For more than 1 million years, early humans in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean used a range of heavy tools, such as massive handaxes and stone balls, for important tasks, including processing animal carcasses. But then, approximately 200,000 years ago, heavy tools disappeared almost entirely from the fossil record, while the number of lighter tools increased. These included blades, flakes, and specialized scrapers.
A world without animal giants
A new study published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews has proposed an explanation for this change. Researchers at the Department of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University, suggest that around this time, there was a significant drop in the number of megaherbivores weighing more than 1,000 kilograms, which may have forced early humans to adapt to hunting smaller prey.
The team made the link after cataloging archaeological finds from 47 known sites across the Levant throughout the Paleolithic period, which lasted from roughly 3.3 million years ago to 12,000 years ago globally. When they cross-referenced dated stone tools with animal remains found at these locations, they noted a similar pattern, as they explain in their paper:
“The disappearance of heavy-duty technologies co-occurred with a significant drop in the relative abundance, NISP [number of identified specimens ] distribution, and contribution to biomass of megaherbivores (>1000 kg) after the Lower Paleolithic.”
Prey size linked to tool size
This could be because, as larger animals became scarce, there would be no need for instruments to skin massive carcasses and break heavy bones. Instead, lighter tools such as sharp flakes and blades would be more appropriate for smaller game.
“We suggest that Levantine Early Paleolithic heavy-duty tools were involved, first and foremost, in animal processing and were linked to a subsistence centered around the exploitation of megaherbivores, while curated light-duty toolkits emerged in response to a growing reliance on smaller prey.”
While conventional thinking holds that the change in tools was due to humans becoming smarter and deciding to hunt smaller prey, this research suggests a major driver may have been the disappearance of larger animals. The need for smaller tools was a response to the new environment.
The study authors support their theory by examining research from other parts of the world, specifically China. For example, in parts of Asia, heavy tools were used for much longer, but this is because large prey remained available in these regions long after they disappeared from the eastern Mediterranean.
Publication details
Vlad Litov et al, The heavy connection: Decline in heavy-duty tools correlates with megaherbivore disappearance in the Paleolithic Levant, Quaternary Science Reviews (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109872
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