Did increased flooding during the African Humid Period force migration of modern humans from the Nile Valley?

• DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.107200
• Publication Date: 2021-10-15T23:34:14Z
• Authors: Abdallah S. Zaki; Georgina E. King; Negar Haghipour; Robert Giegengack; Stephen E. Watkins; Sanjeev Gupta; Mathieu Schuster; Hossam Khairy; Salah Ahmed; Mostafa El-Wakil; Saleh A. Eltayeb; Frédéric Herman; Sébastien Castell...
• Keywords: Human settlement

During the Quaternary period, eastern Sahara's hydroclimate oscillated between wet and dry intervals. These oscillations caused drastic changes in precipitation rates, often associated with ancient human migrations. In particular, significant migration of riparian populations from Nile Valley to west northwestward Sahara occurred during African Humid Period (AHP), an episode increased monsoons, which characterized North Africa response increasing insolation. Several fossil rivers, now preserved as ridges throughout southern Egypt due their floodplains' deflation, contain archeological artifacts thus represent a potentially important record fluvial activity this past dynamics environmental change. Here we present 14C Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) ages sediments these palaeorivers, cluster within AHP are consistent distinct humid period. Palaeohydraulic reconstructions based on grain size, channel geometry, drainage area suggest typical intensities 55–80 mm/h sediment transport events. Given previous annual rainfall estimates, hydrologic conditions may have lasted, or occurred, up 3–4 times more frequently than before after Such intense is monsoon intensification rendered inhospitable for settlements, congruent population out AHP. findings highlight links ecodynamics signals, providing concrete narrative warming potential echo current situation.