What an Elephant's Tooth Reveals About Early Humans
AAbout 700,000 years ago, a huge elephant lived and died in what is now northern Israel. Today, a single tooth from that animal is helping scientists to reconstruct the world in which some of the region's earliest human inhabitants lived. Fossil teeth are among the most durable parts of an animal's body, which is one reason why they so often survive when other remains have disappeared. The study, published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews, was led by Hannah Farrell, a doctoral student at the University of Haifa. Rather than relying on a single method, it brought together evidence from several scientific fields to build a detailed picture of an ancient landscape. The result is a vivid portrait of the setting in which these early people made their tools and found their food.
BThe tooth was recovered at Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, a site whose name means "Daughters of Jacob Bridge". It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, a short distance south of the Hula Valley. The site was excavated by Professor Gonen Sharon of Tel-Hai University and his colleagues, who found elephant remains lying alongside stone tools made of basalt. These tools, which include handaxes and cleavers, belong to the Acheulian tradition, one of the oldest and most widespread stone-tool technologies ever developed. Because the tools were found right beside the bones, the site offers a valuable opportunity to study animals and early humans together.
CThe fossils examined by the team, a large molar and several fragments of tusk, came from a species called Palaeoloxodon antiquus. This animal, commonly known as the straight-tusked elephant, was one of the largest mammals to walk on land during the Pleistocene epoch. An animal of such enormous size would have needed vast quantities of food and water every day. For this reason, its remains can reveal a great deal about the environment that was able to support it. Studying such a species therefore offers far more than a glimpse of a single animal.
DTo extract as much information as possible, the researchers used a wide range of techniques. CT scanning allowed them to look inside the tooth without damaging it, and the scans were then used to produce a three-dimensional reconstruction. Such non-destructive methods are especially important when a fossil is rare and cannot be replaced. They also examined the surface of the tooth under a microscope in order to study the patterns of wear left by chewing. In addition, they carried out isotope analysis, a geochemical method that measures different forms of elements such as carbon. Finally, specialists studied ancient pollen preserved in the sediments surrounding the fossils. The pollen work was carried out by Minji Jin and Dafna Langgut of Tel Aviv University, while the isotope studies were led by Cheryl Makarewicz of the University of Haifa. Nimrod Marom, also from Haifa, contributed expertise in archaeozoology, the study of animal remains from archaeological sites.
ETaken together, the results describe a varied and productive landscape. There were woodlands and open grasslands, as well as marshes, flowing rivers and areas of shallow water. The carbon isotope measurements suggested that the elephant had access to a reliable supply of water throughout its life. The pollen record supported this picture, revealing plants typical of wet habitats, such as reeds, sedges, willow and tamarisk, together with plants that grow in water. Such a rich mixture of habitats could have supported large mammals and early human communities at the same time. In short, this was far from a harsh or barren environment.
FThe location of the site adds to its significance. The Hula Valley sits within the Levantine Corridor, a natural route that connects Africa with Eurasia. Conditions in the valley may therefore have mattered not only to the groups that lived there but also to those moving between the two landmasses. The researchers believe that the area acted as a relatively stable ecological refuge, a place that kept its key habitats and resources over long periods of time. Dependable water, plants and animals may have helped early human groups both to survive and to travel through the region.
GFor Professor Sharon, the study shows why it is important to understand how humans and animals responded to changes in their surroundings. Such knowledge, he argues, gives us a clearer view of the forces that shaped our own species. He also stresses that the availability of water, vegetation and animal resources determined where both humans and wildlife were able to survive. His comments highlight a theme that runs through much research on early human history: people depended heavily on the natural resources around them. In this sense, a single fossil tooth can open a window onto an entire lost world.