A 700,000-year-old elephant tooth discovered in northern Israel has revealed a landscape of freshwater wetlands and open woodlands that supported early humans and large mammals. The findings suggest that the Jordan Valley provided reliable food and water along a major migration route between Africa and Eurasia.
The study, led by Hannah Farrell, examined a fossilized molar and tusk fragments recovered from the North Bridge Acheulian archaeological site, near Gesher Benot Ya’aqov. Researchers found the remains alongside basalt handaxes and cleavers, placing the elephant in a landscape also occupied by prehistoric humans.
Ancient elephant tooth reveals diet and movement
CT scans identified the tooth as belonging to an adult straight-tusked elephant, an extinct species known as Palaeoloxodon antiquus. Researchers examined microscopic scratches and pits on the tooth’s surface to determine what the animal ate shortly before death. The marks indicated a mixed diet dominated by leaves, woody plants and possibly bark, alongside grasses and other tougher vegetation.
Chemical analysis of the tooth enamel provided a longer record, covering approximately three to six years of the elephant’s life. Carbon isotope measurements showed that the animal consistently consumed plants growing in relatively moist conditions. Oxygen isotope measurements revealed changes in its drinking water. Researchers believe these changes may reflect movement along the Jordan River, although the evidence cannot establish its exact route.
Ancient pollen reveals a freshwater landscape
Scientists also analyzed pollen preserved in soil near the elephant remains. They identified oak trees, grasses, shrubs, and plants associated with freshwater wetlands, including reeds, sedges, and pondweed. The evidence points to an open woodland landscape with marshes and shallow freshwater habitats rather than dense forests.
A 700,000-year-old elephant tooth has revealed a lost world once shared by early humans and giant elephants.
Scientists uncovered evidence of ancient wetlands, open woodlands and freshwater habitats along a prehistoric migration route between Africa and Eurasia. pic.twitter.com/i2rEWSCBYQ— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) October 9, 2026
Climate models estimated annual rainfall at approximately 600 millimeters, compared with about 473 millimeters today. Average temperatures were also likely lower. Similar evidence of early human activity near extinct elephants has emerged in Greece, where 430,000-year-old stone tools found alongside elephant remains revealed prehistoric butchery practices.
What the discovery reveals about early humans
The Jordan Valley served as an important passage between Africa and Eurasia during prehistoric human migrations. Earlier fossil discoveries in Israel have provided evidence of multiple migrations out of Africa.
The elephant remains, found alongside Acheulian stone tools, show that early humans and large mammals occupied the same environment. However, researchers found no direct evidence that humans hunted or butchered this particular animal. Other discoveries, including a 500,000-year-old elephant bone tool found in England, demonstrate how prehistoric humans sometimes used elephant remains to make tools.
The study suggests that the Hula Basin remained an important ecological refuge for roughly 100,000 years, helping sustain elephants and early human populations despite wider climatic changes.
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