Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – Recent research has revealed that Neanderthals undertook a second significant migration from Eastern Europe to Central and Eastern Eurasia between 120,000 and 60,000 years ago.
The exact routes they took have remained elusive due to the scarcity of archaeological sites linking these regions. However, a new study by a team of anthropologists employing computer simulations has provided insights into potential pathways. Their analysis suggests that Neanderthals likely utilized river valleys as natural corridors and traveled during warmer periods, covering approximately 2,000 miles (3,250 km) in under 2,000 years.
“Our findings show that, despite obstacles like mountains and large rivers, Neanderthals could have crossed northern Eurasia surprisingly quickly,” explains Emily Coco, who began the study as a New York University doctoral student and is now a postdoctoral researcher at Portugal’s University of Algarve.
“These findings provide important insights into the paths of ancient migrations that cannot currently be studied from the archaeological record and reveal how computer simulations can help uncover new clues about ancient migrations that shaped human history,” observes Coco.
In their study of Neanderthals’ two-millennia journey, Coco and Iovita employed a comprehensive approach by considering factors such as terrain elevation, ancient river reconstructions, glacial barriers, and temperature. This method, akin to those used for modeling the movement of modern humans and animals but not previously applied to Neanderthals, revealed possible migration routes during two warmer periods: Marine Isotope Stage 5e (around 125,000 years ago) and Marine Isotope Stage 3 (around 60,000 years ago).
Computer simulated paths of Neanderthal dispersals demonstrate they could have reached the Altai Mountains in Siberia within 2,000 years during warm climatic conditions in one of two ancient time periods—MIS 5e (approximately 125,000 years ago) or MIS 3 (approximately 60,000 years ago)—as demonstrated by the three different possible paths shown here. These paths follow a northern route through the Ural Mountains and southern Siberia, often intersecting with known archaeological sites from the same time periods. Credit: Emily Coco and Radu Iovita
Utilizing computer simulations on the NYU Greene Supercomputer Cluster, they found that Neanderthals could have reached the Siberian Altai Mountains in Eurasia within 2,000 years during either period. These routes followed a northern path through the Ural Mountains and southern Siberia and often intersected with known archaeological sites from those times.
The study also highlights potential interactions between Neanderthals and other ancient human groups like Denisovans since their paths would have led them into areas already inhabited by these groups—supporting evidence of interbreeding between the species.
“Neanderthals could have migrated thousands of kilometers from the Caucasus Mountains to Siberia in just 2,000 years by following river corridors,” says Iovita.
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“Others have speculated on the possibility of this kind of fast, long-distance migration based on genetic data, but this has been difficult to substantiate due to limited archaeological evidence in the region. Based on detailed computer simulations, it appears this migration was a near-inevitable outcome of landscape conditions during past warm climatic periods.”
The study was published in PLOS One
Written by – Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com Staff Writer