It was more than 84,000 years ago. They traveled a green route, now deserted. How did humans leave Africa? The first migrants left Africa towards Eurasia, through the Sinai Peninsula and through Jordan. The existence of such a corridor was proven by researchers from the University of Southampton and Shantou University.
The findings corroborate previous research carried out in Arabia. They said that this then green route was the preferred one for Homo sapiens travelers heading north. “Modern” humans evolved in Africa between 300,000 and 200,000 years ago. They dispersed outside the continent in several stages. It is believed that over tens of thousands of years they populated Asia and then Europe.
Wetlands
For this latest research, published in Science Advances, the team conducted field work in the Jordanian Rift Valley. They found hand tools, known as “flakes.” They were in wadis, now dry river channels that tens of thousands of years ago were full of water. The results showed that the tools were likely used about 84,000 years ago.
Paul Carling, Professor of Geomorphology at the University of Southampton, explains: ‘It was thought that when sea levels were low, humans used a southern voyage, across the Red Sea from the Horn of Africa, to reach the south-west of Africa. Arabia. But there was a well-trodden passage to the north, a land route from Africa to Eurasia.
«Humans migrated along a northern route. They used small wet areas as a base while hunting. “Small wetlands were very important as stopping points during migration.”
Migrations and survival
Paleohydrological evidence from the Jordanian Desert improves our understanding of the environment at that time. “Instead of a dry desert, savannah grasslands allowed humans to survive during their journey out of Africa.”
The researchers claim that their study demonstrates the intimate relationship between climate change, human survival and migration. Knowing how humans left Africa around 84,000 years ago makes us look at the present with different eyes.
