Did Humans Live on Pangea?

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In summary, the first humans moved out of Africa, through the middle east, and India, to IndoChina, Indonesia and then Australia well before the easing of the ice ages allowed them to move north to Europe and northern Asia. The first humans moved out of Africa, through the middle east, and India, to IndoChina, Indonesia and then Australia well before the easing of the ice ages allowed them to move north to Europe and northern Asia. The first humans moved out of Africa, through the middle east, and India, to IndoChina, Indonesia and then Australia well before the easing of the ice ages allowed them to move north to Europe and northern Asia. True about Europe, Asia & Africa, but when it comes to Americas I believe people lived
  • #1
mubashirmansoor
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Did Human Exist During Pangea?

I was wondering how is it possible that man lived in almost all continents of the globe about 5000 - 10000 years back, when continents had there current positions as seen by ancient sailors like Christopher Columbus, The American continents had its own native human beings living in those lands totally unaware of the Europe / Asia...

Considering the oldest human fossils which are no more than 1 million years old (Please correct me), how could such primitive people sail through the vast oceans?

We have the same problem with the fossils of lizards like Cynognathus, which couldn't travel through the oceans but were found in almost all regions of Gondwana which is somehow a positive indicator of Pangea. What about man? How did we sail the oceans in prehistoric era, or did we really sail through the oceans?

Thanks in advance for your contributions & I am totally aware of how crazy the thread title is ;)
 
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  • #2


The expansions happened around 70-100,000 years ago from Africa into the middle east and Asia = no ocean involved.
The reached the americas only 13,000 years ago when the ice age led to lower sea levels and there was a land bridge (or at least only narrow gaps) between the Aluetian islands.

The only bit of serious sea needed was to polynesia and Australia - primitive doesn't mean you can't sail. With the same canoes you can sail across the Pacific and Atlantic today, there is a plaque on the beach here where some adventurer/idiot sailed from Canada to Hawaii in about 6 weeks in a dug out canoe.
 
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  • #3


mgb_phys said:
The expansions happened around 70-100,000 years ago from Africa into the middle east and Asia = no ocean involved.
The reached the americas only 13,00 years ago when the ice age led to lower sea levels and there was a land bridge.

True about Europe, Asia & Africa, but when it comes to Americas I believe people lived in those lands well more than just 1,300 years ago as the Aztec & Inca civilizations have shown (who lived in Andes mountain range.) for at least more than 6000 years ago as a civilized group with well established villages!

mgb_phys said:
there is a plaque on the beach here where some adventurer/idiot sailed from Canada to Hawaii in about 6 weeks in a dug out canoe.

I am really surprised ! :) but still that would mean that only a couple of people could reach the Americas which would result in much much younger civilizations (due to lack of population) compared to those of Africa/Asia, but it turns out that all such civilizations were of the same age...
 
  • #4


mubashirmansoor said:
I was wondering how is it possible that man lived in almost all continents of the globe about 5000 - 10000 years back, when continents had there current positions as seen by ancient sailors like Christopher Columbus, The American continents had its own native human beings living in those lands totally unaware of the Europe / Asia...

Considering the oldest human fossils which are no more than 1 million years old (Please correct me), how could such primitive people sail through the vast oceans?
Actually, the oldest human fossils are no more than about 100,000 years old, far less that "1 million years".

We have the same problem with the fossils of lizards like Cynognathus, which couldn't travel through the oceans but were found in almost all regions of Gondwana which is somehow a positive indicator of Pangea. What about man? How did we sail the oceans in prehistoric era, or did we really sail through the oceans?

Thanks in advance for your contributions & I am totally aware of how crazy the thread title is ;)
The first humans moved out of Africa, through the middle east, and India, to IndoChina, Indonesia and then Australia well before the easing of the ice ages allowed them to move north to Europe and northern Asia. There is some evidence that people moved along the Bering sea ice bridge to Alaska some 30,000 years ago but then had to wait on the coast of Alaska for the ice to recede enough to create a route to lower North America. (There is a possibility that they were able to use ocean going canoes to bypass the ice sheet before that.)

