stone.
The fact that they included more meat foods in their diet was a big plus. This expanded their range of livelihood options.
Some even think that the displacement was due to the search for the prey.
References
- Gugliotta, G. (2008, July,). The Great Human Migration. Why humans left their African homeland 80,000 years ago to colonize the world. Smithsonian magazine. Recovered from smithsonianmag.com.
- Arsuaga, JL and Martínez I. (2006). The Chosen Species: The Long March of Human Evolution. Massachusetts: Blackwell publishing.
- Haviland, W., Walrath, D., Prins, H., and McBride B. (2007). Evolution and Prehistory: The Human. California: Thomson Learning.
- Map of Human Migration. (2017). National Geographic Society. Recovered from nationalgeographic.com
- The first migrations out of Africa (2015, October 30). Australian Museum. Recovered from australianmuseum.net.au
- Mascarelli, A. (2016, September 21). Climate Swings Drove Early Humans Out of Africa (and Back Again). Sapiens. Recovered from sapiens.org.