Archaeologists in Orozmani have discovered a human lower jawbone that is believed to belong to an early Homo erectus.
Excavations are actively underway at the Orozmani archaeological site. It was here, in a layer dated to 1.8 million years ago, that a human tooth was first discovered — followed by the recent unearthing of a lower jawbone. This remarkable find was made during an expedition in Georgia’s Dmanisi Municipality, led by Giorgi Bidzinashvili. The artifact is believed to be the remains of an early representative of Homo erectus.
Homo erectus is considered a less developed human ancestor who walked on two legs and used stone tools. However, the species had a relatively small brain and likely did not possess the ability to speak or control fire.
Excavations at Orozmani are being conducted in archaeological layers dating between 1.77 and 1.84 million years. It is the same site where, in 2022, the same expedition uncovered a human tooth — the first human remain ever found in Orozmani. Prior to that, only animal fossils and stone tools used by Eurasia’s earliest inhabitants had been discovered at the site.
Photos: Giorgi Bidzinashvili
