An ancient elephant tooth discovered in northern Israel has helped scientists reconstruct a lush landscape that existed about 700,000 years ago. The fossil evidence points to a productive environment of forests, grasslands, rivers, wetlands and abundant vegetation—one that supported giant elephants and some of the earliest humans in the region. The findings also show how dependable water and natural resources may have helped people survive and move between Africa and Eurasia.
Teeth preserve clues to a lost landscape
The discovery comes from Gesher Benot Yaakov (GBY-NBA), an archaeological site where early humans manufactured stone tools hundreds of thousands of years ago. The elephant remains were found alongside a hatchet and a kitchen knife made from basalt, a volcanic rock. The tools belong to the Acheulean tradition, one of the oldest and most widespread stone-tool technologies in human history.
The study, published in Quaternary Science Review, was led by Hannah Farrell, a PhD candidate at the University of Haifa. The researchers examined large elephant molars and fragments of tusks recovered from Gesher Benot Ya’akov, or “Daughters of Jacob’s Bridge,” in the Jordan Rift Valley, just south of the present-day Hula Valley. The site was excavated by Professor Gonen Sharon of the University of Kiryat Shmona Telhai in Galilee and his colleagues.
The fossil belonged to Paleoloxodon antiquus, commonly known as the straight-tusked elephant. This giant prehistoric animal was one of the largest land mammals of the Pleistocene, the geological epoch that included the most recent Ice Age.
Rather than studying the animal only as an extinct species, the researchers treated its tooth as a record of the environment in which it lived. Teeth preserve chemical clues about an animal’s diet and surroundings, making them useful for investigating environmental conditions from hundreds of thousands of years ago.
To extract those clues, the team combined CT scans, three-dimensional reconstructions, microscopic analysis of tooth wear, isotope geochemistry and pollen analysis. CT imaging revealed the fossil’s internal structure, while chemical measurements and microscopic evidence helped the researchers reconstruct the ancient habitat.
A diverse and stable habitat
The results indicate a persistent and varied landscape that included forests, open grasslands, wetlands, flowing rivers and shallow bodies of water. Carbon isotope measurements suggest that the elephants lived in an environment with a stable water supply. Pollen preserved in nearby sediments revealed wetland plants including reeds, sedges, willows, tamarisks and aquatic species.
Together, the findings suggest that the region was a diverse and productive environment capable of supporting both giant mammals and early human communities.
An oasis on an ancient migration route
The landscape’s location makes the discovery particularly important. The Hula Valley lies within the Levantine Corridor, a natural route connecting Africa and Eurasia that played an important role in the migration of ancient humans and animals.
Researchers believe the area served as a relatively stable ecological refuge, preserving important habitats and resources over time. Its rivers, wetlands, forests and grasslands would have provided water, vegetation and animals for people moving through the region.
For early humans, access to such an environment may have determined whether they could survive in an unfamiliar landscape and sustain a population. Reconstructing these habitats can therefore help explain how ancient human groups moved through the region and adapted to changing environmental conditions.
“Understanding how humans and animals responded to environmental changes hundreds of thousands of years ago can help us better understand the forces that shaped our species,” Professor Sharon said.
The study highlights the value of examining ancient landscapes as well as the fossils and artifacts found within them. Reconstructing the environments that supported prehistoric life gives researchers a clearer view of the conditions that influenced the survival and migration of early humans.
“The availability of water, vegetation, and animal resources shaped where humans and wildlife could survive,” Sharon said. “The Hula Valley’s wetlands, rivers and forests help sustain life along one of the world’s oldest migration corridors, providing a rare opportunity to understand the ecological conditions that supported both animals and humans some 700,000 years ago.”
Researchers from Israeli universities
The study brought together experts from several Israeli universities. Farrell of the University of Haifa conducted the research using materials from the ruins excavated by Sharon and his colleagues. Additional collaborators included Cheryl A. Makarewicz, who worked on isotope research, and Nimrod Marom, who conducted archaeozoological research, both from the University of Haifa. Minzi Jin and Dafna Langat of Tel Aviv University contributed pollen research.
Source: www.sciencedaily.com
