Researchers have discovered that the ancient man who lived at the site of the Benat Ya'akov Bridge preferred to use certain types of flint and basalt rocks for chiseling his tools and made an effort to bring them to the site
In the prehistoric period, the ancients made considerable use of chiseled stone tools, among other things for the purpose of butchering animals, skinning, preparing vegetable matter for food, eating, scrubbing, scratching and more. Prof. (Emerita) Naama Goren-Anbar, an archaeologist from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, deals with the ancient periods of human culture and researches major prehistoric sites in Israel, such as those that existed, for example, about 250-45 thousand years ago and were created by Neanderthal man, and modern man (Homo sapiens) . The main part of her research is based on archaeological excavations and the analysis of the carved stone tools found in them.
"In our research, we focus on the raw materials of the chiseled stone tools, the method and level of chipping, and aesthetic aspects. From this we learn a lot about the abilities of the ancients, about their tradition as well as about its passing from generation to generation. These abilities and traditions can be compared to those of contemporary hunter-gatherer societies, for example in Africa, India and the Amazon. That is, to examine the evolution of prehistoric cultures and the changes they underwent along the timeline," explains Prof. Goran-Anbar.
The purpose of the current research of Prof. Goren-Anbar and her team members, Dr. Ravid Ekstein and Dr. Tzahi Golan, is to understand what raw materials the ancients (apparently Homo erectus - the upright man, who lived in the Lower Paleolithic period and the Illusory culture) used for chiseling the stone tools On the site of the Bnot Ya'akov Bridge, and what their origin is (flint and basalt stones of various types).
The Bridge of the Daughters of Jacob is a prehistoric site that was excavated in the area of the east bank of the Jordan River and was discovered in the 30s. Important findings from the Illusory culture were found in it, which was about 790-690 thousand years old. The researchers excavated this site for several seasons and in addition surveyed the surrounding areas (geological formations of flint and basalt shards), analyzed the raw materials discovered using chemical and visual methods (color and texture), and compared those found on the site with those found in the surrounding areas. "Such research tells us about the behavior of the ancients - for example, how far they went to find the flint and basalt from which they made the stone tools, and what types of material they chose. That is, how much effort they invested in collecting the materials and what qualities were they looking for," says Prof. Goren-Anbar.
The researchers excavated about 20 layers at the site that represent a period of about 50,000 years and surveyed areas around it, sampled flint and basalt tools, and analyzed them with microscopic methods; They cut the vessels and pressed them to a thickness of 30 microns, pasted them on glass (that is, made petrographic slides) and examined them under a microscope. From a comparison between the flint tools found at the site and flint sources found in the surrounding areas, the researchers discovered that the area from which the ancients brought the flint is 20-10 km from the site. This is an area with many sources of flint, but the researchers discovered that the ancients preferred flint of a certain geological age (Eocene period). From this the researchers concluded that the preferences for distance and the type of flint and its quality did not change for 50,000 years and were passed down from generation to generation.
The researchers also examined the chemical composition (minerals) of the basalt vessels used by the ancients and the degree of variation between them. They hypothesize that the ancients collected the basalt from an area 15-10 km from the site, and this hypothesis will be tested soon, in the next phase of the research, which won a grant from the National Science Foundation. Dr. Tzachi Golan says that "we learned about the chemical composition of the basalt that was used by the ancients to build the tools and we discovered that most of them were carved from a raw material relatively resistant to weathering, which indicates their ability to distinguish between higher quality materials and lower quality materials."
The researchers also established a database based on geological and archaeological studies conducted in the Galilee and the Golan in the last 30 years, which includes geochemical information on the basalt finds in these areas. This database makes it possible to compare many findings and perform a more in-depth analysis of the nature of the materials and their location.
"Based on the findings of the research, we conclude that the ancients at the Gesher Benot Ya'akov site had high technological and cognitive abilities; They walked quite a distance to choose high-quality and efficient raw material and made tools from it that were used for their livelihood. It's not for nothing that they managed to exist and survive on the site for 100,000 years", concludes Prof. Goren-Anbar.
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