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An elephant tooth nearly 700,000 years old, unearthed in northern Israel, allows researchers to reconstruct a lush prehistoric landscape inhabited by giant elephants and some of the first human communities. Published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews, the study was carried out at the site of Gesher Benot Ya’aqov, according to Tel-Hai University.
A site where humans and elephants coexisted
The site of Gesher Benot Ya’aqov, located in the Jordan Valley just south of the Hula Valley, has yielded elephant remains found alongside handaxes and cleavers made from basalt, a volcanic rock. These tools belong to the Acheulean tradition, one of the oldest and most widespread stone-tool technologies in human history.
The excavations were led by Professor Gonen Sharon of Tel-Hai University and his colleagues. The study was directed by Hannah Farrell, a doctoral student at the University of Haifa, based on a large molar and tusk fragments recovered from the site.
A giant Pleistocene species
The fossils belong to Palaeoloxodon antiquus, the straight-tusked elephant, one of the largest land mammals of the Pleistocene, the geological epoch that included the last major glaciations. The researchers treated the tooth as an archive of the environment in which the animal lived.
Teeth indeed preserve chemical traces of an animal's diet and environment, allowing scientists to study the climatic and ecological conditions of the period, sometimes hundreds of thousands of years earlier.
A multidisciplinary method
To extract these clues, the team combined several techniques: CT scanning, 3D reconstruction, microscopic examination of dental wear, isotope geochemistry and pollen analysis. The scans allowed the internal structure of the tooth to be examined, while chemical measurements and microscopic observations helped reconstruct the habitat.
Carbon isotopes suggest that the animal lived in an environment with a reliable water supply. Pollen preserved in the neighboring sediments reveals wetland vegetation, including reeds, sedges, willows, tamarisks and aquatic plants.
An oasis on a major migration route
The Hula Valley lies within the Levantine corridor, a natural passage linking Africa and Eurasia that played an important role in the ancient movements of humans and animals. The researchers see it as a relatively stable ecological refuge that sustained vital habitats and resources over long periods.
For human groups crossing the region, access to rivers, wetlands and forests could mean the difference between survival and the disappearance of a population. Understanding these environments helps explain how these groups moved and adapted to environmental change.
What this discovery reveals
According to Professor Sharon, understanding how humans and animals responded to environmental change hundreds of thousands of years ago helps clarify the forces that shaped our species. The study highlights the value of analyzing ancient landscapes alongside the fossils and artifacts they contain.
The team brings together specialists from several Israeli universities, including Cheryl A. Makarewicz and Nimrod Marom of the University of Haifa, and Minji Jin and Dafna Langgut of Tel Aviv University for the pollen analyses.
Frequently asked questions
How old is the elephant tooth discovered in Israel?
The tooth is about 700,000 years old. It was found at the site of Gesher Benot Ya’aqov in northern Israel and belonged to a straight-tusked elephant.
What is the Gesher Benot Ya’aqov site?
It is an archaeological site where prehistoric humans made stone tools several hundred thousand years ago. Elephant remains were found there alongside handaxes and cleavers.
How can a tooth reconstruct an ancient landscape?
Teeth preserve chemical signatures linked to the animal's diet and the water it drank. Combined with pollen analysis, they provide information about the vegetation and climate of the time.
Why is the Hula Valley important for early humans?
It lies within the Levantine corridor, a natural passage between Africa and Eurasia. Its rivers, wetlands and forests offered stable resources to populations on the move.
Sources
Original summary written with the help of artificial intelligence from the sources cited, checked automatically, then translated from the French original. Information and quotations belong to their authors. Read the French original.
