TL;DR — A new study published in Scientific Reports finds that early humans at Gesher Benot Ya’aqov in northern Israel deliberately selected specific basalt sources for different stages of stone-tool production nearly 800,000 years ago. The finding points to advanced planning, deep environmental knowledge and traditions passed down across generations.
Nearly 800,000 years ago, the early humans who lived on the shores of ancient Lake Hula were far from opportunistic toolmakers. According to a new study of stone tools from Gesher Benot Ya’aqov, they carefully chose which type of rock to use for each task — a level of foresight that reshapes how we think about early human intelligence.
What did the researchers discover?
The team found that the site’s inhabitants did not simply pick up whatever stone lay nearby. Instead, they deliberately sourced particular basalt flows for particular stages of tool-making. This selective behavior implies planning, memory of the landscape, and technological traditions that were maintained and repeated over long periods.
Where is Gesher Benot Ya’aqov?
Gesher Benot Ya’aqov (GBY) is an Acheulian archaeological site in northern Israel, on the shores of the former paleo-Lake Hula in the Jordan Valley. Dated to roughly 780,000 years ago, it preserves repeated occupations by early hominins and is one of the richest windows into life in the Middle Pleistocene.
How did scientists trace the stone?
Researchers used geochemical analysis to read the chemical “fingerprint” of each basalt artifact and match it to specific lava flows — including some that are now buried and invisible at the surface. By reconstructing a landscape that has changed dramatically over hundreds of thousands of years, they could show exactly where the toolmakers collected their raw material. The work was led by Dr. Tzahi Golan and Dr. Yoav Ben Dor of the Geological Survey of Israel, with Prof. Naama Goren-Inbar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Why does this matter for human evolution?
Deliberate raw-material selection is a hallmark of complex cognition. Showing that hominins were making these choices nearly 800,000 years ago pushes the evidence for long-term planning and cultural transmission much deeper into the human past than many models assumed.
What is the Acheulian culture?
The Acheulian is a prehistoric stone-tool tradition, best known for its teardrop-shaped hand-axes, that spanned roughly 1.7 million to 200,000 years ago. It is associated mainly with Homo erectus and related early humans, and Gesher Benot Ya’aqov is one of its most important sites outside Africa.
FAQ — Early human tool-making at Gesher Benot Ya’aqov
How old are the tools from Gesher Benot Ya’aqov?
They date to about 780,000–800,000 years ago, during the Acheulian period of the Middle Pleistocene.
What material were the tools made from?
Mainly basalt, a volcanic rock, which the toolmakers sourced from specific lava flows around the site.
Who carried out the study?
Dr. Tzahi Golan and Dr. Yoav Ben Dor (Geological Survey of Israel) and Prof. Naama Goren-Inbar (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), published in Scientific Reports.
Why is the discovery significant?
It shows early humans deliberately selected raw materials, indicating advanced planning and cultural traditions far earlier than often assumed.
Where is the site located?
In northern Israel, on the shores of the former paleo-Lake Hula in the Jordan Valley.
Sources
By Patrick Lancier — published August 6, 2026.