Elephant dental remains from the Acheulian site at North Bridge Acheulian–Gesher Benot Ya'aqov: hominin behavior and environmental implications
The Levantine Corridor served as a key route for early human movement between Africa and Eurasia, yet the vegetative conditions and paleoclimate that supported Acheulian stone tool-bearing hominins along this continental bridge remains elusive. Proboscidean remains dated to ca. 700,000 kya recovered from the North Bridge Acheulian locality, part of the Gesher Benot Ya'aqov sites complex (GBY-NBA)provides a rare opportunity to explore Early Pleistocene environments through skeletal parts found in direct association with Acheulian habitation. Micro-CT-aided morphological analysis identifies a lower third molar of a Palaeoloxodon antiquus, a keystone megaherbivore of the Pleistocene. Carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) stable isotope analyses of biogenic enamel carbonates combined with microwear analyses of the tooth occlusal surface revealed this individual was a mixed feeder that foraged in woodland and riparian habitats, probably along the Jordan valley. Pollen recovered from sediments underlying the tooth indicate taxa associated with Mediterranean trees and open grassland, as well as riparian bank vegetation and aquatic taxa. These findings provide new insights into the ecology of Palaeoloxodon antiquus and contribute to broader discussions of elephant–hominin interaction and Early Pleistocene paleoenvironment conditions in the Levant.
