In July, archaeologists conducting excavation work in the town of Orozmani in Georgia’s Kvemo Kartli region discovered a 1.8 million-year-old human lower jawbone believed to belong to early Homo erectus, according to Georgia Today. The bone was found at a site about 100 kilometers southwest of Tbilisi that was smaller than two parking spaces.
Researchers said the discovery shed light on some of the earliest prehistoric human settlements on the Eurasian continent and might be among the oldest early human remains found outside Africa. Scientists said Homo erectus began migrating from Africa about two million years ago, and the Orozmani exposure contained layers dated 1.77 to 1.84 million years; nearby Dmanisi previously yielded 1.8-million-year-old human skulls and crania.
The latest dig also uncovered fossils from saber-toothed tigers, elephants, wolves, deer, and giraffes, along with stone tools. Researchers said close study of the jawbone and animal fossils could clarify how early humans evolved after leaving Africa, including their diet and the climate they faced.
“The study of early human and fossil animal remains from Orozmani will provide us the opportunity to determine the lifestyle of Eurasia's first colonies. We think Orozmani can give us great information about humanity,” said Giorgi Bidzinashvili, who led the excavation at Orozmani. “In such a small place, we found human remains and human bones. That is why it is essential to expand the excavation and studies on Orozmani. It is fundamental to carry out multidisciplinary and multi-institutional studies at this site,” said Bidzinashvili, according to Infobae.
“My second day (on the dig) I found a nice little ankle bone,” said Miles Alexandre, a recent anthropology graduate from the University of Rhode Island. “You go down five centimeters... there's a good chance you're going to find something,” said Alexandre.
The jawbone followed a 2022 excavation that uncovered a tooth from early humans at Orozmani, the first human remains found at the site.
The preparation of this article relied on a news-analysis system.