Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov
Gesher Benot Yaaqov · GBY · Geshur Bridge
Lower Palaeolithic Acheulean (c.780 ka)·Acheulean Homo erectus/heidelbergensis·🇮🇱 Upper Jordan Valley, Galilee, Israel
About
About Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov
Acheulean lakeside camp (c.780,000 BCE) on the paleo-Hula shore, earliest habitations with controlled fire. Excavated by Naama Goren-Inbar, the site yielded 11 Acheulean horizons with handaxes, cleavers, elephant butchery and charred wood with fire-cracked hearths—earliest secure evidence of fire use by Homo erectus.
Why it mattersKey Upper Jordan Valley, Galilee sequence for Lower Palaeolithic Acheulean (c.780 ka); seasonal lakeside hunting camp with fire use.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology of Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov relative to neighbouring centres?
Theories
- 01Regional centre hypothesis for Upper Jordan Valley
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.780 ka camp horizons
- Period
- Lower Palaeolithic Acheulean (c.780 ka)
- Culture
- Acheulean Homo erectus/heidelbergensis
- Builders
- Acheulean Homo erectus/heidelbergensis communities
- Purpose
- Seasonal lakeside hunting camp with fire use
- Rediscovered
- 20th century survey
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
1960
Foundation/earliest horizon
1980
Major excavations
2020
Conservation/monitoring
On the ground
Structures & features
33.0120° N · 35.6220° E · 62 m · 2 mapped features
Acheulean lithic horizon
depositDense handaxe and cleaver pavement with elephant remains
33.0122° N · 35.6223° EFire hearths
featureClustered charred wood and thermally fractured flint hearths
33.0118° N · 35.6217° E