Wednesday, October 08, 2025

Early humans butchered elephants using small tools and made big tools from their bones

Multiple sites in central Italy show consistent strategy during warm parts of the Middle Pleistocene

PLOS

From meat to raw material: the Middle Pleistocene elephant butchery site of Casal Lumbroso (Rome, central Italy) — image:
Excavation at Casal Lumbroso.
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Credit: Beniamino Mecozzi, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

During warmer periods of the Middle Pleistocene, ancient humans in Italy were in the habit of butchering elephants for meat and raw materials, according to a study published October 8, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Beniamino Mecozzi of Sapienza University of Rome, Italy and colleagues.

Ancient humans used animal carcasses for meat and other resources, but direct evidence of butchery is sparse and can be difficult to identify in the archaeological record. In this study, Mecozzi and colleagues describe the remains of an elephant carcass at the site of Casal Lumbroso in northwest Rome. Comparative study of ash deposits at the site reveals that these remains date to 404,000 years ago, during a particularly warm period of the Middle Pleistocene Epoch.

The researchers identified over 300 skeletal remains from a single straight-tusked elephant, Palaeoloxodon, alongside more than 500 stone tools. Several of the bones exhibit fresh fractures made shortly after the animal’s death, each associated with impact marks where blunt force was used to create the fractures. A lack of apparent cut marks on the bones is consistent with small tools having been used to butcher soft tissues, and accordingly most of the stone tools at the site are less than 30mm in size, possibly due to low availability of large stones. Several elephant bones were physically modified to be used as larger tools.

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. This pattern implies a consistent strategy used by ancient hominins during periods of mild climate conditions in the Middle Pleistocene, and further suggests that central Italy is a valuable region for research into the subsistence strategies of early European humans.

The authors add: "Our study shows how, 400,000 years ago in the area of Rome, human groups were able to exploit an extraordinary resource like the elephant—not only for food, but also by transforming its bones into tools."

"Reconstructing these events means bringing to life ancient and vanished scenarios, revealing a world where humans, animals, and ecosystems interacted in ways that still surprise and fascinate us today.”

In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS One: http://plos.io/4gIj95A

Citation: Mecozzi B, Fiore I, Giaccio B, Giustini F, Mercurio S, Monaco L, 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/10.1371/journal.pone.0328840

Author countries: Italy

Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

Journal

PLOS One

Archaeological and palaeontological deposit of Casal Lumbroso (a) and the draw of the large mammal bones exposed in the main surface (b).

Credit

Mecozzi et al., 2025, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0328840

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

From meat to raw material: the Middle Pleistocene elephant butchery site of Casal Lumbroso (Rome, central Italy)

Article Publication Date

8-Oct-2025

1,000-year-old gut microbiome revealed for young man who lived in pre-Hispanic Mexico

New findings could help deepen understanding of human history and evolution

PLOS

Microbiome characterization of a pre-Hispanic man from Zimapán, Mexico: Insights into ancient gut microbial communities — image:
Zimapán man, also referred to as Hna Hnu, was a resident of the Mesoamerican border who lived 1,000 years ago. The image shows the moment when Hna Hnu's body was opened. This body was found inside a cave in a dry environment, which allowed their remains to remain for nearly 1,000 years. From the remains, we were able to isolate a coprolite and intestinal tissue, which was used to extract the DNA of the bacteria still present at the time of Hna Hnu’s life. From this genetic material, we were able to recover their gut microbiome community. Bacteria associated with the degradation of complex plant tissue and even, very likely, with the degradation of insect molecules such as those of the Clostridium genus were discovered. Hna Hnu provided us with valuable information about the association between the microbiome and diet.
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Credit: Rene Cerritos Flores, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Analysis of preserved feces and intestinal tissue has revealed specific types of bacteria that were present in the microbiome of a young adult man who lived in Mexico about 1,000 years ago, prior to Spanish colonization. Santiago Rosas-Plaza of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on October 8, 2025.

The human gut microbiome consists of microorganisms, including bacteria, that naturally live in people’s intestines. Certain types of bacteria are widely associated with the human gut microbiome, but a person’s particular mix of bacteria may vary depending on factors such as age, diet, health, and where they live. Studying ancient microbiomes using mummies and human remains can therefore deepen understanding of ancient populations and show how the human microbiome may have changed over time.

A growing number of ancient microbiomes have been revealed, including for an ancient Incan person and Germany’s “Tyrolean Iceman.” To further expand the field, Rosas-Plaza and colleagues analyzed the exceptionally well-preserved remains of a man discovered in a rock shelter in Zimapán, Mexico. Prior analyses suggest the “Zimapán man” was most likely a seasonal seminomadic hunter-gatherer who was part of the ancient Mesoamerican Otopame culture and died about 1,000 years ago between the ages of 21 and 35.

To determine which types of bacteria may have been present in the man’s microbiome, the researchers applied a standard method known as 16S rRNA gene sequencing to his mummified intestinal tissue and preserved feces.

They found several families of bacteria associated with the human microbiome, including Peptostreptococcaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, and Enterococcaceae. They also detected high levels of bacteria in the Clostridiaceae family, which have previously been found in intestinal tissue of mummies from ancient Andean civilizations. The remains also contained some bacteria, such as Romboutsia hominis, that are associated with the modern human gut microbiome, but have not been found in ancient microbiomes until now.

These findings expand knowledge of ancient microbiomes and could provide clues to the Zimapán man’s life. Further analysis will be needed confirm these results and determine the complete composition of the Zimapán man’s microbiome.

The authors add: “Zimapán man’s remains were neatly wrapped like a bundle, which can be interpreted as indicating that they were an important figure within the community. The outer layer of the bundle was made of a mat, that is, long fibers, apparently maguey, intertwined to form a strong yet malleable rectangle. Beneath this mat, and on top of which Zimapán man was placed, was a perfectly woven sheet of native brown cotton. Studying the mathematical composition of the knots within the fabric, we concluded that it was a peculiar and complex arrangement to carry out. For almost eight years now, Master Luisa Mainauo, who safeguards the mortuary bundle, has been working with her team to restore the savannah and soon be able to show it not only to the people of Mexico but to the entire world.”

In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS One: http://plos.io/46iRuEK

Citation: Rosas-Plaza S, Mainou L, Delgado G, Morales R, Aguilar-Romero A, Escalante AE, et al. (2025) Microbiome characterization of a pre-Hispanic man from Zimapán, Mexico: Insights into ancient gut microbial communities. PLoS One 20(10): e0331137. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0331137

Author countries: Mexico

Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

Remains of the Zimapán Man and Location Where He Was Found. Map of Mexico highlighting in red the state of Hidalgo and the locality of Zimapán, where the individual was recovered. Brown and green shading indicate the regions of Aridoamerica (brown) and Mesoamerica (green), B) Mortuary bundle and remains of the Zimapán individual, and C) Samples of paleofeces from the Zimapán individual.
Credit
Rosas-Plaza et al., 2025, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)