"Gesher Benot Ya'aqov"

The Acheulian site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov is situated in the northern Jordan Valley, on the margins of Paleolake Hula. Gesher Benot Ya'aqov is considered a key site in the study of human evolution worldwide. The site was excavated during the 1990's by Naama Goren-Inbar. The renewed excavation project at Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, directed by Gonen Sharon, is expanding the excavated surface to new localities and exploring new questions unaddressed by the previous excavation project. The Middle Pleistocene sediments of the site are known for their exceptionally preserved botanical remains. Hence, the sediments offer a unique opportunity to study the impact of changing paleo-climate conditions on human populations at early and crucial points in human evolution.

The palynological study aims to assess the environmental background for human activity in the central Levantine corridor – the primary path Out-of-Africa. It is designed as the first stage of a large-scale paleoenvironment study of the early Hula Valley. Sediment samples collected in September 2022 showed that pollen was preserved in most of the samples collected for the preliminary pollen study. The pollen spectra are characterized by a good state of preservation, and relatively high plant diversity. The exceptionally high frequencies of cedar pollen may suggest that during the time of occupation temperatures were profoundly lower than today.

Dr. Shira Penner Rosenvasser, the laboratory manager, is responsible for the preservation of the waterlogged wood remains excavated from this site.