A 1.8 million-year-old jawbone belonging to Homo erectus has been unearthed in the Republic of Georgia, potentially marking one of the earliest instances of human groups living outside Africa. The Georgian National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation announced this significant find on July 31, 2023. The discovery is anticipated to provide insights into the migration patterns of early hominins from their African origins, according to Giorgi Bidzinashvili, an archaeologist at Ilia State University in Tbilisi.
The excavation took place at the early Stone Age site of Orozmani, located approximately 100 kilometers south of Tbilisi. Since the project commenced in 2020, researchers have uncovered stone tools alongside ancient animal bones. In 2022, a single tooth from Homo erectus was also discovered at the site. Bidzinashvili expressed optimism about the implications of this new find, suggesting it could reveal more about the reasons behind early human migration out of Africa.
Significance of the Discovery
Homo erectus is believed to have evolved around 2 million years ago in Africa and was the first human ancestor to venture beyond the continent, reaching parts of Europe, Asia, and Oceania. The earliest fossil evidence of this migration comes from the site of Dmanisi, situated just 19 kilometers from Orozmani. A 2011 study that chemically dated the lava flows at both sites indicated they are roughly contemporaneous, with ages ranging between 1.825 million and 1.765 million years ago.
Excavations at Dmanisi have revealed over 100 fossil bones, including five skulls, which provided important clues about early human morphology. Initially classified as a separate species named Homo georgicus, these skeletons are now generally regarded as the earliest known Homo erectus individuals in Eurasia.
The recent findings at Orozmani, although less numerous than those from Dmanisi, suggest that early human groups may have spread across the Caucasus region shortly after leaving Africa. Bidzinashvili noted, “Since we have not yet cleaned the jaw, it has not been compared with the Orozmani tooth from 2022.”
Broader Implications for Human Evolution
The evidence gathered thus far indicates that the movement of early humans into Georgia may not have been an isolated incident. Karen Baab, a biological anthropologist at Midwestern University in Glendale, Arizona, who was not involved in the research, remarked, “Maybe we’re seeing that this movement to Georgia wasn’t an isolated incident, but maybe there was a broader distribution of Homo erectus during this time period.”
The research team is currently working to determine whether the fossils from Orozmani are older than those from Dmanisi or if they are contemporaneous. Bidzinashvili stated, “Until we have new dates, we can neither confirm nor deny that the Orozmani human fossils are older than Dmanisi. By the end of the year, we will know.”
This discovery not only sheds light on the evolutionary history of our species but also highlights the importance of ongoing research in understanding the complexities of human migration and adaptation. As more findings emerge from sites like Orozmani and Dmanisi, they will continue to reshape our understanding of human ancestry and the journeys that defined our evolutionary path.