Evidence
Evidence
How do we know where populations lived and moved? Explore the different types of evidence.
Reconstructing the human past requires converging lines of evidence. No single method tells the full story — but together, ancient DNA, archaeology, fossil analysis, linguistics, and climate science build a picture of how and why populations moved across the Earth.
Archaeology
Material remains—tools, settlements, pottery, burials—that reveal past human presence.
Fossils
Physical remains of hominin species and their evolutionary relationships.
Ancient DNA
Genetic sequences extracted from ancient remains, revealing population movements directly.
Genetics
Modern DNA variation patterns that record historical migrations in living populations.
Linguistics
Language relationships and distributions as evidence of population movement.
Written Records
Historical texts, inscriptions, and documents recording population movements.
Oral Traditions
Oral histories and traditional knowledge as evidence of historical experience.
Climate Science
Ice cores, pollen records, and lake sediments that reveal the environmental context of migration.
Isotope Analysis
Stable isotope ratios in teeth and bone that reveal where ancient individuals lived and travelled.