The site of Dmanisi in the Eurasian republic of Georgia has yielded striking hominin, faunal and archaeological material as evidence for the presence of early Homo outside Africa 1.77 million years ago, documenting an important episode in human evolution. Here we describe a beautifully preserved skull and jawbone from a Dmanisi hominin of this period who had lost all but one tooth several years before death. This specimen not only represents the earliest case of severe masticatory impairment in the hominin fossil record to be discovered so far, but also raises questions about alternative subsistence strategies in early Homo.

1. Georgian State Museum, Tbilisi 0105, Georgia
2. Institute of Palaeobiology, Tbilisi 0104, Georgia
3. Department of Geography, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas 76203, USA
4. Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York 13902, USA
5. Institut de Paleontologia M. Crussafont, 08201 Sabadell, Spain
6. Georgian Archaeological Centre, Tbilisi 0102, Georgia
7. Anthropologisches Institut, Universität Zürich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
8. Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA

Correspondence to: David Lordkipanidze¹ Email: geonathist@ip.osgf.ge

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