GMAT Sentence Correction (SC) | Re: Descending approximately 4,000 years ago from the African

Although E seems to be correct with the appositive promptly modifying the previous clause, still the choice leaves more queries unanswered than it does. It lacks the clear logical predication and the repetition of intended meaning of the original that GMAT expects to preserve.

First of all, what does the ‘4000 years’ refer to? Is it the end of the domestication or the beginning the domestication of the wild cat? If it is the beginning of the domestication, then the past tense verb ‘descended’