The assimilation model (AM) is a model of modern human evolution emphasizing an African origin for modern humans combined with a consistent pattern of low, but not insignificant, contributions from Eurasian archaic people to modern human populations as they migrated throughout the Old World. AM is compared with other models of later human evolution and is discussed in the framework of changes to scientific understanding of modern human origins. AM is often seen as a compromise between other models but in reality emerged as a unique biological approach rather than an attempt to “capture the middle ground.” Today AM is supported by morphological evidence as well as the emerging genetic picture of interbreeding, sometimes called hybridization, during the later phases of human evolution.