Archaeological Investigations at Dmanisi, Republic of Georgia

University Of North Texas, Denton TX

Investigators

Abstract

With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Reid Ferring will conduct three seasons of archaeological and geologic investigations at the Dmanisi Site in the Republic of Georgia. Dmanisi's strategic geographical setting at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and its earliest (1.85-1.77 Ma) age of all Eurasian hominin-artifact bearing localities explain its prominent role in modeling the first human dispersals from Africa to Eurasia. This broader significance is matched by its extensive stratigraphic and spatial record of reoccupation events, providing a unique opportunity to document patterns of settlement, resource procurement and processing by early Homo. This work will therefore contribute to research being conducted from eastern Asia to western Europe, where the ages of colonization are being pushed back farther into the early Pleistocene, illuminating the remarkable biogeographic range of early human settlement, and apparent diversity of early adaptations. Dmanisi has yielded one of the largest and best-preserved collections of fossils of early Homo, providing critical information on the first dispersal of humans from Africa to Eurasia. In collaboration with the Georgian-led international team, this project will focus on the important archaeological record of repeated occupations at the site. Geologic investigations will provide environmental and contextual data on the numerous artifacts, human and mammal fossils recovered. Collaborating with Martha Tappen (Minnesota) and Georgian paleontologists, this project will contribute to reconstructing the roles of humans and carnivores in the accumulation of thousands of diverse, well-preserved mammal bones. Archaeological excavations will be conducted in the recently tested M5 sector of the site, which preserves over 6 meters of artifact and fauna-bearing deposits. This work, combined with that in the main excavation areas, will document and compare numerous reoccupation episodes. Detailed artifact analyses will focus on the procurement of raw materials, and the manufacture and use of stone tools. Combining artifact studies with data on faunal processing will establish an exceptional framework for comparing human behaviors among the many occupation episodes registered at the site. This project will make significant contributions to the educational and research infrastructure in Georgia, by continuing collaboration with Georgian scientists, and by enabling many Georgian students to participate each summer, gaining field and lab training and experience. Summer field schools (the first held in 2009) will provide Georgian and international students with field training and lectures by senior project personnel. The research will support University of North Texas graduate students in their MS thesis research, as well as undergraduate students in the McNair Scholars Program. The recovery and accessioning of collections, as well as publication of data bases on Museum and University websites will enhance international research opportunities for scientists and students pursuing independent research. This project will support informal science education as well, via public tours of the site, new exhibits in the Georgian National Museum, and an expanded website with resources for teachers and public school students. A major travelling exhibit on Dmanisi is being planned by the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, via a new major collaboration with the Georgian National Museum.