The Dispersal of Homo erectus, Homo neanderthalensis, and Homo sapiens
The map in Figure 6.8 provides a visualization of modern human dispersal from the African continent. Paleoanthropologists continue to seek more evidence regarding the exact location where modern humans originated on the African continent.
The Kalahari Desert may not be our only homeland; modern humans may also have originated from other places in Africa. Scientists are analyzing newly uncovered fossils and applying sophisticated analytical techniques to fossils found decades ago to learn more about the timing of the dispersal of modern humans out of Africa.
Figure 6.8 Successive dispersals of Homo erectus greatest extent (yellow), Homo neanderthalensis greatest extent (dark yellow), Homo sapiens (red). (Urutseg, 2014. Public Domain).
Source: Urutseg, 2014, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spreading_homo_sapiens_la.svg
This work is in the Public Domain.