Using an 800,000-year-old tooth, researchers unlock the secrets of Israel’s ancient elephant haven

Researchers used an 800,000-year-old elephant tooth from the Gesher Benot Ya'aqov site in Israel's Hula Valley to reconstruct the ancient ecosystem. The tooth, from a straight-tusked elephant, was found alongside Acheulian stone tools. CT scanning, isotope, and pollen analysis revealed a well-watered landscape that supported giant elephants and early humans. The study was published in Quaternary Science Reviews.

Researchers have used an 800,000-year-old elephant tooth from the Gesher Benot Ya'aqov site in Israel's Hula Valley to reconstruct the ancient ecosystem that supported giant elephants and early humans. The tooth, belonging to the straight-tusked elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus, was found alongside Acheulian stone tools including basalt handaxes. The study, published in Quaternary Science Reviews, was led by doctoral student Hannah Farrell and Prof. Gonen Sharon of Tel-Hai University, with colleagues from the University of Haifa and Tel Aviv University. Using CT scanning, isotope geochemistry, and pollen analysis, the team found evidence of a well-watered landscape of woodlands, wetlands, and waterways that sustained large mammals and hominin toolmakers. The Hula Valley served as a vital migration corridor between Africa and Eurasia. The tooth and tools were found in the same archaeological layer, confirming they were contemporaneous.