The Importance of Iran’s Paleolithic Record for Unraveling Key Issues in Human Evolution

Iran is justly famous for its spectacular record of Bronze Age, Iron Age, and later cultures, making it one of the world’s premier centers of emerging early civilizations. Far less is known about Iran’s Paleolithic record, which almost certainly spans nearly two million years and represents more than 99.5% of the country’s archaeological record. This paper highlights some of the most interesting new findings in paleoanthropology, archaeology, and genetics that are transforming our understanding of the human story in Eurasia. Not surprisingly, however, much is in flux and many issues and questions have arisen that are unresolved or poorly understood. The goal of this paper is to underscore the tremendous potential of Iran’s rich but underappreciated Paleolithic record for contributing to our understanding of this dynamic and fascinating stage in the human career