dmanisi

Dmanisi is a town in Kvemo (lower) Kartli in eastern Georgia that has become famous for the ancient human skull fragments that have been found nearby.

The wider region is well known for its tradition of handcrafts, especially metalwork.

History

Lower Kartli was settled by eastern Georgian tribes during the pre-Hellenic time. Significant archeological excavations have taken place in the region, especially in Dmanisi. Specialists believe that the skulls found in Dmanisi belonged to a people which lived here approximately 1.8 million years ago. The discoveries have forced scientists to reconsider some existing theories about the movements of prehistoric peoples and it is now thought that the human remains discovered in Dmanisi may be from the oldest known human being in Europe and Asia. The skulls are currently kept in the Simon Janashia Museum in Tbilisi.

This region was also one of the first parts of Georgia to convert to Christianity which explains the large number of churches and monastery complexes throughout its territory.