{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-c03aa079.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-517835be.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='New technique helping to uncover humans\u0026#39; ancient past' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54bd41d8eafeecae132c11' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54bd41d8eafeecae132c11' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nNew technique helping to uncover humans\u0026#39; ancient past\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003e1. Various of professor and assistant examining items including ancient elephant and hippo bones and Hominid tools2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Professor Eitan Tchernov, Hebrew University of Jerusalem: \"They were tool makers not only tool...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003e1. Various of professor and assistant examining items including ancient elephant and hippo bones and Hominid tools\u003cbr/\u003e2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Professor Eitan Tchernov, Hebrew University of Jerusalem: \u003cbr/\u003e\"They were tool makers not only tool users, but tool makers. Making a tool by another tool and the shape was more or less usually a chopping tool, a kind of a pebble that you shape for chopping, for digging, for cutting for most of the functions they need to do and it did not change for a very long time.\"\u003cbr/\u003e3. Close up of items including ancient elephant and hippo bones and Hominid tools\u003cbr/\u003e4. Various of Magnetometer and geophysicist Dr. Hagai Ron\u003cbr/\u003e5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dr. Hagai Ron, geophysicist: \u003cbr/\u003e\"Professor Tchernov could find the artefacts and the elephant and everything, but he could not tell how old it is. We on the other hand, can date the strata but won't be able to tell anything about hominids. But when we combine the information of the two works we came with the story of the oldest migration of hominids out of Africa.\"\u003cbr/\u003e6. Various of Hagai Ron examining the site\u003cbr/\u003e7. Various of rock layers\u003cbr/\u003e8. Various of Hagai Ron digging at the site, taking samples \u003cbr/\u003e9. Various of Hagai Ron examining sample in the lab\u003cbr/\u003e10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dr Hagai Ron, geophysicist:\u003cbr/\u003e\"In Erk-el-Ahmar we have a good magneto-stratigraphy record. However, we don't have any good age data. On the other hand, in the oceans we have good magneto-stratigraphy records which are well dated in radiometric ages.\u003cbr/\u003eBy comparing and matching these two records, we can conclude the age of Erk-el-Ahmar is 1,970,000 - 1,780,000 years old.\"\u003cbr/\u003e11. Various of Professor Tchernov and assistant examining items\u003cbr/\u003e12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Professor Eitan Tchernov, Hebrew University of Jerusalem: \u003cbr/\u003e\"This is the first time that we have hominids active in the Southern Levant. The first time. All the history of hominids took place in the continent of Africa as far as we know until now. It tells us there were several dispersal's and this is the oldest one, and it belongs to, most probably to a species which is the oldest representative of genus Homo-Homo Habilis.  And this was a kind of attempt to go outside Africa, stay here, and maybe it also dispersed to South West Asia or other places. This was probably the first time that they left Africa and tried to disperse into Asia.\"\u003cbr/\u003e13. Various of Dead Sea and the desert\u003cbr/\u003e14. Various of Dr. Hagai Ron at the rock face pointing to different layers \u003cbr/\u003e15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dr Hagai Ron, geophysicist:\u003cbr/\u003e\"In this case we are looking on a certain time, say from 2-million years ago and a little bit younger, on a lake that existed here at the time. When we see the clay we know we are in the environment of the deeper part of the lake.\u003cbr/\u003eHowever, when we go upward in time 1.8 (m) million or 1.5 (m) million years ago, the lake, the environment changed and we can see the sand here represented the lake shore, and the gravel represents outside the lake 1.5 (m) million years ago.\"\u003cbr/\u003e16. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dr Hagai Ron, geophysicist:\u003cbr/\u003e\"Along the lakeshore and in the marsh there were some mammals like elephants, hippos, rhinoceros and obviously the hominids which migrated out of Africa through the Jordan Valley and stayed here for a while 2-million years ago.\"\u003cbr/\u003e17. Magnetometer in action\u003cbr/\u003e18. Various of Professor Tchernov and ancient tools\u003cbr/\u003e19. Midshot of Dr. Hagai Ron digging at the rock face\u003cbr/\u003eThe discovery of ancient artifacts in Erk-el-Ahmar, Israel, has led to claims the site could represent the earliest known human settlement outside Africa.\u003cbr/\u003eA 21st century machine that extracts a magnetic fingerprint is helping to date the items which include two (m) million year old chisels.  \u003cbr/\u003eIt's helping to uncover a new chapter in human-kinds' ancient past.\u003cbr/\u003eSlivers and chips of stone crafted by human hands, these old tools were used by some of our earliest hominid ancestors.\u003cbr/\u003eBut these tools harbour secrets. Who made them? How old are they? And how did they get here ?\u003cbr/\u003eIf Professor Eitan Tchernov can answer those questions, he believes he'll be able to write another page into the human history book.  \u003cbr/\u003eThat's because these tools weren't found in central Africa, long-believed to be the springboard for human evolution.   \u003cbr/\u003eThey were found at Erk-el-Ahmar, Israel, in the Jordan valley.\u003cbr/\u003eThey could represent the earliest known human settlement outside Africa.\u003cbr/\u003eErk-el-Ahmar is a rich dig-site. \u003cbr/\u003eThis is part of a massive elephant tusk found at the same dig, along with a pre-historic hippo bone, and the tooth of a sabre tooth tiger.