Archaeologists have uncovered 24 ancient Palaeolithic human sites in a remote stretch of north-eastern Iran, a discovery that researchers say fills a long-standing gap in the story of how early humans moved across Asia.
The findings, published in the journal Antiquity, come from a 2025 survey of the Esfarayen Plain in Iran’s North Khorasan province, an area that had received little archaeological attention until now.
The study was led by Ali Sadraei of the University of Torbat Heydarieh. His team surveyed roughly 7,000 square kilometers (2,703 square miles) of land bordered by the Central Iranian Desert to the west, the Sabzevar-Nishapur plains to the east and the Aladagh highlands to the north.
Most of the newly found sites sit on slopes overlooking the Kalshur River and were once open-air settlements.
Middle and lower Palaeolithic tools reveal ancient toolmaking traditions
Thirteen of the sites date to the Middle Palaeolithic period, between roughly 300,000 and 40,000 years ago, making it the most common era represented.
Five sites belong to the much older Lower Palaeolithic period, dating back as far as one million years, while another five show signs of Epipalaeolithic activity, a more recent period between 20,000 and 12,000 years ago. One site shows possible but unconfirmed signs of Upper Palaeolithic use.
The largest cluster of sites was found in the Chehel Dokhtaran region, in the western part of the study area. Researchers believe the concentration there was likely driven by access to water and to plentiful basalt and flint, materials early humans relied on to make stone tools.
Among the discoveries, researchers identified chopping tools, cores and heavy-duty scrapers from the Lower Palaeolithic period. According to Sadraei, this marks the first documented evidence of this particular toolmaking tradition found east of the Central Iranian Desert.
He noted that the tools closely resemble those previously found at sites in Jovin, Nishapur and Kashafrud, as well as at Kul’dara in Central Asia, suggesting shared technological traditions across the wider region.
Iran’s Palaeolithic human sites point to ancient migration routes
The Middle Palaeolithic sites yielded large numbers of Levallois and centripetal cores, a toolmaking method known for producing carefully shaped flakes. Meanwhile, the Epipalaeolithic sites contained smaller, more refined tools, including geometric pieces and thumbnail scrapers.
Researchers say the region’s rivers and mineral resources likely made it an attractive corridor for early human groups moving between the Iranian Plateau and Central Asia.
Sadraei explained that the scarcity of previously known Palaeolithic human sites in this part of Iran was likely a result of limited research rather than an actual absence of ancient human activity.
He said that further excavations at the sites could offer a clearer picture of how prehistoric communities adapted to life in the region.
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