It took modern humans three attempts and 12,000 years to colonize Europe.

they were needed three distinct waves of modern humans colonize Europe between 54,000 and 42,000 years agoas concluded by a group of scientists who studied the caves of the Rhone Valley, an important natural corridor that connects the Mediterranean basin with the northern lands of France.

There, evidence was discovered that Homo sapiens had to make three attempts to do so head west and north from western Asia before being able to settle on the mainland.

“The first two of these waves failedbut the third triumphed about 42,000 years ago,” said Ludovic Slimak, del University of Toulousewho directs the excavations in France.

After that, modern humans they conquered Europe. And the Neanderthals, who had evolved on the continent, became extinct,” he added.

The research, published in the journal Plos One, is controversial because it implies the establishment of our species in Europe it took about 12 thousand years to complete it.

Far from being a quick acquisition, the transition of modern humans to the mainland was a long affair it involved crossing the Mediterranean before our ancestors headed north along the Rhone Valley.

The study is also controversial because questions the origins of a major prehistoric industry of stone tools that have been discovered in central France.

These are known as the “Castellan tools”, a lithic industry which took its name from a city where tools were first found in the 19th century.

Basically, these tools, distinguished by their elegant, slender blades and sophisticated construction, have since been attributed by many, but not all, scientists. Neanderthal tool makers.

These researchers argue that the tools show that Neanderthals they were able to make advanced tools and have a complex behavior.

But Slimak rejects this point of view.. “Castelperronian tools are the work of modern humans, and given their resemblance to stone tools made in the Middle East, we conclude that they were brought there by Homo sapiens when they moved to Europe.

‘It’s a statement that is sure to cause controversy,’ Professor Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum in London told the Observer. “This is a provocative and ambitious document.”

“In particular, he argues that the Chatel Perronian stone industry, which is generally assumed to be the product of Neanderthals, it was actually the work of Homo sapiens. Therefore, the putative associations of Neanderthal fossils with Chatelperronian tools must be invalid.”

In previous articles, Slimak has already explained that modern humans, who first emerged from Africa about 60,000 years ago, may have been armed with bows and arrows, judging by the tiny pointed stone tools of 54,000 years ago. they look a lot like arrowheads They were found in the Grotte Mandrin cave in the Rhone Valley.

This technology, which allows hunters to kill from a distance without putting themselves in danger, it would have given the newcomers a key advantage on local Neanderthals.

However, after a period of about 40 yearsthis first group of modern humans disappeared from the fossil record, and the site was later reoccupied by Neanderthals.

If our ancestors had been better equipped, Why did this first foray into Europe end like this? Similarly, why did the second wave, which probably happened about 44 or 46 thousand years ago, also end in failure?

“It’s a simple answer,” Slimak said. “Those first waves of humans only numbers were missing“, he explained.

The scientist believes that there were up to 100 men, women and children in the settlement of Grotte Mandrin. “Is this possible it was not enough to maintain his biological strength and perhaps they weren’t able to swap genes with local Neanderthals because their fertility was low,” he added.

However, he rejected the idea that relations between Neanderthals and modern humans were very bad. Indeed, everything indicates that the two groups were on good terms.

“Then came the third wave and this time it seems our ancestors had numbersSlimac added.

“The third time they came in, modern humans did it with a big wave of people and started building social networks, not with Neanderthals but with separate small groups of Homo sapiens to build one big network across Europe. And in the end, that’s what the decline of Neanderthals in Europe began“, hill.

Guardian source