Prehistoric hunter-gatherers stayed connected across 200 kilometers, Israeli study finds

A study led by Hebrew University's Dr. Ariel Malinsky-Buller, published in Quaternary Science Reviews, found that prehistoric hunter-gatherers in the Southern Caucasus maintained social networks across 40 to 200 kilometers between 57,000 and 27,000 years ago, challenging assumptions of isolation among small populations. The research combined archaeological, geological, and paleoenvironmental evidence from sites in modern-day Armenia, Georgia, and neighboring regions, revealing that these communities routinely traveled long distances, exchanging knowledge and maintaining social ties. This suggests a gradual process of cultural coexistence rather than rapid population replacement during the transition from the Middle to Upper Paleolithic.

A study led by Dr. Ariel Malinsky-Buller of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, published in Quaternary Science Reviews, found that prehistoric hunter-gatherer communities in the Southern Caucasus maintained social connections across distances of 40 to 200 kilometers between 57,000 and 27,000 years ago. The research combined archaeological, geological, and paleoenvironmental evidence from sites spanning modern-day Armenia, Georgia, and neighboring regions. Analysis of stone tools and obsidian artifacts revealed that these small, sparsely located communities were not isolated but routinely traveled long distances, exchanging knowledge and maintaining social ties. The study challenges the assumption of a rapid replacement of populations during the transition from the Middle to Upper Paleolithic, instead suggesting a gradual process where different cultures coexisted for thousands of years. Malinsky-Buller noted that mobility alone does not explain prehistoric survival, and that social networks were as important as environmental adaptation.