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Dmanisi skulls (Georgia)
c. 1.8 million years ago; among the earliest outside Africa· Fossil or site· Human ancestors & us
Well establishedStrong fossil, genetic or geological evidence.
A site in the country of Georgia that holds some of the earliest human fossils outside Africa, about 1.8 million years old.
See it on the Life map →What happened
Since 1991, excavations beneath a medieval town at Dmanisi, in the Caucasus, have yielded five skulls, jaws and limb bones, plus simple Oldowan-style tools. The skulls held small brains, about 550–780 cc, and the individuals were short, about 1.45–1.66 meters. Skull 5, complete with its jaw, was described in 2013. One skull belonged to an older adult who lost nearly all teeth years before death, perhaps surviving with others' help.
Why it matters
Dmanisi showed that humans left Africa early, with small brains and simple tools, overturning the idea that big brains or handaxes were needed to leave.
The evidence (fossils, genes, rocks)
Argon–argon dating of the volcanic basalt beneath the fossils and magnetic reversals in the sediments; studied by David Lordkipanidze's team at the Georgian National Museum.
Still debated
Whether they are early Homo erectus or a separate species, and whether the toothless individual's survival really shows care by others.
Connections (2)
▸Dmanisi skulls (Georgia) preserve early Homo erectusWell established
The connection
The Dmanisi fossils show Homo erectus at an early stage: small brains (about 550–780 cc), short stature and simple tools. They reveal that early erectus left Africa before big brains and handaxes evolved, and that skulls varied widely within one population.
When and how
Dmanisi, Georgia, in the Caucasus; fossils found from 1991 beneath a medieval town by David Lordkipanidze's team, dated about 1.85–1.77 million years ago.
The evidence
Five skulls, plus jaws and limb bones, from one site, dated by volcanic rock and magnetic reversals, and compared closely with African erectus fossils.
Debates and open questions
Some call the fossils a separate species, Homo georgicus. The 2013 claim that their variation means several African 'species' were really one lineage remains contested.
▸Dmanisi skulls (Georgia) record a far earlier exit than Out of Africa: Homo sapiens spreads worldwideWell established
The connection
Dmanisi shows hominins reached Eurasia by about 1.8 million years ago, more than 1.7 million years before Homo sapiens' main dispersal. 'Out of Africa' happened more than once: erectus-grade humans spread to Georgia, China and Java long before our species existed.
When and how
Dmanisi, Georgia, about 1.8 million years ago; stone tools at Shangchen, China, about 2.1 million years ago; Homo sapiens' main exit about 70,000–50,000 years ago.
The evidence
Securely dated fossils and tools outside Africa, far older than any Homo sapiens, show separate dispersals. Genes show today's non-Africans descend from the much later exit.
Debates and open questions
Who made the earliest tools outside Africa, and whether some early Eurasian groups evolved locally or even moved back into Africa, is debated.