Spheroids are Lower Paleolithic stone tools documented in African and Eurasian archeological sites ascribed to the later Oldowan and Acheulian cultural complexes. While reported since the 1960s, there is disagreement about how they were made, or whether their morphology resulted from non-intentional processes related to flake production or percussive activities. Recently, attention has turned towards resolving the issue of intentionality in spheroid production. Based on our observations of the large collection of limestone spheroids from the Early Acheulian site of ‘Ubeidiya (Levant), dated to ca. 1.4 Ma, we test the hypothesis that these were intentionally produced by attempting possible operative schemes for their manufacture. In addition to experimental knapping, we also provide a morphotechnological analysis of the products from each experiment, identifying typical flake morphologies and breakage patterns within each lithic set. In addition, refitting of each experimental lithic set provides a clear picture of the sequencing of gestures used by expert, experienced, and novice knappers, shedding new light on the decision-making processes leading up to the production of these enigmatic tool types.

Mandibular and dental material of hyaenids from the Central Asian localities of Zasukhino-3 (Russia) and Nalaikha (Mongolia), dating to the late Early Pleistocene (0.9–0.78 Ma) was identified as giant hyena Pachycrocuta brevirostris based on morphological and size similarities. Comparative analysis of Eurasian P. brevirostris from different stratigraphic levels (from 2.1 to 0.5 Ma) revealed two evolutionary stages of the lower cheek teeth of the giant hyenas. The stages are determined as morphotypes A and B, directed toward the differentiation of the function of premolar and enhancing the cutting function of m1. We traced the microprocesses that occurred during the transition from the primitive structure of the m1 talonid to its more advanced state. This event occurred during the transition from the late Villafranchian to the Epivillafranchian (ca. 1.1–0.9 Ma). The stabilized advanced morphotype B was found in samples from Zasukhino-3, Nalaikha, and other close-in-age localities such as Lakhuti-2. The new finds from Asian Russia and Mongolia suggest that P. brevirostris from these regions represent a single giant hyena population occupying the northernmost part of their Asian range.

The Ararat Depression (Armenia), situated between the southern Caucasus and northern Mesopotamia, holds substantial archaeological Middle Paleolithic sites. However, as paleoclimate archives are scarce in the region, the climatic history is not well constrained. To reconstruct the local paleoclimatic conditions in the past, we studied a ∼30 m-thick sequence of carbonates deposited in the Vedi Valley, a tributary of the Ararat Valley. We applied field mapping, petrography, geochemistry, stable isotope analysis, and U–Th dating to investigate the genesis and evolution of these carbonates. Two main facies are identified: (1) a micritic-peloidal microbial facies formed in low-energy palustrine settings, and (2) a sparitic calcite facies formed via CO₂ degassing from deeply sourced hypogene fluids. δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values, together with elemental proxies, indicate early closed-system degassing of hydrothermal solutions interacting with marine carbonates of the Yerakh Anticline, followed by increased meteoric influence and detrital input in the upper portion of the sequence.

Three distinct detrital units coincide with heavier δ¹⁸O and lighter δ¹³C values and likely reflect wetter intervals during interglacial phases. Isochron U–Th dating constrains deposition to occur between 319 ± 84 and 198 ± 14 ka, corresponding to Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 9–7. The results indicate that the Vedi Valley carbonates constitute a Middle Pleistocene sequence formed under the combined influence of active tectonics, volcanism, and climatic shifts. As such, they provide a rare archive of landscape evolution in a region critical for understanding past environmental variability and human dispersal pathways.

Denisovans are an extinct group of humans whose morphology is mostly unknown. The scarcity of verified Denisovan fossils makes it challenging to study their anatomy, and how well they were adapted to their environment. We previously developed a genetic phenotyping approach to gain insight into Denisovan anatomy by detecting gene regulatory changes that likely altered Denisovan skeletal morphology. Here, we scan the Middle Pleistocene fossil record for crania matching the predicted Denisovan morphology and might therefore be related to Denisovans. We developed quantitative measures to assess both the proportion and extent of matches. These analyses revealed that the East Asian specimens of Harbin and Dali show an exceptionally high concordance with the Denisovan profile, surpassing all other examined Middle Pleistocene hominin specimens, including Neanderthals. Specifically, 15 out of 18 of Dali’s features and 16 out of 18 of Harbin’s matched Denisovan predictions. These findings are robust to overall skull size and to correlations between phenotypes. We also found that Kabwe 1 shows a strong affinity to the Denisovan–Neanderthal clade and might be placed near its root. Our results show that gene regulatory phenotyping may assist in classifying poorly understood specimens.

