Coasting out of Africa

摘要

It is now generally accepted that Africa is the ancestral homeland of modern humans, Homo sapiens. But the timing of human dispersal from Africa, and the routes taken, remain controversial. Was there only one major dispersal, which took place after 50,000 years ago? Or were there several episodes of migration, starting earlier and covering a longer period of time? Moreover, was the most obvious route taken — through Sinai and the Levant (the eastern Mediterranean coast) — or might there have been other pathways?