VK 120KYA

 It’s true that early humans disappeared from what is now the UK around 120,000 years ago, but they weren’t permanently extinct—just locally wiped out for a long period.

What happened around 120,000 years ago?

• The humans living in Britain at that time were likely Neanderthals (and possibly earlier groups like Homo heidelbergensis before them).
• Around 120,000 years ago, the climate shifted dramatically as the last interglacial period ended.
• Britain became much colder during the following Ice Age phase, with:
  
• Expanding ice sheets
• Tundra-like environments
• Scarce food resources
• 
  

Why did humans disappear?

• These harsh conditions made Britain uninhabitable for human populations.
• Rather than going globally extinct, these humans:
  
• Migrated south into warmer parts of Europe
• Or died out locally due to environmental pressure
• 
  

A “human-free” Britain

• After this, Britain was likely uninhabited for tens of thousands of years.
• Humans (again mostly Neanderthals) later recolonised Britain during warmer intervals.
• Much later, Homo sapiens arrived around 40,000–45,000 years ago.

Big picture

So the key point is:

• Not a total extinction of humans
• But a regional abandonment of Britain due to climate change

If you want, I can map out the full timeline of human occupation in Britain—it’s surprisingly stop-and-start.