Addis Ababa, December 16, 2025 (FMC) — A 1.5-million-year-old skull and facial fossil belonging to the early human ancestor Homo erectus has been discovered at the Gona archaeological site in Ethiopia’s Afar Regional State, researchers have announced.
The discovery, made under the Gona Paleoanthropology Research Project, was published in Nature Communications and further reinforces Ethiopia’s status as the cradle of humanity.
Senior researcher at the Spanish National Research Council’s Center for the Study of Human Origins, Seleshi Semaw (PhD), said the fossil is the most complete skull and facial remains of comparable age ever found in Africa, including intact teeth.
“This discovery confirms that Homo erectus, a direct ancestor of modern humans, originated in Africa,” Seleshi said, adding that the fossil shows a remarkably complete cranial and facial structure compared to previously known specimens from East Africa.
According to the researcher, the facial features of the newly discovered fossil closely resemble those of early humans who later migrated out of Africa to Europe and Asia around 1.8 million years ago, challenging earlier hypotheses that such populations may have returned to Africa from Asia.
“The findings refute the idea that early humans migrated back into Africa,” he said, noting that the evidence strengthens the argument that Homo erectus evolved on the African continent.
Scientists involved in the study also completed a detailed virtual digital reconstruction of the skull and face, a process that took more than a year. The reconstruction provides new insights into early human anatomy, migration patterns, and the use of stone tools such as Oldowan and Acheulean technologies.
The discovery of Homo erectus fossils alongside stone tools is considered rare in paleoanthropological research, making the Gona site particularly significant, the researchers noted.
Seleshi further explained that the skull and facial bones are smaller than those of other prehistoric human species of the same period and show similarities with Homo habilis, an earlier human ancestor.
Over the past three decades, the Ethiopian Heritage Authority said the Gona Paleoanthropology Research Project has uncovered some of the world’s most significant prehistoric discoveries, including the oldest known stone tools dating back 2.6 million years and the fossil remains of Ardipithecus ramidus, dated to 4.4 million years ago, with findings published in leading international scientific journals.