Why did modern humans take so long to settle in Europe?
One of the most fascinating points, to me, in &quot;Sapiens,&quot; is that we have no evidence suggesting homo sapiens were culturally or behaviourally more sophisticated than other species prior to this period.<p>We inhabited a different geography and evidently had a preference for different ecosystems than neanderthals. Skeletal injuries suggest different hunting and&#x2F;or warfare methods. But, no signs of more sophisticated tool use or such.<p>That changes circa 40kya. I think the answer to the question in this article is the same (unknown) answer to many questions.<p>YNH&#x27;s hypothesis is that it was language sophistication. Language got to the point where it allowed for different types of culture including cooperation in large groups to emerge.<p>If the neanderthal replacement story is a conflict story, cooperation in large groups, the ability to form alliances and such is a pretty straightforward explanation.<p>Who knows though. A lot appears to have changes in this period. Wolves were domesticated, for example. Wolf husbandry alone might be enough to explain sapien expansion into large game rich territory.