Pre-sapiens cruising
Normal Aegean landscape. Image credits: Harrison Fitts.
Its not difficult to see why so lots of civilizations liked the Aegean sea, which sits in between what is today Greece and Turkey. The weathers excellent, the sea is blue-green and reasonably peaceful (compared to the oceans, a minimum of), and the land is fertile on the lots of islands you can use and inhabit. Throughout the centuries, these islands have been inhabited by a number of impactful cultures like the Minoans, but according to a new study, interest in these islands may even precede our types.
Numerous thousands of years earlier, the first humans came from Africa and it wasnt too long prior to we began exploring and colonizing other continents. Thats taken place numerous times across the millennia, but it might have taken place even before our species time.
The weather conditions fantastic, the sea is blue-green and relatively quiet (compared to the oceans, at least), and the land is fertile on the dozens of islands you can utilize and live in. Across the centuries, these islands have actually been populated by numerous impactful cultures like the Minoans, but according to a brand-new study, interest in these islands may even precede our types.
Previous research has actually found proof that hominids, most likely Homo erectus visited islands in the Aegean sea. Researchers assumed that these hominids merely walked on land bridges from what is now a group of islands.
Previous research has actually found proof that hominids, most likely Homo erectus visited islands in the Aegean sea. If they didnt have land bridges, it follows that the only way to get from one island to the other would have been by cruising as early as 450,000 years ago.
In 2018, a group of researchers claimed that Homo erectus, one of our types ancestors who first developed 1.8 million years earlier, cruised and reached islands as far away as the Indonesian island of Flores, and the Greek island of Crete. Now, a new research study discovers more indirect proof that sailing might predate our types.
Map of the Aegean location.
Even a primary sailing innovation would have needed a remarkable cognitive ability, and the scientists even suspect that cruising might have improved their cognitive power in time. Sailing needs a lot of spatial awareness (even if the goal is close by), and doing it repeatedly could have been an useful psychological exercise. The hominids are believed to have actually strolled from Africa into the Middle East and then rafted throughout the Aegean Sea, most likely getting a bit better at navigating the seas as they practiced it.
The study was published in the journal Quaternary International.
Scientist conducted a large-scale study of glaciations and how they affected sea level drops particularly in the Aegean sea. They looked at level markers at several sites in the location, discovering that while the water level had actually certainly dropped throughout previous ice ages, it was nowhere near low enough to create a land bridge. It follows that the only method to get from one island to the other would have been by cruising as early as 450,000 years back if they didnt have land bridges.
The brand-new study challenges this presumption.
This raises the question of why they went to such excellent lengths to explore various islands. Theres no clear answer– it could be plain and simple interest and a desire to check out, or it could be something more practical, like the need to access new resources. One theory is that sea-wandering Homo erectus could have been hunting large game-like now-extinct dwarf elephants that lived in the area.
Still, while this research study makes an engaging case for the seafaring capabilities of hominids, its still all based upon indirect evidence. Archaeologists have not found a cigarette smoking weapon (like a real boat used for cruising), and might never ever discover one, so its unclear if this can ever be proven beyond the shadow of a doubt. In the meantime, the case for seafaring hominids simply got a lot more powerful.
Picturing ancient hominids sailing throughout the Mediterranean sounds like an unusual concept, due to the fact that boats appear like a fairly innovative innovation– something we d be lured to think that only we Homo sapiens can achieve, however it may not be so insane.
” Therefore, the Aegean land/seascape encouraged the antiquated hominin to establish the required cognitive abilities such as spatial awareness way-finding strategies and sea-craft building,” the authors compose. “And hence, the Aegean Sea might be considered the cradle of sea-crossing in the Mediterranean world.”
This would not have actually been an especially tough type of cruising, like going from Europe to America. The islands are far closer to one another, and in numerous parts, you can even see them with the naked eye. Its possible that these early sailors just made rafts or even paddled on logs to get from one location to the other– however its a quite impressive accomplishment.
The islands are far closer to one another, and in many parts, you can even see them with the naked eye.