Ancient charcoal found in northern Israel sheds new light on how early humans lived - study

An extraordinary archaeological discovery in northern Israel is reshaping our understanding of early human capabilities. At the Gesher Bnot Ya'akov site, researchers have unearthed nearly 780,000-year-old charcoal fragments, offering an unprecedented window into the lives of early humans during the Middle Pleistocene. The sheer rarity of such ancient charcoal surviving at prehistoric sites makes this collection exceptionally valuable, providing insights into the repeated and prolonged use of fire over tens of thousands of years.

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Charcoal rarely survives at such early prehistoric sites, the study explained. Meaning, that this unusually large collection of fragments gave archaeologists a rare chance to study the repeated use of fire over the course of over tens of thousands of years.

Analysis of these preserved fragments by an international team reveals not only the types of wood used—including ash, willow, oak, olive, and the oldest known pomegranate wood in the Levant—but also suggests sophisticated behaviors. The presence of various wood types indicates that early humans likely utilized driftwood collected along the paleo-Lake Hula shore as a consistent fuel source, rather than relying solely on nearby vegetation. Furthermore, the spatial correlation between charcoal clusters and animal remains, particularly fish teeth and evidence of large-animal hunting like a straight-tusked elephant, points to controlled fires being used for cooking and possibly on-site butchering.

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Within the charcoal, archaeologists found traces of ash, willow, oak, olive, pistachio, grapevine, oleander, and the oldest known evidence of pomegranate wood in the Levant, reflecting a wider variety of plants within the charcoal than other botanical remains found at the site.

As detailed in The Jerusalem Post, this research, published in Quaternary Science Reviews, challenges previous assumptions about early human intelligence. The ability to create and repeatedly return to a location offering abundant resources—water, food, tool materials, and fuel—demonstrates a structured and intentional approach to fire use. This finding underscores the critical role that resource availability played in shaping human settlement patterns and behaviors. The study highlights that our region, the Levant, was a crucial stage for early human development, showcasing advanced cognitive abilities far earlier than previously believed.

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According to researchers, the different types of wood present within the charcoal suggested that early humans used the driftwood that collected naturally along the lake’s shore as firewood, rather than only using wood that could be found nearby.