ABSTRACT
One and a half million years ago, a male Homo erectus lived in the Caucasus Mountains, in what is today the Republic of Georgia. When archaeologists discovered his skull at the site of Dmanisi, they were surprised to find that he had lost all but one of his teeth, years before he died at the age of 40. The australopithecines are known from as many as six distinct species. Australopithecine fossils are known from sites dating between 4 million and 1.8 million years ago. The East African Rift Valley is a massive geological feature stretching from Malawi in southern Africa to Turkey and Syria in the Middle East. This formation can be thought of as an enormous trough that is in constant formation as the surface of the earth pulls apart along the rift. Three characteristics of the Rift Valley make it invaluable in the search for early hominin sites.
