Archaeologists in Tajikistan have found an old rock shelter along a stream that may have served as a resting place for ancient humans, providing insight into human evolution. It is believed that this site saw waves of visitors for over 130,000 years.
Experts have long known that early humans traveled through the mountains of Central Asia, an area known as the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor (IAMC). During the Stone Age, this region was a likely path for groups navigating across Asia.
Researchers have found traces of Neanderthals, Denisovans, and modern humans in these mountains. The corridor, according to a recent study published in the journal Antiquity, could have been a place where these early groups crossed paths and possibly interacted.
Despite these findings, researchers note that this area remains largely unexplored.
Migration path for modern humans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans
Yossi Zaidner, a senior archaeologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, claimed that the region could have been a migration path for various human groups, including early modern humans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans.
To learn more, Zaidner and his team searched for ancient sites along the Zeravshan River, a key river in Central Asia. Their work led to the discovery of two Stone Age sites with many layers, suggesting that different groups of humans settled there at various times.
NEW Archaeologists discover one of the only multilayered, stratified Palaeolithic sites in Central Asia at the Soii Havzak rockshelter, Tajikistan, providing a rare opportunity to explore the understudied region's prehistoric chronology.
🆓 https://t.co/briwWbJJu2 pic.twitter.com/iSb944IYyS
— 🅰ntiquity Journal (@AntiquityJ) November 6, 2024
In 2023, the team began excavating a site called Soii Havzak, located near a small branch of the Zeravshan River. They dug three trenches and uncovered a variety of stone tools, such as carefully crafted flints, blades, and rock flakes.
They also found animal bones and evidence of fire use, such as charcoal and burnt flints. These findings suggest that people used this site between 150,000 and 20,000 years ago.
“We hope that ongoing research at this site will reveal new insights into how different human groups—like modern humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans—may have interacted in this region,” Zaidner said. “This discovery is a significant step toward understanding ancient human history in Central Asia.”
River valley linking China and the Roman Empire
The region wasn’t only a haven for ancient humans. In time, the river valley became a major pathway on the Silk Road, linking civilizations such as China and the Roman Empire across vast distances. Much remains unknown about how various human species interacted during the Middle Paleolithic, a period spanning from about 300,000 to 30,000 years ago.
This archaeological site offers a rare chance to study possible encounters between modern humans and their ancient relatives. The Zeravshan Valley’s landscape may have been an important migration corridor, potentially aiding early Homo sapiens as they journeyed from Africa into Asia.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
