This project will yield critical new insights into the climate, landscape and archaeological history of Arabia and India between 200,000 and 50,000 years ago, the period when Homo sapiens first ventured out of Africa. Arabia and India are largely blank areas on the archaeological map. No consensus exists on the timing or pattern of H. sapiens migration through these regions, or on how early dispersals were influenced by climate changes (e.g., in monsoon strength). We will use modern dating and geochemical techniques to construct a robust timeframe and palaeoclimate record for the period of initial spread of H. sapiens across southern Asia, and thereby test current archaeological and DNA-based models for the global expansion of our species.
This project will yield critical new insights into the climate, landscape and archaeological history of Arabia and India between 200,000 and 50,000 years ago, the period when Homo sapiens first ventured out of Africa. Arabia and India are largely blank areas on the archaeological map. No consensus exists on the timing or pattern of H. sapiens migration through these regions, or on how early dispersals were influenced by climate changes (e.g., in monsoon strength). We will use modern dating and geochemical techniques to construct a robust timeframe and palaeoclimate record for the period of initial spread of H. sapiens across southern Asia, and thereby test current archaeological and DNA-based models for the global expansion of our species.
