Ohalo II: 23,000-Year-Old Hunter-Gatherer Site Reveals Climate Resilience

A team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has revealed how humans thrived at Ohalo II, a submerged prehistoric site on the Sea of Galilee, during extreme climate change 23,000 years ago. Despite the last glacial maximum, inhabitants enjoyed abundant food resources, resisting famine and extinction that affected other hominids globally. Researchers analyzed over 20,000 animal bones from the site, one of the best-preserved hunter-gatherer settlements from the last Ice Age. Doctoral student Tikvah Steiner led the study, published January 26, 2022 in PLOS ONE, supervised by Prof. Rivka Rabinovich (HU) and Prof. Dani Nadel (University of Haifa), who first excavated the site in 1989. The analysis focused on quantitative, qualitative, and spatial data to reconstruct prey profiles, highlighting the importance of small game over large ungulates. Inhabitants hunted a wide range of prey, fully utilizing carcasses, including using turtle shells as bowls and hunting hare and fox for pelts. The Galilee region, known for its natural, landscape, and spiritual significance, offers a unique model for studying human dietary changes under climate stress. Researchers hope Ohalo II will serve as a template for similar investigations elsewhere.