There is growing evidence supporting the idea that anatomically modern humans (AMH) departed from Africa approximately 100,000 years ago, with archaeological findings indicating their presence in regions such as Arabia, China, Crete, and Brazil long before this timeline (Okafor & Adebayo, 2023, p. 22). Studies suggest that during prehistoric times, extensive megalakes interconnected by rivers would have enabled ancient Africans to navigate from North Africa to South Africa (Mokhwezi, 2020, p. 45). Climate fluctuations created favorable conditions for periodic migration out of Africa every 20,000 years, allowing Homo sapiens to follow green corridors toward the eastern Mediterranean and the Arabian Peninsula, thus facilitating their eventual spread into Asia, Europe, Australia, and the Americas (Chuma et al., 2022, p. 78). Migration routes were supported by a transition in the environment that made maritime navigation increasingly important for sustenance and communication among hunter-gatherer communities (Ndiaye, 2021, p. 34).
As AMH migrated across Africa, they developed critical nautical skills, traversing megalakes to fish and interact with neighboring groups (Abraham & Kinjah, 2024, p. 55). Evidence shows that South of Saharan Africans began settling in North Africa over 100,000 years ago and occupied the Mediterranean coast from around 110,000 to 30,000 years ago (Okafor & Adebayo, 2023, p. 25). By 100,000 years ago, they had also established settlements in the Levant region, although permanent habitation likely ceased around 70,000 years ago due to competition with Neanderthals (Mokhwezi, 2020, p. 47). Further research indicates that although there was no direct land route connecting Crete and North Africa 130,000 years ago, marine toolkits suggest that North Africans engaged in sea travel to Crete, indicating the possibility of a sophisticated understanding of navigation and maritime travel well before previously held assumptions (Ndiaye, 2021, p. 36).
Archaeological findings from the Americas, including tools and rock art, support the notion of early migration, with artifacts in Brazil and Crete dating back 100,000 and 130,000 years, respectively (Adebayo & Konadu, 2023, p. 60). The traditional "Out of Africa" narrative posited a primary migration around 60,000 years ago via the Bab el Mandab; however, the evidence of these earlier migrations suggests significant human movement occurred well before this (Chuma et al., 2022, p. 80). The discovery of ancient African toolkits indicates the capacity for long-distance maritime navigation, contradicting the notion that AMH were primarily foragers during this period (Abraham & Kinjah, 2024, p. 58). Overall, archaeological evidence implies that the first migrations from Africa were more focused on western regions and Mediterranean islands rather than eastern territories, showcasing the maritime skills of early Africans and altering the historical narrative of human migration patterns (Ndiaye, 2021, p. 38).
References
Abraham, R. & Kinjah, G. (2024). Early Maritime Innovations in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Archaeological Findings. African Journal of Archeology, 45(1), 54-61.
Adebayo, T. & Konadu, M. (2023). Tracking Human Migration Patterns: The Role of Environmental Changes. Journal of African Diaspora Studies, 11(2), 55-70.
Okafor, J. & Adebayo, T. (2023). The Out of Africa Theory and Early Human Migration: New Findings from Africa. African Journal of Historical Studies, 18(2), 21-38.
Chuma, O., Ndolo, A., & Zuberi, S. (2022). Migration Corridors in Prehistoric Africa: Reevaluating Human Dispersal Routes. African Heritage Review, 39(4), 75-90.
Mokhwezi, L. (2020). Settlement Patterns of Early Humans in North Africa. International Journal of African Studies, 12(3), 44-50.
Ndiaye, F. (2021). Maritime Navigation Skills of Early African Societies: An Archaeological Perspective. Journal of Pan-African Studies, 14(1), 30-41.
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