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Ran Barkai

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
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
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
Prof. Ran Barkai holding a prehistoric stone tool, in his office at Tel Aviv University, on February 28, 2024. (Gavriel Fiske/Times of Israel)
March 16, 2024, 12:05 pm
Intricacies and wonder of prehistoric Israel accessible through an engaging new book
‘They Were Here Before Us,’ released this week, distills decades of academic work to reveal the fascinating world of early humanity
By Gavriel Fiske
A reconstruction of a 1,600,000 years old Homo erectus based on a fossil specimen known as 'Turkana boy' is seen at the Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann, Germany, on July 3, 2019. (AMartin Meissner/AP)
February 25, 2021, 9:16 pm
Israeli researchers offer new theory on human brain evolution: We were hungry
Archaeologists suggest that as supplies of large animals declined through hunting, early Homo erectus developed the smarts needed to catch smaller, harder-to-trap prey
By Stuart Winer
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