Transformative archaeological discoveries shed light on prehistoric hunting evolution

According to a fresh article, Earth.com describes that archaeological discoveries from two sites northeast of modern-day Tel Aviv – Jaljulia and Qesem Cave – are shedding new light on early human survival strategies.

The findings suggest a transformative period, around 400,000 years ago, when hunters in the Levant shifted from hunting large game, like elephants, to smaller prey, particularly fallow deer, prompting the development of new tools and possibly new belief systems.

The focus of these revelations is the Quina scraper, a specialised flint tool. While modest in size, smaller than a modern smartphone, its sharp, scalloped edge was perfectly suited for slicing through muscle and hide with precision, similar to the efficiency of a skilled butcher.

For nearly a million years, large game, especially elephants, were the main source of food for these early humans. However, as elephants dwindled, hunting groups had to adapt. Fallow deer, smaller and leaner, provided far less meat per kill, requiring hunters to process many more animals to sustain themselves. This dietary shift led to the invention of the Quina scraper, designed for the specific needs of butchering the new prey.

Notably, the Quina scrapers were crafted from flint sourced about 12.4 miles from the Samarian mountains, a region also known for its abundant fallow deer populations. Researchers speculate that early humans linked this resource-rich area with the creation of tools used to process their primary food source.

Vlad Litov and Prof. Ran Barkai of Tel Aviv University, the study's lead authors, explain that this connection between the flint source and the landscape suggests a deeper, perhaps sacred, relationship between early humans and the Samarian highlands.

"Identifying the deer’s plentiful source, they began to develop the unique scrapers in the same place," Litov explains. The findings underscore a larger cultural shift that ties technology, ecology, and belief systems together, showing that ancient humans were already perceiving and interacting with their environment in ways that transcended mere survival.

These discoveries offer a valuable lesson for modern times, highlighting how innovation can reshape culture in response to environmental pressures. A simple tool, the Quina scraper, is a testament to the complex ways in which early humans adapted, survived, and made sense of their world.

By Naila Huseynova