The GBY site, nestled along the ancient shores of paleo–Lake Hula, offers a rare archaeological tapestry—a continuity of human activity across more than twenty stratified layers. These layers, dating back to the Acheulian period, represent repeated occupation by hunter-gatherer groups who demonstrably relied on fire as a central element of their daily lives. The exceptional conditions at GBY have preserved numerous artifacts and ecofacts, including stone tools fashioned from diverse lithic materials like flint, basalt, and limestone, alongside faunal remains and plant residues that collectively narrate a story of sophisticated subsistence strategies.

Central to this narrative is the habitual use of fire, first identified decisively at the site by earlier excavations led by Prof. Nira Alperson-Afil. The hearths at GBY provide evidence of spatial organization whereby activities such as tool production, social interaction, and food preparation revolved around persistent fire use. However, until recently, the origins of the fuel sustaining these fires were less understood, particularly regarding the hominins’ selection and procurement behaviors for firewood.

The recent study, published in Quaternary Science Reviews, adopts a cutting-edge microscopic charcoal analysis to paint an unprecedented paleoenvironmental portrait. Examining 266 well-preserved charcoal fragments from a single occupational stratum dating approximately 780,000 years ago, the researchers have decoded the botanical signatures captured in these carbonized remnants. This assemblage comprises ash, willow, grapevine, olive, oak, pistachio, oleander, and notably pomegranate—the earliest known stratigraphic evidence of this fruit tree in the Levantine archaeological record.

This botanical diversity revealed from charcoal contrasts starkly with other botanical remains at GBY, such as uncharred seeds and fruits, suggesting that firewood gathering encompassed a wider environmental spectrum than food collection did. Such findings imply that while early humans may have been selective in consuming certain plants, their approach to fuel collection prioritized practicality and environmental availability.

Strikingly, the researchers infer that rather than harvesting wood from specifically targeted tree species, GBY hominins primarily utilized driftwood naturally deposited along the lakeshore. Such driftwood, transported and accumulated by water currents, would have formed an easily accessible and renewable fuel source. The charcoal composition closely matches the wood species prevalent in this setting, supporting this thesis of opportunistic, yet strategically efficient, fuel use.

The ecological context painted by this study is one of a mosaic landscape—a rich interface of wet lakeshore vegetation intertwined with open Mediterranean woodland. This heterogeneous environment not only provided a diverse range of edible plants and prey species but also created optimal conditions for sustained fire use, reinforcing the idea that hominins selected their settlement locales in part because of reliable access to resources essential for fire maintenance.

Moreover, spatial analyses indicate dense concentrations of charcoal overlapping with fish remains, particularly the distinctive teeth of large carp species. Such co-localization is compelling direct evidence for the controlled use of fire in cooking aquatic resources—a behavior reflecting intricate cognitive planning and resource exploitation nearly 800 millennia ago.

These findings collectively mark GBY hominins as advanced agents in fire technology and environmental management, embedding fire deeply into their socio-economic fabric. The habitual and spatially organized use of fire delineates a cognitive leap, encompassing mastery over a critical resource and a sophisticated understanding of landscape affordances.

Interestingly, despite their evident complexity in tool manufacture and large-game hunting, the study reveals a level of pragmatism in firewood acquisition; rather than engaging in selective harvesting, the hominins demonstrated an adaptive, availability-driven approach. This distinction illustrates an evolved balance between high-order planning for certain activities and efficient opportunism in everyday fuel gathering.

This rich archaeological record enables researchers to refine theoretical models concerning early fire use and its role in hominin evolution. The data argues for fire’s central role not simply as a tool but as a driver in settlement permanence, subsistence diversification, and social cohesion during the Acheulian.

The GBY charcoal assemblage stands as a unique archive to probe the intersection of Middle Pleistocene environmental dynamics and hominin behavior. The integrated botanical, spatial, and archaeological evidence establishes a multidimensional understanding of early fire ecology, underlining the pivotal importance of locally available resources in shaping human evolutionary trajectories.

In sum, this study not only rewrites chapters of early human fire use but also amplifies the voice of ancient landscapes, showing how early humans harnessed natural cycles and resources to innovate life strategies. The enduring occupation of GBY underlines a pattern of ecological insight and adaptive resilience, which arguably laid foundations for subsequent cultural and technological evolutions in human prehistory.

Subject of Research: Not applicable
Article Title: Paleoenvironmental and behavioral insights into firewood selection by early Middle Pleistocene hominins
News Publication Date: 15-Jun-2026
Web References: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109973
Image Credits: GBV Expedition
Keywords: Archaeology, Paleoanthropology, Ecology, Fire use, Middle Pleistocene, Acheulian, Gesher Benot Ya’aqov

The study—led by Dr. Miki Ben-Dor and Professor Ran Barkai from the Alkow Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at Tel Aviv University—focuses on the underexplored motivations behind the sporadic but significant presence of fire in archaeological sites dating from 1.8 million to 800,000 years ago. During this interval, evidence for fire usage is rare and inconsistent, often lacking signs of typical roasting or burning of bones. The researchers argue that this pattern aligns with a model in which fire was harnessed deliberately and strategically, not routinely employed, signifying its extraordinary value and the high energy costs of maintaining it.

