Archaeologists in Georgia have unearthed a 1.8-million-year-old jawbone belonging to an early human species -- a discovery that promises to provide new insights into some of the earliest prehistoric settlements on the Eurasian continent.
The discovery was made at the Orozmani archaeological site, a relatively small area -- less than the size of two parking spaces -- but one that has proven remarkably rich in ancient history. Orozmani now stands as the site of the oldest known remains of early humans excavated outside of Africa. The findings offer critical clues about the migration and settlement patterns of Homo erectus, a hunter-gatherer species believed to have begun migrating roughly two million years ago.
"The study of early human and fossil animal remains from Orozmani will allow us to determine the lifestyle of the first colonisers of Eurasia," said Giorgi Bidzinashvili, professor of Stone Age archaeology at Ilia State University in Tbilisi.
"We think Orozmani can give us big information about humankind."
The jawbone was discovered approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles) southwest of Tbilisi. In 2022, archaeologists excavated a human tooth of the same era from the same site. Nearby Dmanisi, a village famed for earlier archaeological finds, has yielded 1.8-million-year-old human skulls, further reinforcing the region's significance in early human history.
In addition to the jawbone, the excavation unearthed fossils from several prehistoric animals, including a sabre-toothed tiger, elephant, wolf, deer, and giraffe. A cache of primitive stone tools was also discovered, offering additional insights into the behavior and survival strategies of early humans in the region.