Miki Ben-Dor

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Affiliate at Tel Aviv University

The worldwide association of H. erectus with elephants is well documented and so is the preference of humans for fat as a source of energy. We show that rather than a matter of preference, H. erectus in the Levant was dependent on both elephants and fat for his survival. The disappearance of elephants from the Levant some 400 kyr ago coincides with...

Estimates of the human trophic level and dietary quality during the Paleolithic are the basis for many hypotheses and interpretations regarding human evolution and behavior. We describe an additional factor that could have significantly influenced human evolution and behavior, the availability of large prey animals. Given the importance of large pr...

We hypothesize that megafauna extinctions throughout the Pleistocene, that led to a progressive decline in large prey availability, were a primary selecting agent in key evolutionary and cultural changes in human prehistory. The Pleistocene human past is characterized by a series of transformations that include the evolution of new physiological tr...

The human trophic level (HTL) during the Pleistocene and its degree of variability serve, explicitly or tacitly, as the basis of many explanations for human evolution, behavior, and culture. Previous attempts to reconstruct the HTL have relied heavily on an analogy with recent hunter‐gatherer groups' diets. In addition to technological differences,...

Despite one hundred years of intensive prehistoric research in the southern Levant, and particularly within the modern boundaries of the State of Israel, no decorated Upper Paleolithic caves were found in the region. Mobile imagery items are also altogether absent or rare. This frustrating state of affairs is completely unexpected, since the Leva...

Megafauna extinctions are known from the Late Quaternary. This study analyzes trends in prey size from 184 contexts across 49 archaeological sites in southern Africa to assess changes in prey size during the Pleistocene, including the pre-Late Quaternary transition between the Early Stone Age (ESA) and the Middle Stone Age (MSA). Very large prey (>...

The longstanding debate over human contribution to Pleistocene megafauna extinctions motivates our examination of plausible hunting behaviors that may have impacted prey populations. Prey size declines during the Pleistocene have been proposed as a unifying selecting agent of human evolution. Here, we identify prey selection criteria and exploitati...

This paper examines the hypothesis that changes in hunting weapons during the Paleolithic were a direct response to a progressive decline in prey size. The study builds upon a unified hypothesis that explains Paleolithic human evolutionary and behavioral/cultural phenomena, including improved cognitive capabilities, as adaptations to mitigate decli...

Multiple large-bodied species went extinct during the Pleistocene. Changing climates and/or human hunting are the main hypotheses used to explain these extinctions. We studied the causes of Pleistocene extinctions in the Southern Levant, and their subsequent effect on local hominin food spectra, by examining faunal remains in archaeological sites a...

Humans consumed megaherbivores, including proboscideans, throughout the Pleistocene. However, there is a high potential for underappreciation of their relative importance to humans’ economy due to their potential relative underrepresentation in Palaeolithic archaeological sites. Relying on our previous work, we discuss the critical importance of la...

It is currently assumed that Neandertals evolved gradually over at least 400,000 years in Europe. Neadertals disappeared from the fossil record in Western Europe (Spain, France) some 40,000 years ago (40 Kya). Anatomically modern humans (AMH) started to occupy parts of Europe 43,000 – 45,000 years ago, a few thousand years before the disappearance...

Humans are limited in their capacity to convert protein into energy. We present a hypothesis that a “bell” shaped thorax and a wide pelvis evolved in Neandertals, at least in part, as an adaptation to a high protein diet. A high protein diet created a need to house an enlarged liver and urinary system in a wider lower trunk. To test the hypothesis,...

Abstract Background and objectives: Recommendations to limit the dietary consumption of saturated fat have been adopted by public health organizations in most countries. However, recent scientific studies and reviews have questioned the alleged negative health claims regarding saturated fat. This research aims to provide a historical, evolutionary...

Comparison of relative contribution of fat and protein between two Levantine sites - GBY and Qesem Cave. (XLS)

Number of NISP per layer. (DOC)

Calculation of Daily Energy Expenditure (DEE). (DOC)

Protein and fat content of African Game Animals. (DOC)