Spread of Modern Humans around the World

Question 1

What are the two main hypotheses regarding how modern humans spread around the world?

Answer 1

• the ‘Out of Africa’ hypothesis
• the multiregional hypothesis

Question 2

What does the ‘Out of Africa’ hypothesis propose?

Answer 2

• that modern Homo sapiens originated in North African
• between 200 00 and 150 000 years ago
• overtime dispersed into Europe and Asia

Question 3

With what does the OAA hypothesis begin?

Answer 3

• an earlier Homo (african Homo erectus/ Homo ergaster) species left Africa
• evolved into Homo erectus in Asia
• evolved into Homo neanderthalensis in Europe
• around 1 to 2 million years ago

Question 4

What does the OAA hypothesis hypothesise about Homo sapiens?

Answer 4

• about 60 000 years ago
• a major wave of modern Homo sapiens left northern Africa
• they spread rapidly replacing existing human populations in Asia (H. erectus) and Europe (H. neanderthalensis)

Question 5

Why did Homo sapiens migrate out of Africa?

Answer 5

• probably because of their superior technology and communication skills

Question 6

What does the multiregional hypothesis state?

Answer 6

• the earlier Homo species (H. erectus) migrated out of Africa
• giving rise to many different populations that became reproductively isolated
• these then evolved independently into different forms of H. erectus (e.g. H. neanderthalensis)
• eventually all of these evolved into Homo sapiens