Article
Rethinking the dispersal of Homo sapiens out of Africa
Huw S. Groucutt,
Michael D. Petraglia,
Geoff Bailey,
Eleanor M. L. Scerri,
Ash Parton,
Laine Clark-Balzan,
Richard P. Jennings,
Laura Lewis,
James Blinkhorn,
Nick A. Drake,
Paul S. Breeze,
Robyn H. Inglis,
Maud H. Devès,
Matthew Meredith-Williams,
Nicole Boivin,
Mark G. Thomas,
Aylwyn Scally,
Huw S. Groucutt
Search for more papers by this authorMichael D. Petraglia
Search for more papers by this authorGeoff Bailey
Search for more papers by this authorEleanor M. L. Scerri
Search for more papers by this authorAsh Parton
Search for more papers by this authorLaine Clark-Balzan
Search for more papers by this authorRichard P. Jennings
Search for more papers by this authorLaura Lewis
Search for more papers by this authorJames Blinkhorn
Search for more papers by this authorNick A. Drake
Search for more papers by this authorPaul S. Breeze
Search for more papers by this authorRobyn H. Inglis
Search for more papers by this authorMaud H. Devès
Search for more papers by this authorMatthew Meredith-Williams
Search for more papers by this authorNicole Boivin
Search for more papers by this authorMark G. Thomas
Search for more papers by this authorAylwyn Scally
Search for more papers by this author
Huw S. Groucutt,
Michael D. Petraglia,
Geoff Bailey,
Eleanor M. L. Scerri,
Ash Parton,
Laine Clark-Balzan,
Richard P. Jennings,
Laura Lewis,
James Blinkhorn,
Nick A. Drake,
Paul S. Breeze,
Robyn H. Inglis,
Maud H. Devès,
Matthew Meredith-Williams,
Nicole Boivin,
Mark G. Thomas,
Aylwyn Scally,
Huw S. Groucutt
Search for more papers by this authorMichael D. Petraglia
Search for more papers by this authorGeoff Bailey
Search for more papers by this authorEleanor M. L. Scerri
Search for more papers by this authorAsh Parton
Search for more papers by this authorLaine Clark-Balzan
Search for more papers by this authorRichard P. Jennings
Search for more papers by this authorLaura Lewis
Search for more papers by this authorJames Blinkhorn
Search for more papers by this authorNick A. Drake
Search for more papers by this authorPaul S. Breeze
Search for more papers by this authorRobyn H. Inglis
Search for more papers by this authorMaud H. Devès
Search for more papers by this authorMatthew Meredith-Williams
Search for more papers by this authorNicole Boivin
Search for more papers by this authorMark G. Thomas
Search for more papers by this authorAylwyn Scally
Search for more papers by this authorHuw S. Groucutt, Eleanor M. L. Scerri, Michael D. Petraglia, Ash Parton, Laine Clark-Balzan, Richard P. Jennings, Laura Lewis, Nicole Boivin School of Archaeology, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, United Kingdom. Corresponding author: Huw Groucutt. Email: [email protected]
Geoff Bailey, Robyn H. Inglis, Maud H. Devès, Matthew Meredith-Williams Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, YO1 7EP, United Kingdom
James Blinkhorn McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DZ
Nick A. Drake, Paul S. Breeze Department of Geography, King's College London, WC2R 2LS, United Kingdom
Maud H. Devès Laboratoire Tectonique, Institut de Physique du Globe, Paris, 75252, France
Mark G. Thomas Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
Aylwyn Scally Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, United Kingdom
Abstract
Current fossil, genetic, and archeological data indicate that Homo sapiens originated in Africa in the late Middle Pleistocene. By the end of the Late Pleistocene, our species was distributed across every continent except Antarctica, setting the foundations for the subsequent demographic and cultural changes of the Holocene. The intervening processes remain intensely debated and a key theme in hominin evolutionary studies. We review archeological, fossil, environmental, and genetic data to evaluate the current state of knowledge on the dispersal of Homo sapiens out of Africa. The emerging picture of the dispersal process suggests dynamic behavioral variability, complex interactions between populations, and an intricate genetic and cultural legacy. This evolutionary and historical complexity challenges simple narratives and suggests that hybrid models and the testing of explicit hypotheses are required to understand the expansion of Homo sapiens into Eurasia.
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