Researchers at the University of Cologne created the “Our Way Model” to study human migration across Europe during the last Ice Age. The model tracks population movements during the Aurignacian period (43,000–32,000 years ago) and shows four phases: slow spread, rapid expansion, population decline, and renewed growth in new areas. These findings were published in Nature Communications.
The collaboration between climate scientists and archaeologists helped researchers study how climate change affected human migration. Early humans, who lived as hunter-gatherers, spread across Europe during a cooler climate with occasional warmer periods.
Factors like curiosity, social changes, and technology drove migration. The new model showed how climate change played a role, improving older models by considering food availability and access.
The research team believes early humans in Europe went through complex cycles of advancing, retreating, and resettling due to climate changes and their ability to adapt. Their “Our Way Model” uses climate and archaeological data to predict where humans could survive.
The model showed four phases:
- Slow westward expansion
- Rapid spread into Europe
- Population decline due to a cold period
- Later recovery and growth into new areas like Britain and Iberia
The HEP maps show that by the end of the process, some humans adapted better to cold climates, allowing them to move into new areas. Dr. Isabell Schmidt explained that regional studies can’t fully capture the big picture of human migration, which is why this new model is helpful.
The team will now focus on testing the model’s assumptions, especially how cultural evolution influenced migration, as part of the HESCOR project at the University of Cologne.
Journal reference :
- Shao, Y., Wegener, C., Klein, K. et al. Reconstruction of human dispersal during Aurignacian on pan-European scale. Nature Communications. DOU: 10.1038/s41467-024-51349-y.