The Origin of Anatomically Modern Humans and their Behavior in Africa and Eurasia

The Origin of Anatomically Modern Humans and their Behavior in Africa and Eurasia

A.P. Derevianko.

In the four preceding publications in this journal (Vol. 38 Nos. 3 and 4, 2010, and Vol. 39 Nos. 1 and 2, 2011), based on a vast database, three scenarios (models) of parallel in situ transition from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic in Africa and Eurasia were suggested. In this article, the origins of anatomically modern humans and modern behavior in the Upper Pleistocene are analyzed. In both Africa and Eurasia, three models of cultural transition were accompanied by multiregional origins of anatomically modern humans 200–40 ka BP. As a result, the polytipic species Homo sapiens sapiens sensu lato originated from four subspecies: Homo sapiens africanensis (Africa), Homo sapiens neanderthalensis (Europe), Homo sapiens orientalensis (East and Southeast Asia), and Homo sapiens altaiensis (Southern Siberia and Central Asia).

Keywords: Modern behavior, symbolism, Homo erectus.