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If temperatures dropped during the onset of the Pleistocene. Then why would humans have migrated away from Africa to Europe? It seems to me that in Europe it wo

If temperatures dropped during the onset of the Pleistocene. Then why would humans have migrated away from Africa to Europe? It seems to me that in Europe it would be even more cold.

raffraffraff 3y ago
No idea, wild guesses incoming... Early humans (or proto humans) might not know that it was warmer in the south or colder in the north, across vast areas. Some days are colder than others, even if you stand still. Add to this the effect of changing seasons through a year, some years being colder than others anyway. You could migrate North slowly as Winter turned to Summer. Then camp for the winter and migrate back. And their migrations might have moved slightly further north year by year. They would have to track temperatures from winter to winter, without a calendar, thermometer, notebook, pen, map, compass and perhaps even an enquiring mind. I don't think that humans decided to move to a colder place or even realised that their movement was taking them somewhere cooler. Ultimately, they would have followed their food wherever it went. You might be better off asking why a caribou herd migrated further North. Who knows? Better grass? Less competition? Fewer predators? Lower sea level opening a path to new grassland?
hnbad 3y ago
The article suggests that this may have in part been due to the falling sea levels. Europe extended much further to the North to the point that Great Britain was surrounded by land. The gap between Europe and Africa was also close enough to allow for much easier crossings. Early humans were likely always somewhat migratory animals as there was no way to preserve food for longer periods - grain agriculture was what allowed for permanent settlements and bureaucracy (i.e. long-term planning and resource allocation). They may have tended to the local vegetation because they would likely return in the future but it seems obvious that they'd also be on the lookout for new places while keeping track of known good spots in the past - even elephants travel between distant "watering holes". In other words: it wasn't the cold that was the problem, it was the availability of resources, i.e. food. If the accessible parts of Europe had sufficient food to make them attractive for foraging and hunting, humans would eventually make the crossing and decide to stay and eventually move further into the continent. Note that we're not talking about events that happened over human lifetimes - the North Sea didn't drain overnight. Maybe a visual aid helps. Try to find Europe on this map. Hint: look for mountains that look like familiar coastlines: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Global_sea_levels_during_the_last_Ice_Age.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Global_sea_levels_during_...

If temperatures dropped during the onset of the Pleistocene. Then why would humans have migrated away from Africa to Europe? It seems to me that in Europe it would be even more cold.

raffraffraff 3y ago

No idea, wild guesses incoming... Early humans (or proto humans) might not know that it was warmer in the south or colder in the north, across vast areas. Some days are colder than others, even if you stand still. Add to this the effect of changing seasons through a year, some years being colder than others anyway. You could migrate North slowly as Winter turned to Summer. Then camp for the winter and migrate back. And their migrations might have moved slightly further north year by year. They would have to track temperatures from winter to winter, without a calendar, thermometer, notebook, pen, map, compass and perhaps even an enquiring mind. I don't think that humans decided to move to a colder place or even realised that their movement was taking them somewhere cooler. Ultimately, they would have followed their food wherever it went. You might be better off asking why a caribou herd migrated further North. Who knows? Better grass? Less competition? Fewer predators? Lower sea level opening a path to new grassland?

hnbad 3y ago

The article suggests that this may have in part been due to the falling sea levels. Europe extended much further to the North to the point that Great Britain was surrounded by land. The gap between Europe and Africa was also close enough to allow for much easier crossings. Early humans were likely always somewhat migratory animals as there was no way to preserve food for longer periods - grain agriculture was what allowed for permanent settlements and bureaucracy (i.e. long-term planning and resource allocation). They may have tended to the local vegetation because they would likely return in the future but it seems obvious that they'd also be on the lookout for new places while keeping track of known good spots in the past - even elephants travel between distant "watering holes". In other words: it wasn't the cold that was the problem, it was the availability of resources, i.e. food. If the accessible parts of Europe had sufficient food to make them attractive for foraging and hunting, humans would eventually make the crossing and decide to stay and eventually move further into the continent. Note that we're not talking about events that happened over human lifetimes - the North Sea didn't drain overnight. Maybe a visual aid helps. Try to find Europe on this map. Hint: look for mountains that look like familiar coastlines: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Global_sea_levels_during_the_last_Ice_Age.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Global_sea_levels_during_...