Middle Paleolithic Hunters Show Strategic Tool Use and Gendered Mammoth Hunting, Studies Reveal

Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem examined 1,770 stone tools recovered from the Ararat‑1 cave on the eastern slopes of the Ararat basin in central Armenia. Dated to 52‑35 k years ago, the tools include long‑distance transported obsidian and locally sourced chert, leading the team to conclude that the cave functioned as a temporary repair station on seasonal migration routes rather than a permanent base.

An international consortium analyzed the genomes of 521 woolly mammoths from Eurasia and North America, separating isolated remains from mass bone assemblages. The study found that isolated sites were dominated by male specimens (66.5%), consistent with natural mortality, while mass sites linked to human activity contained 70% female mammoths, suggesting that Paleolithic hunters preferentially targeted matriarchal groups.