Dr. Chris Stringer, Paleoanthropologist, discusses Europe's earliest humans 1.2 million years ago and their extinction due to climate disaster. Experts delve into glacial periods, temperature drops, and human adaptation to extreme conditions. Exploration of Homo erectus migration and local extinction event offers intriguing insights into the history of early European inhabitants.
Early humans in Europe faced extinction due to a massive climate disaster around 1.1 million years ago.
Adaptation strategies like changed physiology, body fat, clothing, and shelters helped early humans survive harsh conditions.
Deep dives
Exploring the Origins of Early Humans in Europe
Around 1.2 million years ago, early humans began populating the European continent, possibly homo erectus. Fossils from places like Spain suggest human presence around 1.4 million years ago. Archaeological sites like Pura-Nore in Italy provide stone tool evidence of human activity. The migration path of these early humans into Europe remains uncertain, possibly through southern Europe.
Uncovering a Climate Change Catastrophe
A recent study reveals a catastrophic event around 1.1 million years ago leading to the extinction of early humans in Europe, likely homo erectus. Evidence points to a dramatic cooling period, with sea surface temperatures dropping significantly. The cooling impacted primary productivity, causing a decline in resources for early humans, potentially leading to their extinction.
Researching Early Human Adaptation After Extinction
After the climate catastrophe, early humans reappeared in Europe around 900,000 years ago. Fossils from Spain and Norfolk, UK, suggest the presence of Homo antecessor. Archaeological sites like Haysborough show signs of human activity during this colder period. Adaptation strategies such as changed physiology, body fat, clothing, and shelters may have enabled survival in these harsh conditions.
Europe’s earliest known humans lived over 1.2 million years ago. After initially roaming the plains of Iberia in small groups, they spread across the Pyrenees into the wider European continent. But for more than 100,000 years all traces of humans in these regions vanish. The question is…what happened?
In today’s episode of the Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Chris Stringer, and by Dr. Chronis Tzedakis and Dr Vasiliki Margari to explore the fate of these first Europeans and discover how a massive climate disaster drove some of Europe’s earliest humans to extinction.
This episode was produced by Joseph Knight and edited by Aidan Lonergan.
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