Human Migration

Australopithecus

200,000 BCE

The Australopithecus was the first hominid located in South-Central Africa in 4000000 BCE. They were the most basic hominids that lived in the trees and lived like animals. They ate berries, nuts, roots, and few meats. The Australopithecus was the first member of the Human evolutionary chain. They stood at about 1.5 meters tall and had a brain about 35% the size of humans today.

Human Migration

Period: 200,000 BCE to 3000 BCE

The history of human(oid) migration

Homo Habilus

199,999 BCE

Homo Habilus was the next humanoid that came after Australopithecus. They started existing around 2.5 million years ago and were the first humans to use tools. Those included tear dropped shaped rock knives and pickaxes that they got from chipping away bits of rock. They also had bigger brains that they used to make better decisions and were the first of the humanoids to show collective learning. Homo Habilus walked on two legs more than the Australopithecuses.

Homo Erectus

199,998 BCE

After Homo Habilus came the Homo Erectus species around 1.8 million years ago. Homo Erectus was a slightly more advanced species than the Homo Habilus in every way. Homo Erectus’ ability to speak in a real comprehensible language led to more collective learning and in turn, better tools and hunting strategies. Homo Erectus also walked almost exclusively on two feet which freed up their hands for more effective tool use and more energy efficient movement.

Creation of Fire (Migratory/Tool)

199,998 BCE

The creation of fire by the Homo Erectus around 1.5 mya was one of the biggest advancements in technology ever. This new tool allowed them to cook their food, making it safer to eat and more nutritious, it allowed them to create warmth anywhere they went, meaning they could travel wherever they wanted with the fire as their insurance, and it protected them from wild predators at night. Without fire, the Homo Erectus might not have ever left Africa and humanity could never be what it is today.

Out of Africa (Migratory)

199,997 BCE

Homo Erectus first leaves Africa and migrates to Eurasia, creating a trend that will lead to world wide expansion. They were able to move further distances than their predecessors due to their ability to walk on two legs, a very energy efficient way of travel. These early migrators will eventually become the Neanderthals.

Homo Sapiens

199,996 BCE

Humans evolved into what they are today around 200,000 years ago. They were known as Homo Sapiens. There were two types of Homo Sapiens, Neanderthals, the bigger, stronger, “cavemen” of Europe and the Homo Sapiens Sapiens, who utilized their collective learning abilities to make long distance spears and their energy efficient long distance running capabilities to track down faster prey. They had the biggest brains out of all of the hominids and eventually became the worlds dominant species.

Mount Toba Catastrophe (Migratory)

73,000 BCE

Around 75000 years ago, Mount Toba, a super volcano, erupted and poured 100x more ash into the atmosphere than any eruption measured in modern history. This ash blocked out the sun and lowered temperatures around the world so low and for so long that many species died out. Homo Sapiens were left to scavenge for what little food was left and their advanced hunting and clothing tools helped them make special heat trapping clothing and spears for to hunt from long distance.

Bow and Arrow (Tool)

64,000 BCE

The Bow and Arrow was first made around 64,000 years ago in Africa. The arrows were made from sticks with arrowheads of stone or bone and the bow made from a long stick tied with silk or sinew from animals. The bow and arrow allowed hunters to kill their prey from afar, a much safer and effective way of hunting since hunters couldn’t run as fast as their prey. The bow and arrow led to bigger and better inventions such as the crossbow and eventually the guns that we use today.

The Domestication of Wolves (Neolithic)

15,000 BCE

Starting as long as 400,000 years ago, wolves started to live in close proximity to humans. The wolves would follow the Homo Sapiens Sapiens and scavenge the scraps they left behind from their camps. The wolves got closer and closer to the humans camps until they started to eat with the humans. It started a symbiotic relationship beneficial to the humans and the wolves. The sprinting and smelling abilities of the dog to find prey and the spears of the humans left no weaknesses between the two.

The Franchthi Cave (Neolithic)

13,000 BCE

Ancient Greek humans start selectively breeding snails to create bigger, more caloric snails at a larger rate. They choose snails due to their ability to be easily controlled, their calcium rich shells since they can be used for other things such as feed for other animals, and their short gestation period. This was the beginning of selective breeding, a very important thing today.

The Beringia Land Bridge (Migratory)

12,600 BCE

During an ice age, so much water was frozen in glaciers and icebergs that a land bridge was opened between Russia and North America. One theory of how early people came to America was that the hunter-gatherers of Asia followed food sources such as Wooly Mammoths across the bridge. Another is that they followed the coastline in boats fishing and seal hunting for food sources. But either way, these people spread across the Americas and became Native Americans, creating canoes along the way.

Beginning of Agriculture (Neolithic)

11,000 BCE

At the end of the ice age the world began to have longer, warmer, summers. These summers were perfect to start growing crops rather than trying to find them out in the open. People started growing rye, lentils, peas, and chickpeas to feed their family. It was soon realized that these crops could be grown to have a surplus, feeding families throughout the winter and allowing domesticated animals to always be fed. So by growing more food, they could have more animals and feed people more meat too.

Walls (Tools)

10,000 BCE

The wall was first used in Ancient Mesopotamia, where the king wanted to protect his cities from invaders. They built a small mud wall but eventually walls grew into giant stone structures such as the one in Jericho that protected people from wild animals, hostile invaders, and harsh weather conditions like wind. They could also be used to keep livestock in one area and streamlined the use of the bow and arrow, as watchmen in wall towers could use them with almost no danger of dying.