Week 2: The Peopling of Europe Out of Africa, Into Europe Beginning in Africa, 5.5 million years ago 5-7 million years ago, much of the world was covered in ice Sea levels in some places were higher Present deserts were swampy marshlands Megafauna roamed the earth Hominids began to evolve from chimpanzee cousins in the Rift Valley in eastern Africa Paleoanthropologists and scientists agree on this But reason that one chimpanzee differentiated itself (by standing up) from the rest is a big topic of debate in history and scientific communities Savannah Theory (ST) Hominid ancestors lived on African savannah near Rift Valley As climate heated, trees became scarcer and grasslands grew To find enough food, hominid decided to forage But there were many predators