Early humans lived on 'Persian plateau' for 20,000 years after leaving Africa, study suggests

After waves of Homo sapiens left Africa, they left few traces of their whereabouts until they reappeared in Eurasia 20,000 years later. So where did they go in the intervening time? A study proposes that Homo sapiens outside of Africa made their home on the Persian plateau during that Mysterious period.

Fossil evidence of early Homo sapiens migrations shows that members of our species moved out of Africa at least as far back as 210,000 years ago, while genetic evidence shows that a large wave of migration around 70,000 years ago was the most successful, contributing genes to all modern-day non-African people. But there is a widespread lack of Homo sapiens fossils across Eurasia between 60,000 and 45,000 years ago, prompting the researchers of the new study to investigate where modern humans went during this time.

Using climate models and genetic data, the team found that the Persian plateau was the most suitable location for human occupation during this time, according to the study, published on March 25 in the journal Nature Communications.

However, not everyone agrees with their findings, saying that more evidence is needed.

The Persian plateau, which the researchers defined as a population hub in a previous study, includes most of modern-day Iran as well as the Persian Gulf and Mesopotamia. The team suggests the ancestors of all present-day non-Africans lived there between 70,000 and 45,000 years ago.

The researchers previously looked at information from paleolithic Eurasian genomes and correlated these data with archaeological evidence for changes in stone tool technology. From this, they found that modern humans likely congregated in a population hub that served as the base for multiple migrations throughout Eurasia. But inferring the homeland of the population hub required the addition of a paleoclimate model, which is included in the new study.

Related: Are Neanderthals and Homo sapiens the same species?