Gesher Benot Ya'aqov archaeological site, Archaeological site in Golan Heights, Israel.
Gesher Benot Ya'aqov is an open-air archaeological site on the western bank of the Jordan River, in the Golan Heights in Israel. The site contains many layers of sediment stacked on top of each other, each holding stone tools, animal bones, and plant remains from different periods.
Systematic excavations at the site began in the late 1980s, uncovering deposits that date back around 800,000 years to the Lower Paleolithic period. The layers show that early hominids returned to this same stretch of the Jordan over a very long span of time.
The stone tools found at Gesher Benot Ya'aqov show a clear progression in how early people shaped and used flint over generations. Walking through the site, visitors can see how the same stretch of riverbank was returned to again and again as a place to work and gather food.
The site is outdoors along the Jordan, with little shade, so visiting in the early morning or late afternoon is more comfortable than midday. Sturdy footwear is useful, as the ground is uneven and partly covered with riverside vegetation.
Gesher Benot Ya'aqov has produced what researchers consider the earliest known evidence of controlled fire use by humans, found in charred wood and seeds. This pushed back the accepted date for this ability by hundreds of thousands of years compared to what was previously thought.
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