New Dating Pushes Jordan Valley Site to 1.9 Million Years Old – Rewriting Out of Africa Migration

A revolutionary new study has dramatically rewritten one of the most important chapters in human prehistory. The prehistoric site of 'Ubeidiya, nestled in Israel's Jordan Valley just south of the Sea of Galilee, is now confirmed to be at least 1.9 million years old — hundreds of thousands of years older than previous mainstream estimates of 1.2 to 1.6 million years.

This updated chronology, published in early 2026 in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews, places 'Ubeidiya among the very oldest archaeological sites documenting hominins (early human relatives) outside Africa, on par with the famous Dmanisi site in Georgia. The findings force scientists to rethink the speed, timing, and routes of the first major wave of migration out of Africa.

Why This Discovery Matters So Much

For decades, paleoanthropologists viewed the "Out of Africa I" dispersal — when early members of the genus Homo left their African homeland — as beginning roughly 1.8–2 million years ago, with Dmanisi (dated \~1.8 million years) as the flagship evidence. Sites in the Levant like 'Ubeidiya were thought to represent slightly later pulses, arriving around 1.4–1.5 million years ago.

The new age pushes 'Ubeidiya back into the same deep timeframe as Dmanisi, suggesting either:

• Multiple simultaneous or near-simultaneous dispersal events across different corridors (Levant vs. Caucasus),
• Extremely rapid spread of tool-making hominins across western Asia soon after leaving Africa,
• Or that different hominin populations with varying stone tool traditions migrated almost concurrently.

This challenges long-held models and opens exciting questions about early human adaptability, technology diffusion, and environmental corridors that enabled such ancient journeys.

How Researchers Arrived at the New 1.9 Million-Year Date

Previous age estimates for 'Ubeidiya relied heavily on relative dating methods — biostratigraphy (comparing animal fossils), paleomagnetic reversals in sediments, and broad geological correlations. Those placed the site roughly between 1.2 and 1.6 million years old.

The international team — led by Ari Matmon (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Omry Barzilai (University of Haifa), and Miriam Belmaker (University of Tulsa) — applied three independent, high-precision absolute dating techniques:

1. Cosmogenic isotope burial dating — Measures rare isotopes (like aluminum-26 and beryllium-10) produced by cosmic rays when stones lie near the surface. When buried quickly by sediment, isotope production stops and decay begins, acting like a burial clock. Samples from the key archaeological layers gave minimum ages pushing beyond 1.9 million years.
2. Paleomagnetic analysis — Examines magnetic orientations locked in sediment grains during past geomagnetic reversals. The sequence at 'Ubeidiya aligns with polarity zones consistent with ages older than 1.8 million years.
3. Uranium-lead (U-Pb) dating of fossilized shells — Provides minimum ages for the sedimentary formation containing the artifacts and fossils. U-Pb results set a firm lower boundary well above 1.9 million years.

By integrating these methods and reopening old excavation trenches for fresh sampling, the researchers narrowed possible age ranges. Conservative interpretation: the site is at least 1.9 million years old, with some models allowing ages up to 2.1–2.6 million years in older layers.

Source of the study (primary reference link): Quaternary Science Reviews, 2026 (replace with exact DOI when published); secondary reporting: Phys.org coverage

What Was Found at 'Ubeidiya?

Discovered in the 1960s near Kibbutz Beit Zera, 'Ubeidiya has yielded thousands of stone tools (mostly Oldowan-style choppers, flakes, and cores), abundant animal bones (hippopotamuses, elephants, deer, carnivores), and rare hominin remains. The tools show early Homo erectus-like groups were already skilled butchers and scavengers.

The rich paleoenvironment — lakes, rivers, woodlands, and grasslands — offered ideal resources. Hippo-rich lakesides provided easy access to water, plants, and prey. This “Levantine corridor” likely served as a natural migration highway from Africa via the Sinai into Eurasia.

With the older date, 'Ubeidiya now documents one of the very first footholds of tool-making hominins outside Africa — possibly within 100,000–200,000 years after the earliest African Homo fossils.

How and Why Did Early Humans Migrate So Early?

How — The most plausible route was along the Nile–Sinai–Jordan Rift Valley corridor. During wetter Pleistocene periods, savannas, wetlands, and river systems created “green bridges” across what are now arid zones. Animals (and the hominins following them) could move northward without facing extreme deserts.

Why — Several drivers likely combined:

• Population pressure — Growing groups in East Africa needed new territories.
• Climate fluctuations — Wetter “green Sahara” and Levantine phases opened passages.
• Resource tracking — Following large mammal herds (elephants, hippos, bovids).
• Curiosity & adaptability — Early Homo already showed long-distance ranging and tool innovation.

The rapid appearance of similar Oldowan tools at Dmanisi and now 'Ubeidiya suggests either cultural transmission between groups or independent invention by related populations.

This early success outside Africa implies remarkable resilience — crossing ecological barriers, competing with predators, and adapting to new diseases and climates long before modern humans.

Broader Implications for Human Evolution

1. Multiple dispersal pulses — Instead of one big “Out of Africa I” event, evidence points to staggered or overlapping waves starting as early as \~2 million years ago.
2. Technological diversity — Different tool kits appearing almost simultaneously suggest varied cultural traditions among migrating groups.
3. Earlier cognitive abilities — Hominins capable of such long-range migration likely possessed planning, cooperation, and ecological knowledge far earlier than previously thought.
4. Revises timelines — Many textbooks and popular accounts must update maps and dates of early human expansion.

Future excavations at 'Ubeidiya and nearby sites may yield more hominin fossils, clarifying which species (Homo erectus? Homo habilis-like? Earlier forms?) made the journey.

Conclusion: A Shifting Picture of Our Deep Past

The new dating of 'Ubeidiya to at least 1.9 million years old is not just a number — it reshapes our understanding of when, how, and why our ancient ancestors first ventured beyond Africa. It highlights the Jordan Valley as a critical cradle of early human dispersal and underscores how advanced dating techniques continue to rewrite prehistory.

As more sites are re-analyzed with modern methods, we may discover even earlier footprints outside Africa. The story of human origins grows ever more dynamic — and ever more ancient.