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This incredible map reveals the newly discovered route that early humans took when they left Africa for Eurasia 80,000 years ago.
Scientists have long believed that when sea levels were low, Homo Sapiens used a southward crossing across the Red Sea from the Horn of Africa to reach southwestern Arabia.
But a new study suggests there was also another “busy” passage to the north.
This was the only land route from Africa to Eurasia and saw hunter-gatherers follow it. a lush “corridor” of rivers running through the Sinai Peninsula and the Levant into Western Asia and northern Arabia via Jordan.
Many of these rivers have since dried up in areas that are now desert lands, researchers at the University of Southampton said, but the discovery of abandoned hand tools has helped establish that the “well-watered corridor” was used.
This incredible map reveals the newly discovered route that early humans took when they left Africa for Eurasia 80,000 years ago. Scientists have long believed that when sea levels were low, Homo Sapiens used a southward crossing across the Red Sea from the Horn of Africa to reach southwestern Arabia. But a new study suggests there was also another step north.
Fascinating: The discovery of abandoned hand tools (pictured) has helped establish that the ‘well-watered corridor’ as it was used
Research in Arabia had previously suggested that the once-green land route was favored by early humans traveling north.
But it took field work in the Jordan rift valley to reinforce and confirm the theory.
Archaeologists were able to discover hand tools, known as flakes, ‘scales’ at the edge of wadis, now dry river channels that, tens of thousands of years ago, were filled with water.
They then set out to establish the age of the sediment in which the tools had been buried for tens of thousands of years.
To do this, the scientists used luminescence dating techniques to estimate how much time had passed since the sediment was last exposed to light.
Their findings showed that the tools were probably used around 84,000 years ago, before being abandoned on the banks of wadis and eventually covered over by the passage of time.
It is well known that modern humans evolved in Africa between 300,000 and 200,000 years ago before migrating out of the continent in various stages to Asia and then Europe.
Paul Carling, professor of geomorphology at the University of Southampton, said: “It was long thought that when sea levels were low, humans used a southward crossing, across the Red Sea from the Horn of Africa, to reach southwest Arabia. .
“However, our study confirms that there was a busy passage to the north, through the only land route from Africa to Eurasia.
The changing face of the planet: Many of these rivers have since dried up in areas that are now desert lands, researchers at the University of Southampton said.
Clever: Archaeologists were able to discover hand tools, known as scales, ‘scales’ at the edge of wadis, now-dry river channels that, tens of thousands of years ago, were filled with water.
Analysis: Modern humans evolved in Africa between 300,000 and 200,000 years ago and dispersed outside the continent in several stages to later populate Asia and then Europe.
Theory: Research in Arabia had previously suggested that the once green, now desert land route (pictured) was favored by early humans traveling north.
“Our newly published evidence is a key piece of the puzzle showing that humans migrated along a northward route, using small areas of wetlands as a base while hunting abundant wildlife in drier grasslands.
“Although previous studies had looked at large lakes as possible watering holes, in reality small wetlands were very important as stopping points during migration.”
Dr Mahmoud Abbas, lead author of the study from Shantou University, China, said: “The Levant acted as a well-watered corridor for modern humans to disperse out of Africa during the last interglacial, and we have now shown that This is the case in the Jordan Rift Valley Zone.
‘Paleohydrological evidence from the Jordanian desert improves our understanding of the environmental environment at that time.
“Instead of a dry desert, savannah grasslands would have provided much-needed resources for humans to survive during their journey out of Africa into southwest Asia and beyond.”
The new study has been published in the journal. Scientific advances.