Rare discovery: 300,000-year-old prehistoric cave revealed south of haifa

Findings discovered in the cave Credit: Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority

#prehistoric

A prehistoric cave estimated to be between 400,000 and 250,000 years old is being excavated on the outskirts of the city of Fureidis, south of Haifa, close to the Zikhron Ya’akov junction

The site, which remained sealed for hundreds of thousands of years, serves as a true time capsule of Acheulo-Yabrudian culture.

The excavation is financed by the company Ayalon Highways and is led by archaeologists Dr. Kobi Vardi and Amit Gabbay, from the Israel Antiquities Authority, in partnership with professor Ron Shimelmitz, from the University of Haifa.

The researchers highlight the global importance of the site, which offers evidence of a little-known period of human evolution at the end of the Lower Paleolithic, just before the expansion of Neanderthals and modern humans.

According to Professor Shimelmitz, the site was preserved in exceptional conditions, protected from the ravages of time.

The gradual changes observed at this time-in physiology, technology, and social organization-represent the seeds of the complex culture that would characterize both Neanderthals and modern humans.

Among the advances highlighted is the tendency to live in larger groups and stay in the same places for longer periods.

Caves from this period reveal intense use of fire and prolonged activities, suggesting a rich and organized camp life.

This may be related to the development of social cooperation and the transmission of knowledge, fundamental steps in human evolution.

Dr. Kobi Vardi, responsible for the Prehistory area of “”the Antiquities Authority, highlights the rarity of finding such a well-preserved site.

The site is compared to the famous Nahal Me’arot, from the same period, and allows the way of life of the ancient groups to be studied with high precision.

Among the finds are flint tools produced using advanced techniques, such as small, sharp hand axes, scrapers and blades, as well as bones from animals such as deer, gazelles and ancient horses.

There is also evidence of the presence of water, which probably attracted hunter-gatherers.

Due to the site’s significance, the Antiquities Authority and the University of Haifa plan a broad research program to reconstruct how humans lived, adapted to the environment and developed new technologies.

After the end of the studies, it is expected that the cave will be opened to the public, especially to the residents of Fureidis, students from the region and anyone interested in local prehistory.

Published in 06/12/2026 09h08

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Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.

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