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Cited by 2,718Pleistocene-Era Hominins and ArchaeologyLanguage and cultural evolutionArchaeology and Rock Art Studies

The revolution that wasn't: a new interpretation of the origin of modern human behavior

Mcbrearty, Sally, Brooks, Alison S.·2000·Journal of Human Evolution
DOI 10.1006/jhev.2000.0435
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Abstract

Proponents of the model known as the "human revolution" claim that modern human behaviors arose suddenly, and nearly simultaneously, throughout the Old World ca. 40-50 ka. This fundamental behavioral shift is purported to signal a cognitive advance, a possible reorganization of the brain, and the origin of language. Because the earliest modern human fossils, Homo sapiens sensu stricto, are found in Africa and the adjacent region of the Levant at >100 ka, the "human revolution" model creates a time lag between the appearance of anatomical modernity and perceived behavioral modernity, and creates the impression that the earliest modern Africans were behaviorally primitive. This view of events stems from a profound Eurocentric bias and a failure to appreciate the depth and breadth of the African archaeological record. In fact, many of the components of the "human revolution" claimed to appear at 40-50 ka are found in the African Middle Stone Age tens of thousands of years earlier. These features include blade and microlithic technology, bone tools, increased geographic range, specialized hunting, the use of aquatic resources, long distance trade, systematic processing and use of pigment, and art and decoration. These items do not occur suddenly together as predicted by the "human revolution" model, but at sites that are widely separated in space and time. This suggests a gradual assembling of the package of modern human behaviors in Africa, and its later export to other regions of the Old World. The African Middle and early Late Pleistocene hominid fossil record is fairly continuous and in it can be recognized a number of probably distinct species that provide plausible ancestors for H. sapiens. The appearance of Middle Stone Age technology and the first signs of modern behavior coincide with the appearance of fossils that have been attributed to H. helmei, suggesting the behavior of H. helmei is distinct from that of earlier hominid species and quite similar to that of modern people. If on anatomical and behavioral grounds H. helmei is sunk into H. sapiens, the origin of our species is linked with the appearance of Middle Stone Age technology at 250-300 ka.

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  • Human cognitive abilities or rational functions are probably less than 100 thousand years old, which may be qualified as embryonal on the time scale of evolution.

    “These cognitive abilities, or capacities, are probably less than 100 thousand years old, which may be qualified as “embryonal” on the time scale of evolution, (e.g. Petraglia and Korisettar, 1998; McBrearty and Brooks, 2000; Henshilwood and Marean, 2003).”

    From Human- versus Artificial Intelligence (2021) · cites this paper as McBrearty and Brooks, 2000

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Authors
Mcbrearty, S., & Brooks, A. S.
Affiliations
  • University of Connecticut (US)
  • George Washington University (US)
ORCID
Brooks, Alison S.
Venue
Journal of Human Evolution
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2000-11
Volume
39
Issue
5
Pages
453-563
ISSN
0047-2484 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1006/jhev.2000.0435
OpenAlex
W2004510715
Cited by
2,718
References
7
Citations by year
2026: 85 · 2025: 96 · 2024: 119 · 2023: 100 · 2022: 115 · 2021: 147 · 2020: 150 · 2019: 132 · 2018: 123 · 2017: 121 · 2016: 123 · 2015: 115 · 2014: 133 · 2013: 135 · 2012: 137
FWCI
218.98
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Journal of Human Evolution (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Anthropology › Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
  • Social Sciences › Cultural Studies › Language and cultural evolution
  • Social Sciences › Archeology › Archaeology and Rock Art Studies
Keywords
Middle Stone Age, human, bone tools, long-distance trade, pigment use, hominin fossil record, behavioral modernity
MeSH terms
Animals, Archaeology, Behavior, Biological Evolution, Humans, Models, Biological, Paleontology, Hominidae

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