Dmanisi

Georgia · Kvemo Kartli

SettlementUnknown
Approximate periodLower Paleolithic See on the map ↓

In brief

The Paleolithic layers beneath the medieval town document one of the earliest human dispersals outside Africa. Human fossils approximately 1.75–1.85 million years old, stone tools and animal remains have been investigated at the same site.

What was found?

  • 1D2282 skull

    The skull, classified by the Smithsonian as Homo erectus, is approximately 1,77 million years old. It is among the earliest known human skulls outside Africa.

  • 2Stone tools

    Stone tools were found alongside early human fossils. These document the human presence at Dmanisi through manufactured objects as well as skeletal remains.

  • 3Fossil animal bones

    Excavations revealed abundant, well-preserved animal fossils. These remains constitute an important source for investigating the environment in which early humans lived.

What does it point to?

Dmanisi documents a very early stage of human dispersal beyond Africa. The presence here of small-brained early Homo individuals is important for understanding the biological characteristics of the humans involved in this dispersal.

What did it teach us?

  1. It showed that early humans were present in the Caucasus approximately 1,77 million years ago.
  2. It revealed that dispersal beyond Africa also included small-brained early Homo individuals.
  3. Human fossils, stone tools and animal remains together documented the early history of the same site.

Images

Dmanisi stone tool 2
Gerbil · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Dmanisi cathedral narthex
Image by Georgia Pictures from Pixabay · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Record

Culture
Early Homo communities
Coordinates
41.3370°, 44.3455°

Sources

  1. whc.unesco.org
  2. humanorigins.si.edu
  3. humanorigins.si.edu

Nearby excavations


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12.000

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