By analyzing nine ancient archaeological sites worldwide where signs of fire have been documented—including prominent sites such as Gesher Benot Ya’aqov and Evron Quarry in Israel, alongside comparable African and European contexts—Ben-Dor and Barkai identified a consistent presence of large game remains. These assemblages are heavily dominated by megafauna such as elephants, hippopotamuses, and rhinoceroses, whose massive carcasses would have provided calorically dense food stores. Importantly, these hunting trophies represented more than immediate sustenance; they were prized caches of energy akin to biological “banks” that early human groups sought to protect.

The caloric bounty from a single elephant, for instance, could sustain a sizeable community—between twenty to thirty individuals—for weeks. Yet, such precious meat was vulnerable to rapid degradation due to bacterial spoilage and the ever-present threat posed by other predators and scavengers. The study’s central thesis is that fire was employed as a dual-purpose technology: first, as a deterrent against competing animals aiming to pilfer the carcass, and second, as a preservation method whereby meat was smoked and dried. This extended the lifespan of the food resource, effectively transforming a perishable bounty into a stable, long-lasting supply.

This model departs from the commonly accepted view that fire use among early humans—particularly Homo erectus—was primarily for cooking. While cooking undoubtedly arose later as fire use became more regular, Ben-Dor and Barkai suggest that the initial impetus for mastering fire was utilitarian protection and preservation. The effort required for fire making and maintenance was nontrivial, necessitating a clear energetic payback. Given the rarity of fire traces in earlier strata, the researchers propose that early humans only utilized fire under specific conditions, applying it judiciously to maximize resource security and survival prospects during periods of abundance.

Ethnographic comparisons with contemporary hunter-gatherer societies further bolster the hypothesis, demonstrating that meat smoking and drying remain widespread means of preservation in environments where refrigeration is impossible. Such parallels provide a temporal continuum linking ancient practices to those still actively employed today, underscoring the adaptive significance of these strategies in human subsistence patterns. Fire, then, could be viewed not merely as a source of warmth or cooking but as an advanced preservation technology that enabled complex social behaviors centered on food storage and sharing.

Moreover, the findings resonate with a broader theoretical framework developed by the same group of researchers, which positions human prehistory within a context of increasingly specialized hunting of large-bodied fauna and subsequent adaptive responses to their gradual disappearance. As megafauna populations declined over millennia, early humans had to recalibrate their dietary strategies, shifting toward smaller animals and diversifying their caloric intake sources. The mastery of fire for preservation thus can be understood as an early evolutionary innovation critical for metabolic efficiency and social cohesion.

Importantly, the study highlights that once the primary functional hurdles of resource protection and preservation were overcome, fire use likely evolved to encompass ancillary functions such as cooking, lighting, and heating. This progression could explain archaeological indicators of fish roasting around 800,000 years ago at sites like Gesher Benot Ya’aqov, marking a transition from intermittent, high-cost fire usage to more habitual and multifunctional applications.

In synthesizing archaeological evidence, energetic calculations, and behavioral analogs, the authors provide an incisive contribution to one of the most enduring debates in paleoanthropology: what motivated the control and use of fire during the earliest chapters of human evolution? Their work implicates the role of fire not merely as a cooking aid but as a sophisticated technological response to ecological pressures and nutritional demands, redefining the narrative of human adaptation and innovation.

This shift in perspective also invites reconsideration of the fossil and material record, urging archaeologists to reexamine fire-related findings with an emphasis on preservation indicators rather than solely the traces of cooking or domestic use. The study opens new avenues for research, emphasizing the energetic economics of early human life and the social dynamics entailed in managing large-game resources in prehistoric ecosystems.

Overall, this study not only enriches our understanding of early fire use but also illustrates the complex interplay between subsistence, technology, and survival strategies that shaped human evolutionary trajectories. It underscores the ingenuity and adaptability of our ancestors, who harnessed fire in ways that extended far beyond its conventional characterization, laying the foundation for cultural and biological developments that define Homo sapiens today.

Subject of Research: Early human use of fire and its role in meat preservation and protection of large game

Article Title: (Not provided in the source content)

News Publication Date: (Not provided in the source content)

Web References: http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2025.1585182

References: Ben-Dor, M. & Barkai, R. Study published in Frontiers in Nutrition

Image Credits: Tel Aviv University

Keywords: Archaeology, Prehistoric archaeology, Hunting, Fire use, Meat preservation, Homo erectus, Megafauna, Smoking meat, Paleolithic, Hunter-gatherers