Enes Furkan Oguz

ANTH 1020
Date: 08/02/2015
Assignment: Research Paper
Topic: Discuss the two theories of Modern Human Origins (Regional Continuity and
Replacement). Describe each theory. Critically evaluate the merits of the two models,
presenting fossil and genetic evidence that supports either one. Discuss which model you
think is the most correct and why.
First lets talk about the Modern Human origins. According to my research on internet, I
found a decent website by Palomar College, San Diego, California. In that website, it talks
about how modern humans evolved from archaic humans primarily in East Africa. A
195,000 year old fossil from the # 1 site in Ethiopia shows the beginnings of the skull
changes that we associate with modern people, including a rounded skull case and possibly a
projecting chin. A 160,000 year old skull from the Herto site in the Middle Awash area of
Ethiopia also seems to be at the early stages of this transition. It had the rounded skull case
but retained the large brow ridges of archaic humans. Somewhat more advanced transitional
forms have been found at Laetoli in Tanzania dating to about 120,000 years ago. By 115,000
years ago, early modern humans had expanded their range to South Africa and into
Southwest Asia (Israel) shortly after 100,000 years ago. (Statistics from
http://anthro.palomar.edu/homo2/mod_homo_4.htm)
There are many evidences for either of the two Modern Human Origins model, which are
Regional Continuity model and replacement model. First I would like to talk about the
replacement model. According to that model of Modern Human Origins, it states that modern
humans are evolved from archaic humans 200,000-150,000 years ago. Individuals of genus

homo have been living in Africa 2.5 million years and they have diversified into many
numbers of species during that time. Where did modern Africans come from? If the
replacement model is correct, most of the species died completely without leaving any
modern descendent except for one, Homo sapiens, which replaced all the other. And modern
humans evolved in Africa from H. heidelbergensis and left Africa and replaced all other premoderns by extermination, out-compete and limited breeding.
Second model I would like to talk about is Regional Continuity Model. It states that
modern Homo sapiens developed from different regional populations of archaic Homo
sapiens that had previously evolved from regional populations of Homo erectus. We humans
are Homo sapiens. Homo erectus is an extinct species of primitive man, able to walk upright.
According to this model, modern humans developed in many different regions, not just one
and modern Homo sapiens evolved from Homo erectus. Local populations in Africa, Europe
Asia and all other pre moderns evolved locally and independently into modern humans.
Therefore regional continuity model of human origin asserts that modern humans evolved
from more primitive humans and this occurred in more than one region of the world. Just to
recap, this model denies the oldest will always be in Africa and accepts that there is
significant amount of gene flow.
What is the difference between the two models? Even though one of the models is
assumed to be correct, there is a big difference between two models. Regional continuity tells
that unlike replacement model where all the homo species were lost, and only Homo sapiens
were left, Homo sapiens interbreed and intermarried. Therefore, multiple populations
interbreed to produce modern Africans. Lets look at another difference. For instance where

did modern Asians come from? Well, if the replacement is true, only 1 species, Homo sapiens
gave rise to modern Asians and all the other Hominid species became extinct. In contrast, if
regional continuity was correct, then Homo sapiens interbreed with the earlier groups of
humans which had already migrated to Asia. Therefore, modern Asians then have multiple
populations as ancestors.
Lets talk about the evidences about two models. According to the book, Sexual
Selection and the Origin of Human Mating systems, it states that human population genetics
had clarified that anatomically modern H. sapiens most likely originated in Africa, and that
all of us are the descendents of African ancestors, rather than representing the products of
multiregional evolution from H. erectus populations in different parts of the world (Stringer
2002; Manica et al. 2007; Behar et al. 2008. According to this statement, replacement model
is correct. Counter evidence to this, which is regional continuity being correct is: A
reconstruction of the Indonesian male Homo erectus specimen Sangiran 17 reveals a suite of
features that suggests regional morphological continuity in Australasia during the middle
and late Pleistocene. Characteristics reflecting a morphological clade are established
through a comparison with the males from Kow Swamp, the late Pleistocene Australian site
with the largest number of hominid specimens. It is argued that the "center and edge"
hypothesis could account for the initial appearance of regional variation, and that a dynamic
model of geneflow and opposing selection provides the mechanism that maintained a longstanding dynamic clinal equilibrium in this area. (Thorne, A.G. and Wolpoff, M.H. (1981).
Regional continuity in Australasian Pleistocene hominid evolution. Am.J. Phys. Anthropol.,
55: 33749.)

In my opinion, multiregional model can hold correct since archeologists found so many
hominid fossils all around the world. Some of them we went through in class are; A. aferensis
3.6-3 MYA in Ethiopia and Tanzania, Ausralophithicus anamensis, found in Kenya 4.2-3.9
MYA, Ardipethecus found in East Africa around 5-4.4 MYA. Orrorin found in West Africa
around 6 MYA, Pre Australopithecus found in East Africa around 6-4.4 MYA. Since we
found all these fossils from different hominids (not only homo sapiens sapies), can we really
conclude that replacement model is correct? Could we really conclude that h. heidelbergensis
left Africa and replaced (by extermination, out-compete, limited-breeding) all other pre
moderns?
As we can see, there are examples of each model that might be correct, however, we
cannot tell for sure which one is actually correct. We dont have enough evidence, and we
cannot tell for sure of which model is the most correct. But to me, multiregional model is
correct where we mated with other hominid species and came to be as we are humans today.
The reason I think this way is the fact that we found so many fossil records of other hominid
species which I stated above. In addition, even though Africa continent might be the most
diverse in terms of genes, I dont think it is the oldest and there is significant amount of gene
flow in the world according to what multiregional model tells us.

Works Cited/References
LINK TO EPORTFOLIO: http://efosportfolio.weebly.com/anth-1020.html
Dixson, A. F. "A Glance at the Terrain." Sexual Selection and the Origins of Human Mating
Systems. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2009. 2. Print.

O'neil, Dennis. "Evolution of Modern Humans: Early Modern Homo Sapiens." Evolution of Modern
Humans: Early Modern Homo Sapiens. Palomar University, 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 29 July
2015=.

Thorne, A.G. and Wolpoff, M.H. (1981). Regional continuity in Australasian P

leistocene hominid evolution. Am.J. Phys. Anthropol., 55: 33749.) Print