Homo erectus’ tools contained impressive geodes and fossils, perhaps as a way to connect with the universe, study finds

Israeli archaeologists have unearthed 10 “very unusual” prehistoric stone hatchets that were intentionally made to incorporate fossils, geodes and other geological features, a new study has found.

The researchers suggested that the hatchets were probably created by Homo erectus between 500,000 and 200,000 years ago, because our ancestors believed these objects were imbued with potency and cosmic significance, but some argue that more evidence could help.

The discovery, reported March 17 in the journal Tel Aviv, is the largest concentration of stone tools containing fossils and geodes ever discovered. All discoveries to date have been of single stone tools scattered across continents and time periods.

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Muatas Sharata, a local resident and co-author of the study, discovered several ordinary hatchets in Israel’s Saknin Valley in 2024-2025. After the discovery, Sharata notified Tel Aviv University archeology professor Ran Barkai.

A specialized survey in 2025 revealed more than 200 hatchets in the Sakunin Valley, 10 of which contained fossils, geodes, or other geological features such as concretions that formed cavities that looked like small caves or features like round ripples.

“These tools are unique because until now, only one such item has been found here or there, and only one special item has been found,” Barkai, lead author of the study, told Live Science in an email.

The discovery contributes to the debate about whether early humans were aware of geological features and fossils, consciously paying attention to them, or whether their presence in stone tools was just a coincidence. But the discovery of multiple new tools with these functions in the same area suggests it was an intentional act, the researchers said in the study.

Incorporating these fossil-carrying rocks into tools created “real obstacles for stone workers and users,” as the tools became more brittle and difficult to shape, Barkai said. But despite these shortcomings, Homo erectus incorporated these features into its hand shafts, he said, suggesting it was done intentionally.

Contains power and cosmological significance

Researchers speculate that early humans were attracted to these unusual features and believed they had metaphysical significance. The researchers argue that this is a behavioral trait found across cultures and time periods, and even in other primates, suggesting that curiosity about unusual objects is an ancient trait. In this case, the researchers wrote in the study, the study “cautiously suggests” that early humans saw these fossils as “vestiges of a primordial time and place” and believed they had special powers.

Once these rocks were made into tools, they were used to slaughter large animals, primarily elephants and their extinct relatives, species that were central to the survival of early humans.

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This association between elephants and hatchets is supported by the fact that stone hatchet replicas were sometimes made from elephant bones, suggesting a deep relationship between humans, elephants and hatchets, the study said.

Barkai said this was likely a period of great stress as elephant populations began to decline in the Levant (a region in the eastern Mediterranean). He said previous research has shown that early humans intentionally located hatchet production sites along elephant migratory routes near water sources. Researchers call this the “sacred triad of elephants, stones, and water,” suggesting a deep connection between humans and elephants.

Researchers speculate that early humans saw stones not only as a natural resource to exploit, but also as a way to connect with the universe. For example, the study found that Homo erectus intentionally formed stone balls from geodes. This was an arduous process that would have served no practical purpose, suggesting that these early humans may have found value in these features beyond practical use.

“Early humans increasingly yearned for cosmic forces to help them,” Barkai says. “I believe that humans were not simply manipulating ‘natural resources’ with stone tools, but were doing so with respect for these beings. Stone tools were therefore always conceived of as intermediaries between humans and the universe.”

Other researchers have noted that while this finding is important, further evidence is needed to further support symbolic inference. “The discovery of these extraordinary hatchets is remarkable and provides new evidence of the sentient abilities of humans in the past,” Sara Wurtz, a professor of archeology at South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand who was not involved in the study, told Live Science in an email. However, she added: “Scaffolding for further inferences” [evidence] The interpretation of symbolic actions will be strengthened. ”

Barkai plans to conduct further excavations to provide deeper insight into these tools and their uses.

“The only artifacts recovered so far are on the surface,” Barkai said. “We plan to carry out excavations on site in the future and will certainly carry out this type of analysis on items recovered from pristine archaeological contexts, as we have previously done with very good results.”