Ancient Hominins Demonstrated Precise Stone Sourcing in Northern Israel, Study Finds

Early hominins inhabiting ancient Galilee demonstrated remarkable navigational precision in locating specific rock sources for their tools, according to recent research.

Gesher Benot Ya’akov (GBY), one of Israel’s premier prehistoric sites, dates to approximately 780,000 years ago and contains multiple Acheulian hominin settlements along the former shoreline of Lake Hula in northern Israel.

Excavations conducted under the direction of co‑author Professor Naama Goren‑Inbar of the Hebrew University have uncovered stone tools composed of flint, limestone, and basalt, as well as evidence of fire use, plant exploitation, animal processing, and fish consumption at the site.

Basalt appears to have been especially significant at GBY, particularly for manufacturing large cutting tools such as handaxes and cleavers.

Origin of the Materials Used for Their Tools

The study aimed to determine the precise provenance of the basalt used.

By comparing the chemical signatures of the basalt tools with samples from nearby basalt flows—including material extracted from the Eshel Ya’akov borehole, which penetrates buried basalt layers—researchers matched many artifacts to sources within roughly one kilometre of the site.

Notably, several tools were chemically matched to basalt sources that no longer exist on the surface; these deposits may have been buried or eroded over millennia of tectonic activity, as explained in the study.

Variation in Basalt Types Across Tool Categories

Further chemical analysis showed that the tools varied in type.

Some cleavers appear to have been manufactured from basalt sources distinct from those used for most handaxes and giant cores.

According to the study, early hominins deliberately selected basalt possessing specific qualities appropriate for particular tools.

Furthermore, although giant cores were consistently associated with basalt located nearby or hidden beneath the site, certain cleavers were made from basalt that does not correspond to any of the locally sampled sources.

Moreover, the pattern of selective sourcing appears repeatedly across multiple archaeological layers at GBY, spanning tens of thousands of years, suggesting it wasn’t a one-off choice but a tradition passed down through generations.

Collectively, the findings portray early hominins as far more than opportunistic scavengers of whatever stone was available.

Ancient hominins appear to have possessed detailed mental maps of their surroundings, recognized how the landscape was changing, and applied this knowledge purposefully, selecting the appropriate rock for each tool at the appropriate time.

The complete findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports in early June, under the title “Geochemical basalt investigation reveals procurement strategy at the Acheulian site of Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov, Dead Sea Transform, Israel.”

The research was led by Dr. Tzahi Golan and Dr. Yoav Ben Dor of the Geological Survey of Israel, in collaboration with Prof. Naama Goren‑Inbar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who has overseen excavations at the site for decades.

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