Roughly 60,000 to 70,000 years ago, a pivotal chapter in human history began when a group of Homo sapiens left Africa to explore the wider world. Despite the immense significance of this migration, there remains a notable gap in our understanding of where these early humans lived between 70,000 and 45,000 years ago—before they spread across Europe, Asia, and beyond.
Now, thanks to a combination of genetic, paleoecological, and archaeological evidence, scientists have identified the Persian Plateau as a critical hub for early Homo sapiens during the initial stages of their migration out of Africa. According to a 2024 study published in Nature Communications, this region served as a "home away from home" for approximately 20,000 years, supporting a thriving human population before they dispersed across Eurasia and into the rest of the world.
In other words, the ancestors of all non-African people alive today likely spent a significant portion of time in the Persian Plateau. If your heritage includes European, Asian, American, or Oceanian roots, some of your distant ancestors probably lived in this region during that formative era.
The Persian Plateau: A Cradle of Early Migration
Spanning parts of modern-day Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, the Persian Plateau is a vast elevated region nestled east of the Zagros Mountains in southwest Asia. Bordered by the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Mediterranean, the area offered a hospitable environment ideal for supporting growing human populations. Its geographic position also made it a strategic launchpad for successive waves of migration into the Eurasian continent.
“This discovery illuminates a 20,000-year chapter in Homo sapiens history outside of Africa—a period marked by interactions with Neanderthals,” said Leonardo Vallini, lead author of the study and researcher at the University of Padua in Italy. “It also sheds light on the relationships between different Eurasian populations and provides critical insights into the demographic history of our species across Europe, East Asia, and Oceania.”
A Crossroads of Species
In a separate 2024 study, another team of researchers found that the Zagros Mountains, located on the western edge of the Persian Plateau, served as a contact zone between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. Evidence suggests that the two species interbred there around 47,000 years ago, leaving a lasting genetic legacy in modern humans.
While archaeological discoveries have increasingly pointed to the Persian Plateau as a vital waypoint in early human migration, the latest research suggests there's still much more to uncover. Numerous fossils and artifacts are likely still buried beneath the surface—waiting to tell the next chapter of humanity’s deep past.
As we continue to piece together the story of how our ancestors spread across the globe, the Persian Plateau is emerging as one of the key settings in the epic journey of Homo sapiens.
