A surprising discovery under a medieval town
Beneath the ruins of a medieval Georgian village, archaeologists found something unexpected. The Dmanisi archaeological site, about 85 kilometers southwest of Tbilisi, was initially explored for its Silk Road-era history. In 1983, however, the discovery of an extinct rhinoceros tooth showed a much deeper past. A year later, primitive stone tools surfaced. The first hominin fossil, a mandible, was found in 1991. The finds culminated in the recovery of five hominin skulls between 1991 and 2005.
The fossils were located in sediment layers dated to between 1.77 and 1.85 million years old, making them the oldest undisputed human ancestors found outside of Africa. The collection includes four crania and five mandibles, representing a small community of early humans. These individuals lived alongside a diverse range of animals, including saber-toothed cats, giraffes, and giant cheetahs. The hominins themselves were small-bodied, standing around 145 to 166 centimeters tall, with a mix of primitive and modern features. Their legs were suited for long-distance walking, but their arms were more similar to those of earlier australopithecines.