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prehistoric humans

The Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa. (Michael Chazan at the University of Toronto)
June 17, 2026, 5:31 am
In African cave, Israeli and international scientists find signs of earliest use of fire
Evidence of burns was detected on fossilized bones deep in the Wonderwerk Cave, setting back the clock for intentional use of fire from 1 million years ago to close to 1.8 million
By Rossella Tercatin
Excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the University of Haifa in a prehistoric cave near Fureidis in Northern Israel. (Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities Authority)
June 12, 2026, 4:19 pm
‘A time capsule’: Israeli cave sealed for millennia sheds light on obscure prehistoric clan
A site near Fureidis, south of Haifa, was occupied by early humans around 300,000 years ago, right before Home Sapiens and Neanderthals emerged in the region
By Rossella Tercatin
Prof. Ran Barkai from Tel Aviv University holds a segment of an ancient elephant at the La Polledrara site in Italy in an undated picture. (Tel Aviv University)
May 20, 2026, 10:07 pm
Smaller prey, not bigger brains, drove prehistoric tech revolution, Israeli researchers say
New study by Tel Aviv University scientists posits disappearance of megaherbivors in the Levant drove humans to develop smaller, more sophisticated tools 200,000 years ago
By Rossella Tercatin
A general view of the excavation of Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov Acheulian site in northern Israel dating to some 780,000 years ago. (GBY Expedition)
April 22, 2026, 4:12 pm
Rare ancient charcoal shows how prehistoric ‘Israelis’ were already grilling 780,000 years ago
A new study testifies to how hominins at Gesher Benot Ya’akov took advantage of their environment to fuel fires, showing advanced cognitive abilities
By Rossella Tercatin
Tel Aviv University Prof. Ran Barkai (left) and Sakhnin resident Muataz Shalata hold 500,000-year-old stone hand axes crafted with special materials featuring unique geological characteristics, in a discovery announced in March 2026. (Tel Aviv University)
March 22, 2026, 5:53 pm
Paleolithic chic: 500,000 years ago, Israel’s ancient toolmakers had a taste for sparkle
Rare hand axes from the Sakhnin Valley show Homo erectus picked fossil- and crystal-rich stones for visual appeal, hinting at early symbolic thinking, new study suggests
By Rossella Tercatin
Excavations at the prehistoric site of ‘Ubeidiya in the Jordan Valley, south of the Sea of Galilee, in images shared in April 2024. (Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities Authority)
February 22, 2026, 5:00 pm
New study puts hominins in Israel 1.9 million years ago, rewriting earliest human migration
Team redates prehistoric ‘Ubeidiya in Jordan Valley to same age as oldest Georgian site, suggesting at least two distinct groups of human ancestors left Africa at roughly the same time
By Rossella Tercatin
Volunteers work in Tinshemet Cave, where archaeologists are excavating one of the world's oldest known burial sites, dating back 100,000 years, near the central town of Shoam, July 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
July 24, 2025, 8:26 pm
100,000-year-old burial site in Israel reveals complex rituals of early humans
Archaeologists find skeletons at Tinshemet Cave in north, along with pebbles, animal remains and a reddish pigment made from rocks, which experts think were part of burial practices
By Melanie Lidman
The reconstruction of a Homo neanderthalensis, who lived within Eurasia from circa 400,000 until 40,000 years ago, mirrors at the Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann, Germany, on July 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
July 17, 2025, 7:01 am
Cooking up caveman culture, study shows Neanderthal neighbors were split on how to butcher
By comparing cut marks on bones found at northern Israel caves, researchers find early humans clung to passed-down methods just like you might stick to grandma’s recipes
By Rossella Tercatin
Prof. Ran Barkai from Tel Aviv University holds a segment of an ancient elephant at the La Polledrara site in Italy in an undated picture. (Tel Aviv University)
June 5, 2025, 8:27 am
Prehistoric elephant jerky? Early humans preserved megafauna meat in a smokehouse
New Israeli research suggests large game was smoked as early as 1.8 million years ago, a survival strategy that may have helped shape human evolution far before BBQs took hold
By Rossella Tercatin
Tinshemet Cave, a Middle Paleolithic site in central Israel, during excavations. (Yossi Zaidner)
March 11, 2025, 4:27 pm
Sapiens and Neanderthals coexisted in prehistoric Israel, rare cave burials show
Using dentists’ tools, archaeologists painstakingly uncover evidence that Israel’s Tinshemet Cave housed hominins who shared rituals and knowledge, and possibly lived in harmony
By Rossella Tercatin
Left: Meir Orbach from the the Zinman Institute of Archaeology – University of Haifa holding the Extinct rhino jaw from Nesher Ramla site. (Prof. Reuven Yeshurun). Right: Auroch skeleton. (Wikipedia)
March 7, 2025, 4:04 pm
Early humans in Israel really liked their steaks, new study shows
While the region offered a great diversity of fauna, Middle Paleolithic humans favored hunting the ancestor of cows, archaeological remains from the Nesher Ramla site have revealed
By Rossella Tercatin
Left: The intentionally engraved core found at the Manot Cave in a high-resolution photograph and 3D model (Photo by E. Ostrovsky and drawing by M. Smelansky, 3-D models by E. Paixao and L. Schunk). Right: The blade found at the Amud Cave, whose marks were created by casual abrasion. (Erella Hovers)
February 10, 2025, 9:31 am
Prehistoric artifacts from Israel prove our ancestors made art 100,000 years ago
New study shows Middle Paleolithic people intentionally decorated stone tools, offering evidence that abstract thinking began earlier than 50,000 years ago as previously believed
By Rossella Tercatin
Graphic showing the entrance to the ritual area found in the Manot Cave. 1, 2 and 3 indicate rows of stalagmites separating area from the rest of the cave. (courtesy/PNAS open access/CC- BY)
December 10, 2024, 4:26 pm
Earliest worship: Evidence of 35,000-year-old prehistoric rites found in northern Israel
Researchers hail discovery of ritual complex at Manot Cave as ‘a global breakthrough,’ marking the oldest such findings in the Levant
By Gavriel Fiske
Close up of a Quina scraper found in the Jaljulia Cave prehistoric site in central Israel. (courtesy Tel Aviv University)
June 3, 2024, 5:56 pm
Flint tools for butchering deer were developed in Israel 400,000 years ago – study
TAU researchers say the stone scrapers originated near Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim in the Samarian hills, which were likely sacred sites for prehistoric humans in the area
By Gavriel Fiske
Ancient 6,000-year-old ivory vessel discovered near Beersheba. (Dafna Gazit/IAA)
April 9, 2024, 12:30 pm
6,000-year old ivory vessel, likely from Egypt, found near Beersheba
Rare artifact found shattered and ritually interred at Negev site; now expertly restored, it will be presented to the public at Jerusalem conference on Thursday
By Gavriel Fiske
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