Early human occupation of the Red Sea coast of Eritrea during the last interglacial

Robert C. Walter (), Richard T. Buffler, J. Henrich Bruggemann, Mireille M. M. Guillaume, Seife M. Berhe, Berhane Negassi, Yoseph Libsekal, Hai Cheng, R. Lawrence Edwards, Rudo von Cosel, Didier Néraudeau and Mario Gagnon
Additional contact information
Robert C. Walter: Centro de Investigaciôn Científica de Educación Superior de Ensenada
Richard T. Buffler: Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas
J. Henrich Bruggemann: University of Groningen
Mireille M. M. Guillaume: Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Laboratoire de Biologie des Invertébrés Marins et Malacologie, ESA 8044-CNRS
Seife M. Berhe: African Minerals Inc.
Berhane Negassi: Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas
Yoseph Libsekal: National Museum of Eritrea
Hai Cheng: Department of Geology and Geophysics University of Minnesota
R. Lawrence Edwards: Department of Geology and Geophysics University of Minnesota
Rudo von Cosel: Experimental Zoology Group, Wageningen Institute of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, PO Box 338
Didier Néraudeau: Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Géosciences Rennes, Université de Rennes I, Campus de Beaulieu
Mario Gagnon: University of Toronto

Nature, 2000, vol. 405, issue 6782, 65-69

Abstract: Abstract The geographical origin of modern humans is the subject of ongoing scientific debate. The ‘multiregional evolution’ hypothesis argues that modern humans evolved semi-independently in Europe, Asia and Africa between 100,000 and 40,000 years ago1, whereas the ‘out of Africa’ hypothesis contends that modern humans evolved in Africa between 200 and 100 kyr ago, migrating to Eurasia at some later time2. Direct palaeontological, archaeological and biological evidence is necessary to resolve this debate. Here we report the discovery of early Middle Stone Age artefacts in an emerged reef terrace on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea, which we date to the last interglacial (about 125 kyr ago) using U–Th mass spectrometry techniques on fossil corals. The geological setting of these artefacts shows that early humans occupied coastal areas and exploited near-shore marine food resources in East Africa by this time. Together with similar, tentatively dated discoveries from South Africa3 this is the earliest well-dated evidence for human adaptation to a coastal marine environment, heralding an expansion in the range and complexity of human behaviour from one end of Africa to the other. This new, widespread adaptive strategy may, in part, signal the onset of modern human behaviour, which supports an African origin for modern humans by 125 kyr ago.

Date: 2000
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DOI: 10.1038/35011048

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