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Out of Africa Theory Facts & Worksheets

The “Out of Africa” Theory is the generally accepted theory that modern humans migrated and expanded out of Africa hundreds of thousands of years ago. These waves of migration steadily occurred over the world and eventually became the human civilization.

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The “Out of Africa” Theory is the generally accepted theory that modern humans migrated and expanded out of Africa hundreds of thousands of years ago. These waves of migration steadily occurred over the world and eventually became the human civilization. Scientists and researchers have been collaborating around the world for many years to piece together evidence and information to establish a global understanding of the “Out of Africa” theory. This collaboration continues to this day and is continually being re-examined as the result of continual excavation and research efforts around the world.

See the fact file below for more information on the “Out of Africa” Theory or alternatively, you can download our 21-page “Out of Africa” Theory worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE “OUT OF AFRICA” THEORY

  • The “Out of Africa” theory (hypothesis) states that all modern humans stem from a single group of Homo sapiens who came from Africa.
  • The theory suggests that all modern non-African populations descended from the populations of homo sapiens that left Africa after their development in the Horn of Africa between 300,000 and 200,000 years ago.
  • Unlike other theories, the “Out of Africa” theory suggests a single origin of homo sapiens – the Horn of Africa, as seen in the picture to the right.
  • The theory suggests a few waves of dispersals of humans.
  • These waves of migration steadily occurred over the world for tens of thousands of years, and eventually became the human civilization.
  • Scientists studying this theory determined that there was less genetic variation among the populations the farther the migration was from Africa. This was due to population drops the more humans spread out.
  • This determination was a result of researching genetic diversity in 53 human populations across the world.
  • This population drop was likely due to difficulties surviving, limited resources, or lack of adaptability in differing climates.
  • The “Out of Africa” theory also takes into consideration the variations in the size and shape of skulls found across the world. Of the 6,000+ skulls examined, scientists concluded that those from populations the farthest from Africa had the least variety.
  • Scientists and researchers have been collaborating around the world for many years to piece together evidence and information to establish a global understanding of the “Out of Africa” theory. This collaboration continues to this day.

TWO WAVES OF MIGRATION

  • It is generally accepted that there were two (2) waves of migration from Africa: The “Northern Route dispersal” and the “Southern Route dispersal”, both of which occurred at different times in history.
  • Northern Route (~135,000 years ago)
    • Due to massive droughts in Africa, homo sapiens migrated to other continents, crossing the Red Sea and nearby straits that they could access.
    • Homo sapiens began moving into the Middle East.
    • The site at Oman was found to contain stone tools dating back about 106,000 years.
    • This wave of migration contributed genetically to the Altai Neanderthal presence, as evidenced with the first genetic evidence of such populations.
  • Southern Route (~50-70,000 years ago)
    • Some homo sapiens took the coastal route, which included crossed the Red Sea and traveling along the coast through Arabia and Persia to India.
    • Some evidence suggests that other groups made the trek all the way to modern-day Australia.
    • Other evidence points to groups traveling as far as East Asia as well as north to Europe. This is supported by mitochondrial evidence from hunter-gatherers.

DEVELOPMENT AND SCIENCE OF THE “OUT OF AFRICA” THEORY

  • The “Out of Africa” theory suggests that as homo sapiens rapidly expanded out of Africa during the two major migration periods, they slowly began to replace archaic human groups that were indigenous to other parts of the “Old World”, including Homo erectus in Asia and Neanderthals in Europe.
  • The groups of archaic humans that the “new” humans from Africa replaced eventually died Out. Instead the populations that migrated from Africa were able to adapt to harsher and colder climates.
  • In the 1970s, the discovery of fossils in Africa that resembled human remains that dated back earlier than anywhere else in the world became evidence that pointed to the credibility of the “Out of Africa” theory.
  • It wasn’t until around the late 1980s that the theory became acknowledged and accepted by some paleoanthropologists. The theory continues to be an influential model to this day.
  • However, there is still some current genetic evidence that is not compatible with the “Out of Africa” theory which suggests that years of research may still be needed to come to a consensus.

“Out of Africa” Theory Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about “Out of Africa” Theory across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use “Out of Africa” Theory worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the “Out of Africa” Theory which is the generally accepted theory that modern humans migrated and expanded out of Africa hundreds of thousands of years ago. These waves of migration steadily occurred over the world and eventually became the human civilization. Scientists and researchers have been collaborating around the world for many years to piece together evidence and information to establish a global understanding of the “Out of Africa” theory. This collaboration continues to this day and is continually being re-examined as the result of continual excavation and research efforts around the world.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Important Terms
  • “Out of Africa” Wordsearch
  • Horn of Africa Map Labeling
  • Archaic and Modern Humans
  • The Long Journey
  • Dispersal Map Analysis
  • “Out of Africa” Crossword
  • Symbol Drawing
  • “Out of Africa” Theory Quiz
  • Skulls of the Old World

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Link will appear as Out of Africa Theory Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, August 9, 2019

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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