Homo sapiens, czyli człowiek współczesny, wyewoluował około 200,000 55,000 lat temu w Afryce Wschodniej w pobliżu współczesnej Etiopii. Przez długi czas mieszkali w Afryce. Około XNUMX XNUMX lat temu rozproszyli się po różnych częściach świata, w tym w Eurazji, i we właściwym czasie zdominowali świat.
The oldest evidence of human existence in Europie został znaleziony w Jaskinia Bacho Kiro, Bułgaria. Szczątki ludzkie w tym miejscu datowano na 47,000 XNUMX lat, co sugeruje H. sapiens dotarł do Europy Wschodniej 47,000 XNUMX lat wcześniej.
Eurazja była jednak krainą neandertalczyków (homo neanderthalensis), an extinct species of ancient humans who lived in Europie and Asia between 400,000 years before present to about 40,000 years before present. They were good tool maker and hunter. H. sapiens did not evolve from neanderthals. Instead, both were close relatives. As shown in fossil records, neanderthals differed markedly from Homo sapiens anatomically in the skull, ear bones and pelvis. The former were shorter in height, had stockier bodies and had heavy brows and big noses. Therefore, based on significant differences in physical traits, neanderthals and homo sapiens are traditionally considered to be two distinct species. Nevertheless, H. neanderthalensis i H. sapiens interbred outside Africa when the later met neanderthals in Eurasia after leaving Africa. The present human populations whose ancestors had lived outside Africa have about 2% neanderthal DNA in their genome. Neanderthal ancestry is found in modern African populations as well perhaps because of migration of Europejczycy into Africa over the past 20,000 years.
The co-existence of neanderthals and H. sapiens in the Europie has been debated. Some thought that the neanderthals disappeared from northwestern Europie before the arrival of H. sapiens. Based on the study of stone tools and fragments of skeletal remains at the site, it was not possible to determine whether specific excavated levels at archaeological sites are associated with Neanderthals or H. sapiens. After reaching Europie, zrobili H. sapiens żyć obok (neandertalczyków), zanim neandertalczykom groziło wyginięcie?
Ciekawym przypadkiem jest przemysł narzędzi kamiennych Lincombian–Ranisian–Jerzmanowician (LRJ) na stanowisku archeologicznym w Ilsenhöhle w Ranis w Niemczech. Nie udało się jednoznacznie wykazać, czy stanowisko to jest powiązane z neandertalczykami czy H. sapiens.
In studies published recently, researchers extracted the starożytne DNA from the skeletal fragments from this site and upon mitochondrial DNA analysis and direct radiocarbon dating of the remains found that remains belonged to modern human population and were about 45,000 years old which makes it the earliest H. sapiens remains in Northern Europie.
The studies showed that Homo sapiens were present in central and northwestern Europie long before extinction of Neanderthals in southwestern Europie and indicated that both species coexisted in Europe during the transitional period for about 15,000 years. H. sapiens at LRJ were small pioneer groups who were connected to wider populations of H. sapiens in eastern and central Europe.It was also found that around 45,000-43,000 years ago, cold climate prevailed across the sites at Ilsenhöhle and had a cold steppe setting. Directly dated human bones at the site suggest that H. sapiens could use the site and operate thus showing ability to adapt to the prevailing severe cold conditions.
The studies are significant because it identifies an early spread of H. sapiens into cold steppes in northern Europie 45,000 years ago. The humans could adapt to the extreme cold conditions and operate as small mobile groups of pioneers.
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Referencje:
- Mylopotamitaki, D., Weiss, M., Fewlass, H. i wsp. Homo sapiens dotarł na wyższe szerokości geograficzne Europy 45,000 626 lat temu. Natura 341, 346–2024 (XNUMX). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06923-7
- Pederzani, S., Britton, K., Trost, M. i in. Stabilne izotopy pokazują, że Homo sapiens rozprzestrzenił się na zimnych stepach około 45,000 2024 lat temu w Ilsenhöhle w Ranis w Niemczech. Nat Ecol Evol(XNUMX). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-023-02318-z
- Smith, GM, Ruebens, K., Zavala, EI i wsp. Ekologia, utrzymanie i dieta około 45,000 2024-letniego Homo sapiens w Ilsenhöhle w Ranis w Niemczech. Nat Ecol Evol (XNUMX). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-023-02303-6
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