In the photo: Ras Giorgi Kopalani, Nikolaz Vanishvili, and field school student Juliette Zuniga, who made the find in her excavation unit.
Nazarbayev University’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology is proud to announce the participation of its faculty member and graduate student in a groundbreaking international archaeological project in Georgia.
This summer, Dr. Reed Coil, Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, and NU MA in Eurasian Studies student Gulnur Muratova joined an excavation in the village of Orozmani, a site near Dmanisi renowned for its exceptional prehistoric remains.
During the excavations, archaeologists discovered a lower jawbone belonging to an ancient hominin of the species Homo erectus, estimated to be about 1.8 million years old. This significant finding makes the Orozmani site one of the key locations for studying the earliest human presence in Eurasia.
The region has already attracted international attention: in 2022, a tooth fragment from a similar period was found in Orozmani. Together, these discoveries strengthen the argument that the Caucasus served as an important migration corridor for some of the earliest human ancestors leaving Africa.
“This discovery is a significant step in illuminating the deep history of humanity in this part of the world,” said Dr. Coil. “It is also a testament to the value of international research partnerships, where contributions from Kazakhstan are helping to reveal new insights about our shared past.” For graduate student Gulnur Muratova, the experience was equally transformative: “Participating in these excavations gave me a unique opportunity to apply what I’ve learned in the classroom to real-world research. It has been inspiring to work alongside international colleagues on discoveries that have global significance.”
In the Media The participation of Nazarbayev University scholars has been featured in national media outlets. To learn more, please see: