Ancient Humans in Italy Butchered Elephants for Meat and Tools 404,000 Years Ago

Strategic Insights -

In a discovery that sheds light on the subsistence strategies of early European humans, researchers have found evidence of elephant butchery in Italy dating back 404,000 years. The remains, discovered at the Casal Lumbroso site in northwest Rome, suggest that ancient humans used animal carcasses for both food and raw materials. The study, published in PLOS One, analyzed the skeletal remains of a single straight-tusked elephant, Palaeoloxodon, alongside over 500 stone tools.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Casal Lumbroso site in northwest Rome contains the remains of an elephant carcass that dates back to 404,000 years ago, a period of warm climate in the Middle Pleistocene Epoch.
  • Over 300 skeletal remains of the elephant, Palaeoloxodon, were found alongside more than 500 stone tools at the site.
  • The stone tools, mostly less than 30mm in size, suggest that small tools were used for butchering soft tissues, consistent with the lack of apparent cut marks on the bones.
  • Several elephant bones were modified to be used as larger tools, indicating that ancient humans would use elephant bones for multiple purposes.
  • The features of this site are consistent with several other sites in central Italy that exhibit butchered elephant remains alongside modified bones and small stone tools.
  • The pattern of butchery and tool use suggests a consistent strategy used by ancient hominins during periods of mild climate conditions in the Middle Pleistocene.
  • The study's findings imply that central Italy is a valuable region for research into the subsistence strategies of early European humans.

Statistics:

  • 404,000 years ago: The age of the elephant carcass at the Casal Lumbroso site.
  • 300+: The number of skeletal remains of the elephant, Palaeoloxodon, found at the site.
  • 500+: The number of stone tools found at the site, mostly less than 30mm in size.
  • 30mm: The maximum size of the stone tools used for butchery, indicating the use of small tools.
  • 1: The number of straight-tusked elephant, Palaeoloxodon, represented by the skeletal remains found at the site.

Sources:

  • Mecozzi B, et al. (2025) From meat to raw material: the Middle Pleistocene elephant butchery site of Casal Lumbroso (Rome, central Italy). PLoS One 20(10): e0328840. https://doi-org.sdpl.idm.oclc.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0328840