Mysteries and Bizarre Things:

Could be any random naked hobo really

We have forgotten about the origins of the first world maps created in the 1400s and 1500s. They were based on older source maps and other sources.

The Romans had wheat fields in northernmost Africa where there is sand desert today. There were forests in the same regions at the time as well. What we had was a metastable climate regime from the last glaciation period that ended between 20 and 10 thousand years ago. Vegetation affects regional
climate. For example, the Amazon rain forest keeps the rain fall sufficient by pumping aerosols that promote condensation of water and cloud formation
from the water evapourating from the same region. They also reduce surface albedo substantially keeping the surface temperature lower and helping to sequester water. If the forest is cut down the region will become a savanna. Human activity more than likely achieved such a transition in the northern Sahara region.

Humans were making wood structures and non-trivial tools about 500,000 years ago. Any talk of modern humans only appearing in the last 50,000
years is nonsense.