According to a new study, early humans may have settled in a so-called Persian plateau after leaving Africa 70,000 years ago.
20,000-Year Interval
After several Homo sapiens left Africa, they left minimal traces until their reappearance after 20,000 years in Eurasia. While it remains mysterious where they spent their time during this interval, a new study suggests that Homo sapiens who left Africa settled on a Persian plateau during this period.
Based on fossil evidence of migrations of early Homo sapiens, members left Africa at least 210,000 years ago. However, genetic evidence reveals that a huge migration wave that took place roughly 70,000 years ago was most successful. This contributed to the genes of all modern-day individuals who do not share an African lineage.
However, there is a great lack of fossils of Homo sapiens in Eurasia from between 45,000 to 60,000 years ago. This has prompted the new study's researchers to look into where modern humans settled during this period.
Residing in the Persian Plateau
With genetic data and climate models, the researchers discovered that the Persian plateau had the best suitability for human occupation during this period. Such findings were noted in the "The Persian plateau served as hub for Homo sapiens after the main out of Africa dispersal" study.
In a previous study, the researchers defined the Persian plateau as a population hub. This plateau covers the majority of modern-day Iran, as well as Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf. The researchers suggest that ancestors of present-day individuals with non-African roots lived in this area between 70,000 to 45,000 years ago.
Previously, the researchers looked into data from the paleolithic Eurasian genomes. They then correlated such information for archaeological evidence for stone tool technology changes. From this, they were able to discover that modern humans could have congregated within a population hub that was a base for several migrations across Eurasia. However, to infer the population hub's homeland, adding the paleoclimate model was necessary. This is something that the new study included/
By modeling hunter-gathered Homo sapien distribution and reconstructing regions with good suitability for human occupation during this period, the researchers discovered that the Persian plateau had the highest likelihood of supporting a population hub. This area also hosts known fossil sites for Neanderthals, with dates overlapping with Homo sapien presence. Molecular anthropologist Leonardo Vallini from the University of Padua, who is also the study's lead author, notes that coupling could have happened during this period, though it is possible that the two groups may have avoided one another and shared more sporadic interactions.
Vallini explains that during this time, Homo sapiens were mainly hunter-gatherers. However, in this region, people may have exchanged key information. The researchers note that the hub could have been an incubator for cultural innovation developments, such as projectile weapons or rock arts.
Not All Experts Agree
However, their findings have garnered mixed reactions, with some experts claiming that further evidence is necessary. Biological anthropologist Sang-Hee Lee from the University of California Riverside, who did not participate in the study, says that study offers images of a dynamic center for the occupation of human ancestors. However, Lee questions if the paleoecology model is suitable for early humans.
Lee explains that paleoecology data from this hub depends on just one data point within Iran, referring to how the researchers used a lone data point for testing their hypothesis. Nevertheless, the anthropologist notes that the lack of evidence does not imply the evidence of such absence.
The researchers also admit that more climate data and hominin fossils are needed for their hypothesis to be validated. Nevertheless, if this area truly served as a population hub during this period, the area would be ideal for finding paleoecology data and fossil evidence that could help bridge the gap in the migrations of ancestral humans across Eurasia.
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