Eurasian Gates: The Earliest Human Dispersals

Abstract

This paper revises the current state of the debate about the earliest hominin dispersals out of Africa. First we review the archaeological evidence for the earliest occupation of Asia and Europe. Next we summarize the environmental parameters related to the earliest phases of human evolution--specifically, climatic implications for human adaptations andfaunal dispersals. We discuss which were the first hominins to leave Africa, and we propose the invention of technology as a fundamental step for the development of our genus, likely related to changes in subsistence and diet during the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene. From our point of view, hominins were able to generalize the use of technology, as well as to generate, integrate, and diffuse new information into their collective social behavior. We refer to this concept as "socialization." Hence, technology and the socialization thereof became integral aspects of the ecological niche of hominins.