\u003cbr/\u003eBut just finding the artefacts isn't enough, they have to be dated.\u003cbr/\u003eAnd standard carbon dating won't do the job- this can only date items as far back as about 50-thousand years. \u003cbr/\u003eProfessor Tchernov believes this find is so much older.\u003cbr/\u003eTo help him in his pursuit, he turned to geophysicist Dr. Hagai Ron.\u003cbr/\u003eDr. Ron is a specialist in magnetostratigraphy, a technique that can date rocks by unlocking the vital magnetic clues  which they carry.\u003cbr/\u003eHe started by visiting the site, and locating the layer of rock where the tools were found. Elephant bones are still visibly lodged in the same sedimentary layer. Judging by the size of these bones, the elephant was much larger than a pre-historic mammoth.\u003cbr/\u003eEach stratum, or layer, represents a different period of time, when the rock was formed. It's like reading the chapters of a book.\u003cbr/\u003eThe layer of clay and mud, where the tools and bones were found, is really a lake bed.\u003cbr/\u003eIt contains remnants of a vast body of fresh water that once flooded this now arid region.\u003cbr/\u003eIn other words, as those materials were laid down, it's as if they were stamped with a magnetic fingerprint, a permanent record of where magnetic north and south were at the time the rock was created.\u003cbr/\u003eThe earth's magnetic poles have reversed many times over history.\u003cbr/\u003eScientists don't fully understand why. But the dramatic shifts have given them a tool for dating rock.\u003cbr/\u003eTo find the magnetic fingerprints here, Dr. Ron first has to determine where magnetic north is today, in relation to the sample.\u003cbr/\u003eThen he cuts out the rock and takes it back to the lab.\u003cbr/\u003eA magnetometer is the machine he uses to extract  the original magnetic signature from the grains of clay and mud.\u003cbr/\u003eComparing that to the compass reading taken at the rock face, Dr. Ron has a clear picture of where the magnetic poles were when this rock formed. But that's only part of the job.\u003cbr/\u003eGeophysicists have managed to record pole changes during the last 50- 60 million (m) years.\u003cbr/\u003eThey've compiled the record from rock specimens taken from the North Atlantic Sea Bed.\u003cbr/\u003eThese black and white bars are magnetic fingerprints from the North Atlantic.  \u003cbr/\u003eSometimes they show the poles as they are today. \u003cbr/\u003eAt other times north and south switch, the poles are reversed.  \u003cbr/\u003eEach bar is linked to a time period. It's happened many times, the last time was 780-thousand years ago.\u003cbr/\u003eWith the North Atlantic patterns in hand, Dr. Ron can now compare the readings from the Erk-el Ahmar site.  \u003cbr/\u003eWhen the magnetic fingerprints match, he has his date.\u003cbr/\u003eNearly 2-million (m) years old, and that makes Dr. Tchernov's tools the earliest known evidence of hominids outside Africa.\u003cbr/\u003eAnd it's the first indication of their settlement in the Middle East, the Southern Levant.\u003cbr/\u003eThe Jordan Valley was a very different place 2 million (m) years ago.\u003cbr/\u003eThere was a lot more water and food. The salty Dead Sea is what's left of a massive fresh water lake.\u003cbr/\u003eNow that the layers have been dated the history of the rock face- and any other artefacts they find here- will be a lot easier to read.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='action-container flex justify-between'\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='false' aria-label='Read more description' class='rp-full-description' type='button'\u003e\n\u003ci class='fai fa-solid fa-align-left'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cspan id='read_more'\u003eRead More\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-report'\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='resource-details-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title' id='resource-details-heading'\u003eResource Details\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-resource-details clearfix'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eCurator Rating\u003c/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e\u003cspan class=\"star-rating\" aria-label=\"3.5 out of 5 stars\" role=\"img\"\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-solid fa-star text-action\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-solid fa-star text-action\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-solid fa-star text-action\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-solid fa-star-half-stroke text-action\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-regular fa-star text-action\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt class=\"educator-rating-title\"\u003eEducator Rating\u003c/dt\u003e\u003cdd\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"educator-rating-details\" data-path=\"/educator_ratings/rrp_data?resourceable_id=1124018\u0026amp;resourceable_type=Boclips%3A%3AVideoMetadata\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"not-yet-rated\"\u003eNot yet Rated\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eGrade\u003c/dt\u003e\u003cdd title=\"Grade\"\u003eHigher Ed\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eSubjects\u003c/dt\u003e\u003cdd\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ca href=\"/search?grade_ids%5B%5D=259\u0026amp;search_tab_id=1\u0026amp;subject_ids%5B%5D=365221\"\u003eScience\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/dd\u003e\u003cdd class=\"text-muted\"\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-solid fa-lock mr5\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e1 more...