8 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Archaeologists Reveals Rare Evidence of Early Human Presence in Tajikistan

Archaeologists have discovered a multi-layered archaeological site in the Zeravshan Valley of central Tajikistan that reveals early human settlement in the area.

Zeravshan Valley occupied from 150,000 to 20,000 years ago may have alternately hosted all three human species in Eurasia at the time. The findings from the site, known as Soii Havzak, provide crucial evidence that Central Asia played a vital role in early human migration and development.

Led by Prof. Yossi Zaidner of the Institute of Archaeology at Hebrew University and Dr. Sharof Kurbanov from the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, the research, published in Antiquity, revealed a rich array of stone tools, animal bones, and ancient vegetation.

“It turns out that the Zeravshan Valley, known primarily as a Silk Road route in the Middle Ages, was a key route for human expansion long before that—between 20,000 and 150,000 years ago,” explained Prof. Zaidner.

“This region may have served as a migration route for several human species, such as modern Homo sapiens, Neanderthals, or Denisovans, which may have coexisted in this area, and our research aims to uncover who were the humans that inhabited these parts of Central Asia and the nature of their interactions.”

Stone artifacts from Soii Havzak, Tajikistan.Photo Credit: Yossi Zaidner and Team
Stone artifacts from Soii Havzak, Tajikistan.Photo Credit: Yossi Zaidner and Team

Scientists have long thought that the cold, arid mountainous realms of Tajikistan and central Asia in general didn’t seem so important to the story of human evolution and our migration out of Africa to Eurasia.

It was assumed that Central Asia had been generally unpleasant during the ice age and that reasonable hominins would stay away from hostile areas. But it is not so. Early humans didn’t abandon Central Asia even when the climate turned colder, recent research indicates.

Probably due to a lack of search, the Soii Havzak rock shelter, which is naturally carved into a cliff and is currently approximately 40 meters above ground level, is one of only two stratified sites from deep prehistory found in the Zeravshan Valley. Following the discovery of stone artifacts on the slope beneath the rock shelter, archaeologists dug three trenches.

Bones and stone artifacts discovered during the excavations at Soii Havzak. Photo Credit: Yossi Zaidner and Team
Bones and stone artifacts discovered during the excavations at Soii Havzak. Photo Credit: Yossi Zaidner and Team

At Soii Havzak, the archaeological team excavated three areas and unearthing layers of human activity. In addition to the possibility of finding human remains that could reveal which species of humans lived in the area, the well-preserved remains provide important hints about the climate and environment of the past.

“The preservation of organic materials, such as burnt wood remains, as well as bones, is remarkable. This allows us to reconstruct the region’s ancient climate and provides hope that further excavations might reveal clues about human biology in the region,” said Prof. Zaidner. “This is crucial for understanding the development of human populations and behavior in Central Asia.”

Understanding how ancient human groups may have interacted with one another is one of the research’s wider implications for the study of human evolution and migration. According to the team, Soii Havzak’s location in Central Asia’s mountainous corridor may have been a crucial turning point for human populations, allowing early humans to disperse over large areas.

Archaeologists working at Soii Havzak, Tajikistan, site during excavations. Photo Credit: Yossi Zaidner and Team
Archaeologists working at Soii Havzak, Tajikistan, site during excavations. Photo Credit: Yossi Zaidner and Team

“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,” said Prof. Zaidner. “This discovery is a significant step toward understanding ancient human history in Central Asia and marks an important collaboration between international scientific teams.”

The excavation at Soii Havzak will continue over the coming years, with further digs planned to explore deeper layers and conduct more in-depth analyses of the findings.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Antiquity, DOI: https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2024.149

Cover Image Credit: View on Zeravshan River valley from Soii Havzak. Photo: Yossi Zaidner and Team

Related Articles

Mysterious Mongolian Arc in Eastern Mongolia Studied for the First Time

30 December 2023

30 December 2023

Researchers have studied the 405-km wall system in eastern Mongolia known as the Mongolian Arc to learn more about its...

Jomon Ruins Adding to UNESCO World Heritage List

26 May 2021

26 May 2021

An international advisory panel has recommended that a group of ruins from the ancient Jomon period in northern Japan is...

Thor’s hammer amulet discovered in Sweden

23 October 2022

23 October 2022

Archaeologists have unearthed the Thor’s Hammer amulet, which they call “one of its kind” in Ysby in southwestern Sweden’s Halland...

Flying reptile discovered in Scotland dubbed ‘Jurassic fighter jet’

24 February 2022

24 February 2022

The jawbone of a 170 million-year-old pterosaur, described as the world’s best-preserved skeleton of the prehistoric winged reptile, was discovered...

East and West Meeting at the King’s Dinner Table

7 April 2021

7 April 2021

Researchers from Tezukayama University and the Uzbekistan Archaeological Institute reported that a food pantry about 37 feet long and 10...

World’s Oldest Architectural House Model from 12,000-Year-Old Çayönü Hill Now on Display in Türkiye

6 July 2025

6 July 2025

Unearthed at the 12,000-year-old Çayönü Hill, the world’s oldest architectural house model is now on display at the Diyarbakır Museum,...

Torrential Rain Reveal 2500-Year-old Small Bull Statue

19 March 2021

19 March 2021

After heavy rains near the ancient Olympia site, a bronze bull statue of a bull believed to be at least...

3,200-Year-Old Temple Mural of Spider God in Peru

25 March 2021

25 March 2021

Archaeologists in northern Peru have discovered a 3200-year-old mural. The mural was painted on the side of an ancient adobe...

3,000-year-old necropolis found in southeast of Türkiye

16 October 2023

16 October 2023

A 3,000-year-old necropolis was unearthed during the excavations carried out in the Cehennem Deresi (Hell Creek) in Bağözü village of...

Game Bone Stones from a Roman Military Strategy Game Found in Hadrianopolis Ancient City, Türkiye

10 January 2025

10 January 2025

During the excavations in Hadrianopolis Ancient City in Eskipazar district of Karabük, 2 bone game stones belonging to the military...

The Entire Genome Of 35,000-Year-Old Skull From Romania Sequenced “Peştera Muierii 1”

24 May 2021

24 May 2021

Researchers have successfully sequenced the whole genome from the skull of Peştera Muierii 1, women who lived in today’s Romania...

Unprecedented Large Burial Urns in the Amazon May Reveal a Previously Unknown Indigenous Tradition

21 June 2025

21 June 2025

A remarkable archaeological discovery in the heart of the Amazon—seven giant funerary urns buried beneath a fallen tree—is offering fresh...

Medieval Mummy Seized in Niğde, Türkiye, Amidst Smuggling Crackdown

12 March 2025

12 March 2025

Authorities in Türkiye have detained six individuals in the Bor district of Niğde, who were allegedly attempting to sell an...

2,700-year-old Unique Rock Tombs Disappear

18 July 2023

18 July 2023

The 2,700-year-old rock tombs, unique in Turkey, in the Taşköprü district of Kastamonu are in danger of extinction due to...

Archaeologists find remains of Norman Bridge during dig in Chichester’s Priory Park, England

1 June 2024

1 June 2024

During an excavation in West Sussex, England, archaeologists uncovered the remains of a military causeway, or bridge, that led to...