Early human migrations in southern and eastern Asia likely included routes through Iran, a region with diverse geography and resources suitable for early hominins. Stone artifacts from gravel deposits along several rivers, including Kashafrud, Mashkid, Ladiz, Sefidrud, Mahabad, and others, indicate the presence of early populations. Key early human occupation sites in Iran are Kashafrud in Khorasan, Mashkid and Ladiz in Sistan, Shiwatoo in Kurdistan, Ganj Par and Darband Cave in Gilan, Khaleseh in Zanjan, Tepe Gakia near Kermanshah,^[1] and Pal Barik in Ilam, dating from one million years ago to 200,000 years ago. Mousterian Stone tools, associated with Neanderthals, have been found across Iran, especially in the Zagros region and central Iran at sites like Kobeh, Kaldar, Bisetun, Qaleh Bozi, Tamtama, Warwasi. A notable discovery was a Neanderthal radius in 1949 by C.S. Coon in Bisitun Cave.^[2]

Upper Paleolithic and Epipaleolithic evidence primarily comes from the Zagros region, with sites in Kermanshah and Khoramabad like Yafteh Cave. In 2018, a Neanderthal child's tooth was found in Kermanshah, alongside Middle Paleolithic tools.^[3] The Epipaleolithic period, spanning c. 18,000 to 11,000 BCE, saw hunter-gatherers living in Zagros Mountains caves, with an increased variety of hunted and collected plants and animals, including smaller vertebrates, pistachios, wild fruit, snails, and small aquatic animals.