Discovering another human 'weapons factory' in a quarry in Israel

According to Live Science , the shocking discovery is a site where the extinct ancient human Homo eretus mined flint to make weapons. These weapons helped them hunt and kill elephants, from the species' birth until about 500,000 years ago.

Homo erectus, or "upright man", is another species belonging to the genus Homo (genus Human) with us Homo sapiens.

According to available evidence, the species Homo erectus was born about 1.89 million years ago and became extinct 100,000 years ago. They do not appear to interbreed with our species but are still distant relatives on humanity's complex family tree.

In addition to being the first human species to stand up straight, completely abandoning the ape-like gait, Homo erectus is also said to be the first species to ignite the fire of technology into the human world, when it invented labor tools and weapons. first gas.

So what scientists found in Israel is an unparalleled treasure.

Co-author Meir Finkel from Tel Aviv University (Israel) said they traced the ancient migration routes of elephants, based on landscapes and fossil bones, and found that they corresponded closely not only to water sources. but also ancient quarries.

The paper published in the scientific journal Archaeologies said their search led them to Paleolithic sites in the Hula Valley, located between the Sea of ​​Galilee and the Israel-Syria-Lebanon border.

Traces and artifacts left in the sediment show that this ancient human species chose areas with igneous rocks to hunt giant prey, even leaving artifacts used for rituals at these rocky outcrops.

They valued the "sacred power" of stones, not only for their spirituality but also because these areas provided raw materials to help them create humanity's first weapons.

In addition to elephants and mammoths, Homo erectus hunted hippos, camels and horses in the area.

The parallel route between water sources and stone quarries that help make weapons has unintentionally created a favorable world for these ancestors of different species, helping them survive and contributing an important part to the evolutionary path. of humanity.

Marvin Fry

Update 02 April 2024