\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eMedia Type\u003c/dt\u003e\u003cdd\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ca href=\"/search?grade_ids%5B%5D=259\u0026amp;search_tab_id=2\u0026amp;type_ids%5B%5D=4543650\"\u003eNews Clips\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eSource:\u003c/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eDate\u003c/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e2002\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-solid fa-language'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eAudiences\u003c/dt\u003e\u003cdd\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ca href=\"/search?audience_ids%5B%5D=371079\u0026amp;grade_ids%5B%5D=259\u0026amp;search_tab_id=1\"\u003eFor Teacher Use\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/dd\u003e\u003cdd class=\"text-muted\"\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-solid fa-lock mr5\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e2 more...\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='concepts-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title' id='concepts-heading'\u003eConcepts\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='clearfix'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='details-list concepts' data-identifier='Boclips::VideoDecorator' data-type='concepts'\u003elakes, early humans, hominids, africa, artifacts, elephants, asia, oceans, living things, israel, time, mammals, animals, migration\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='concepts-toggle-buttons' data-identifier='Boclips::VideoDecorator'\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='false' class='more btn-link' type='button'\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eShow More\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fa-solid fa-caret-down ml5'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='true' class='less btn-link' style='display: none;' type='button'\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eShow Less\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fa-solid fa-caret-up ml5'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='additional-tags-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title' id='additional-tags-heading'\u003eAdditional Tags\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='clearfix'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='details-list keyterms' data-identifier='Boclips::VideoDecorator' data-type='keyterms'\u003efresh, environment, science, good, earth science, stay, hand, oldest, lake, physical anthropology, story, elephant, part, environment and nature, water environment, geophysics, middle east, change, jordan, shape, formation, chopping, tool, date, represent, toolmakers, kind, place, 000 years, deeper, hominid\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='keyterms-toggle-buttons' data-identifier='Boclips::VideoDecorator'\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='false' class='more btn-link' type='button'\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eShow More\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fa-solid fa-caret-down ml5'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='true' class='less btn-link' style='display: none;' type='button'\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eShow Less\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fa-solid fa-caret-up ml5'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='educator-ratings-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title sr-only' id='educator-ratings-heading'\u003eEducator Ratings\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"educator-ratings-root\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"all-educator-ratings-root\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"educator-rating-form-root\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-resource'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Show resource details' class='rp-show-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\n\u003ci class='fai fa-solid fa-align-left'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nShow resource details\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Video player' class='player' id='player-wrapper' role='region'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='relative container mx-auto' id='lp-boclips-visitor-thumbnail'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"block\" data-html=\"true\" data-placement=\"bottom\" data-trigger=\"click\" data-content=\"\u003cdiv class=\u0026quot;text-center py-2\u0026quot;\u003e\u003ca class=\u0026quot;bold\u0026quot; href=\u0026quot;/auth/users/sign_in\u0026quot;\u003eSign in\u003c/a\u003e or \u003ca class=\u0026quot;bold text-danger\u0026quot; data-posthog-event=\u0026quot;Signup: LP Signup Activity\u0026quot; data-posthog-location=\u0026quot;body_link_boclips\u0026quot; data-remote=\u0026quot;true\u0026quot; href=\u0026quot;/subscription/new\u0026quot;\u003eJoin Now\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\" data-title=\"Get Full Access\" data-container=\"body\" rel=\"popover\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Play video: New technique helping to uncover humans\u0026#39; ancient past\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\"resource-img img-thumbnail img-responsive z-10 lp-boclips-thumbnail w-full h-full lozad\" alt=\"New technique helping to uncover humans\u0026#39; ancient past\" title=\"New technique helping to uncover humans\u0026#39; ancient past\" onError=\"handleImageNotLoadedError(this)\" data-default-image=\"https://static.lp.lexp.cloud/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/missing.png\" data-src=\"https://static.lp.lexp.cloud/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/missing.png\" width=\"315\" height=\"220\" src=\"data:image/png;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAD/ACwAAAAAAQABAAACADs\" /\u003e\n\u003cspan aria-hidden='true' class='flex justify-center items-center bg-white rounded-full w-16 h-16 absolute top-1/2 left-1/2 -mt-8 -ml-8 cursor-pointer z-0 border-2 border-primary drop-shadow-md lp-boclips-thumbnail-playBtn'\u003e\n\u003ci class='fa-solid fa-play text-primary text-3xl ml-1 drop-shadow-xl'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n"}