Despite extensive archaeological explorations in En-Gedi, the largest oasis along the western shore of the Dead Sea, over the past seven decades, a significant component of its settlement landscape has so far gone unnoticed. This component, referred to in this article as Cenotaph Hill, is located in the northern part of the oasis plain, somewhat removed from the nucleus area of previously explored ancient settlement remains. Recent investigation of Cenotaph Hill, combining analysis of a forgotten excavation conducted on its slope in the 1960s with a high-resolution surface survey and new trial excavations, underscores the existence of significant activity from the Hellenistic and Roman periods in this part of the oasis. The discovery and research of this hitherto unknown multi-period site has important implications for settlement dynamics in the oasis during the late Second Temple period.

The framing of the Hebrew Bible in the Mesopotamian–Babylonian landscape is evident in two of its central themes. First, Abraham, the forefather of the Hebrews, is presented as a native of Ur in south Mesopotamia, whence he left for Harran and then reached the Promised Land. Second is the exile of the Judahite elites to Babylonia, and the later return of some of them to Jerusalem to build their Second Temple. As the Bible was written, rewritten, and compiled by Babylonian exiles, primarily authored after the Fall of Jerusalem, its compilation by Judean exiles reveals a certain legitimization for existence in Exile, namely, the first revelation of YHWH outside of the Promised Land. This article examines the impact of the Babylonian surroundings on the Exiles’ approach to the representation of YHWH. It surveys the role of the Levantine goddess ’Ašerah, while proposing that alongside ’Ašerah, there may have been a male god named ’Ašer who, in pre-exilic times, was probably part of the Yahwistic religion and who was subsequently eliminated or degraded by the Judean exilic compilers of the Bible as it has reached us.

This article examines pottery vessels commonly referred to as “shrine models” or “portable shrines,” which were found throughout the Bronze and Iron Age Levant. While these vessels are often recognized for their significant religious importance, their exact functions and meanings remain unclear to modern scholars. This study aims to offer new insights into these questions by drawing on ethnoarchaeological parallels from India, suggesting that these vessels may have served as symbolic dwellings for the spirits of deities or the deceased and offering insights into potential associated religious rituals.

The appearance of “large cutting tools” in the early Acheulean is widely regarded as the first evidence for the imposition of intended forms on artifacts, with major implications for hominin cognitive and cultural capacities. However, the nature and extent of explicit design documented by these forms remains open to debate. To address this issue, we analyzed the complete collection of early Acheulean (ca. 1.7–1.2 Ma) flaked pieces from four sites (BSN17, DAN5, OGS12, and OGS5) in the Gona Project Area and compared these with all of the flaked pieces from two published Oldowan (> 2.5 Ma) sites at Gona. By comparing shape variation to measures of flaking intensity and coverage, we sought to identify technological patterns indicative of intent. Current results provide little evidence for the presence of discrete tool types or imposed morphological norms in our sample. We do, however, observe systematic patterns of raw material selection and core surface modification aimed at the production and maintenance of useful cutting edges on relatively large supports (cobbles and large flake blanks). This is consistent with prior characterizations of Acheulean tool form as arising from functional and ergonomic design imperatives for large hand-held cutting tools. Although the generalizability of these results to other sites remains to be seen, we propose that distinctive early Acheulean artifact forms may have arisen as secondary accommodations to the primary goal of increasing tool size to meet the novel demands (e.g., extended use-life, enhanced transportability, utility for heavy-duty cutting) of a more general shift in hominin behavioral ecology at this time. Our results provide support for the presence of Acheulean design at Gona, not necessarily in the sense of shared morphological norms, but certainly in the broader sense of deliberate technological choices made in view of behavioral goals and material constraints.

The sedimentary sequence of Ararat-1 Cave encapsulates an intricate depositional archive (Marine Isotope Stage 3), crucial for our understanding of the Middle Palaeolithic in the Armenian Highlands and beyond. The study of this record is accomplished through the use of a multi-proxy geoarchaeological framework of analysis, incorporating stratigraphical, micromorphological, sedimentological, mineralogical, chemical, magnetic, micro-archaeological and geochronological methods. These analyses demonstrate the predominance of geogenic processes, including rockfalls, grain and debris flows, interbedded with aeolian sedimentation, as well as localised pyroclastic material in-wash events. Post-depositional alterations are primarily linked to intense bioturbation, as well as minimal karst-induced cementation and minor phosphate diagenesis. The study of the anthropogenic and biogenic records indicates dynamic human-animal habitation histories. Human visits, associated with combustion and consumption activities, were infrequent and short-lived, representing brief occupation episodes in a cave habitually visited by carnivores and herbivores. This high-resolution reconstruction of Ararat-1 Cave formation histories improves our understanding of regional settlement and mobility patterns, highlighting the presence of Middle Palaeolithic groups that temporarily camped in the Ararat Depression.

The paper surveys the development of the use of tin bronze in the Southern Levant, outlining its emergence in the late Early Bronze Age until its eventual predominance in the Late Bronze Age. As there are no tin or arsenical copper sources in the region, the paper discusses the potential sources based on archaeological and textual evidence, including recent analytical data, reflecting a possible correlation between the changes in metal sources and the shift from arsenical copper to tin bronze.