Introduction to special issue: The biotic context of the Early Pleistocene hominins from Dmanisi (Georgia, southern Caucasus)

The village of Dmanisi lies about 85 km Southwest of the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. In the Middle Ages, Dmanisi was one of the most prominent cities situated on the routes of the ancient Silk Roads. The region has thus long intrigued archaeologists, who have been excavating the ruins of a medieval citadel since the 1930s. The first trace that the site might be also of significance for paleontology became evident in 1983 when the paleontologist Abesalom Vekua identified the remains of a long-extinct rhinoceros found in one of the grain storage pits of the medieval population. These pits have opened a window into prehistory. The following year, during further paleontological excavations, primitive stone tools came to light, raising the tantalizing possibility of finding hominin fossil remains.