Yes, we really did sail through the Oceans! The people, apparently starting from the China coast and Taiwan, perhaps 20 to 25 thousand years ago, moved south through the Phillipines eventually becoming the Polynesians, arguably the greatest navigators in history. One of the last places they settled was New Zealand, leading to the peculiar result that one of the earliest places settled by humans, Australia, is close to New Zealand, one of the last.
 
  • #5


mgb_phys said:
The reached the americas only 13,00 years ago when the ice age led to lower sea levels and there was a land bridge (or at least only narrow gaps) between the Aluetian islands.

mubashirmansoor said:
True about Europe, Asia & Africa, but when it comes to Americas I believe people lived in those lands well more than just 1,300 years ago as the Aztec & Inca civilizations have shown (who lived in Andes mountain range.) for at least more than 6000 years ago as a civilized group with well established villages!
He didn't say 1300, he said 13,000!
 
  • #6


There are unproven theories that stone age humans reached the west coast of Canada earlier than this.
There is some evidence that polynesians reached S America >30,000 years ago but didn't stay/survive.
It's fairly easy to reach Chile from Easter Island - easier than the other way around!

People didn't reach New Zealand until the (european) middle ages.
 
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  • #7


HallsofIvy said:
He didn't say 1300, he said 13,000!
Typo in the mgb's post now fixed...

[edit] ...and in mine.
 
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  • #8
Pangea existed about 250 million years ago. That is long before humans started to evolve.

The oldest "modern" human fossils are about 160,000 year old.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/06/0611_030611_earliesthuman.html
 
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  • #9


russ_watters said:
Typo in the mgb's post now fixed...

Sorry ! , I thought you were talking about the "little ice ages" around 1000 years back...
 
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  • #10
Xnn said:
Pangea existed about 250 million years ago. That is long before humans started to evolve.

The oldest "modern" human fossils are about 160,000 year old.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/06/0611_030611_earliesthuman.html

True, but I though it couldn't be that easy to sail the oceans...

Thanks for the contributions.
 
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  • #11


mubashirmansoor said:
True, but I though it couldn't be that easy to sail the oceans...

Thanks for the contributions.

During an ice age it would be possible to cross the ocean in small hunting boats along the edges of the ice. The Eskimos do it today.
 
  • #12


mubashirmansoor said:
True, but I though it couldn't be that easy to sail the oceans...

Thanks for the contributions.[It depends what you mean by human...Homo Sapiens are only the most recent humans.]
 
  • #13


Homo Erectus, Homo Ergaster, Homo Hablis...all human.
 

FAQ: Did Humans Live on Pangea?

1. Did humans exist during the time of Pangea?

No, humans did not exist during the time of Pangea. Pangea existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras, approximately 335 million years ago, while the earliest evidence of humans dates back to only 6 million years ago.

2. Could humans have evolved during the time of Pangea?

It is highly unlikely that humans could have evolved during the time of Pangea. The conditions on Earth during that time were not suitable for human evolution, as the planet was much hotter and drier than it is today. Additionally, the first evidence of humans dates back to the early stages of the supercontinent breakup, when the Earth's climate and environment were more conducive to human evolution.

3. Did any other species exist during the time of Pangea?

Yes, many other species existed during the time of Pangea. Some of the species that existed during this time include dinosaurs, early mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. However, these species were very different from the ones we see today, as they evolved and adapted to the unique environmental conditions of Pangea.

4. How did Pangea's breakup affect the evolution of species?

The breakup of Pangea had a significant impact on the evolution of species. As the supercontinent began to break apart, it created new environments and habitats for different species to evolve and adapt to. This led to the diversification of species and the development of new species, as well as the extinction of others. The breakup of Pangea also allowed for the formation of new land bridges, which allowed for the migration and dispersal of species to different parts of the world.

5. Are there any remnants of Pangea still present on Earth?

Yes, there are remnants of Pangea still present on Earth. The continents that were once part of Pangea, such as North America, South America, Africa, and Eurasia, have pieces of the original supercontinent within their landmasses. For example, the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States are believed to be a remnant of the mountain range that existed in Pangea. Additionally, some fossil evidence found in different parts of the world can also provide clues about the existence of Pangea.

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