Any hints on what the sea levels were at the time the discoveries date to? And the weather type conditions of north Africa?
Seems to me that if north Africa was as is often portrayed in much of the ancient art on rock walls/caves and such in that area (wetter, grass plains, forest) and the sea levels were low enough...
Expansion into Europe via what’s now known as the Straight of Gibraltar might have been easier/shorter than the paths through what’s now the Mid East and into eastern Europe.
Good reminder, it’s only an eight mile gap — I think we’ve got a topic somewhere in the FRchives...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1559199/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1885298/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1006058/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1892199/posts
http://www.ffzg.unizg.hr/arheo/ska/tekstovi/out_of_africa.pdf
http://www.pnas.org/content/102/24/8431.long
http://blog.23andme.com/ancestry/across-the-pillars-of-hercules-recent-study-confirms-prehistoric-connection-between-iberia-and-north-africa/
http://www.academia.edu/2476381/Sea-crossings_capacities_and_opportunities_during_prehistory_Survey_and_comparison_between_Homo_species_Hombert_J.M._and_Coupe_C._