According to Stringer, Homo sapiens is the only extant species of the genus Homo which represents modern humans. In this sense, despite racial and cultural diversity, all people living in different parts of the world are Homo sapiens. From an evolutionary perspective, this situation was perpetuated by the migration of Homo sapiens from Africa to other parts of the world millions of years ago. Unlike their predecessors, Homo sapiens survived because they adapted to climatic and environmental changes, had a better and durable body structure, constructed more effective tools, and more importantly, had a larger brain hence advanced cognitive abilities (Berger et al.). As Berger et al. points out, Homo sapiens migration from Africa occurred around 70,000 years ago and was necessitated by various factors. Firstly, unfavorable climate change that resulted in desertification triggered the movement of Homo sapiens from Southern to North-Eastern Africa. Secondly, Homo sapiens migrated in response to the migration of animals that served as an essential means of survival. Besides, homo sapiens had a language with which they would communicate and organize on their migratory expeditions (Timmerman & Friedrich). Lastly, the species made tools, weapons, and structures like canoes and rafts to make migration possible. Generally, Homo sapiens traveled northwards and reached the Middle East about 100,000 years ago (Berger et al.). As shown by the map below, they moved into other continents thousands of years later from the Middle East.
There are various factors why Homo Sapiens reached specific regions later than others. Firstly, the migration process was not organized since there were no defined routes or transport means. Besides, as humans, homo sapiens faced difficulties like animal attacks, starvation, and drowning. Furthermore, the interaction with other species like the Neanderthals somehow delayed the migration process. According to Berger et al., Homo Sapiens last settled in the Americas. As most studies suggest, the migration, settlement, and population of Homo sapiens in the Americas were prompted by mammoth hunting expeditions within the Bering Strait, which linked Asia and North America. Further, archaeological evidence discovered in Alaska and Northern Yukon suggested early human activities within the regions. Studies postulate that Homo sapiens migrated further southwards and populated the regions where countries like Chile, Brazil, and Argentina (Berger et al.).
Like the preceding species, Homo sapiens relied entirely on nature to survive. In this case, they gathered fruits and hunted animals to supplement their food sources. Nonetheless, Homo Sapiens developed more effective tools and mechanisms that led to increased food production. For instance, during the Pleistocene period, there was an increase in meat consumption since sophisticated weapons made big game huting possible (Berger et al.). The rock art found in Dolni Vetonece in Czech Republic, Australia, and other regions demonstrates that hunting was a crucial food production mechanism. Besides weapons, hunting and gathering were facilitated by fire and pottery, primarily employed in meal preparation. As the human population increased, the hunter-gatherer lifestyle became unsustainable due to the decreased food sources and migration of animals into other habitats (Timmerman& Friedrich). Coupled with the massive thawing of ice at the start of the Holocene period, humans started to live in communities and practice agriculture as an alternative to hunting and gathering (Berger et al.). The adoption of agriculture commenced with the gradual domestication of animals like and plants like wheat, potatoes, barley, and rye in Mesopotamia, Americas, and China in Asia (Berger et al.). By practicing agriculture, Homo sapiens consequently adopted a sedentary lifestyle which later led to large settlements and rudimentary types of administration..
Works Cited
Berger, Eugene, et al. World History: Cultures, States, and Societies to 1500. University of North Georgia Press, 2016.
Manning, Patrick, and Tiffany Trimmer. Migration in world history. Routledge, 2020.
Stringer, Chris. “The origin and evolution of Homo sapiens.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 371.1698 (2016): 20150237.
