Naama Goren-Inbar

When excavating, Goren-Inbar exposed the Venus of Berekhat Ram, a tuff pebble figurine of a woman, considered the earliest symbolic representation (art) in human history.

Excavation at the site, dated to the final stage of the Middle Paleolithic, c. 55,000 before present, exposed a rich lithic assemblage accompanied by a wealth of animal bones including giant bovids.

In 1989, Goren-Inbar initiated her excavation project at the Acheulian site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov (GBY), located on the banks of the Jordan River south of the Hula Valley.

[2] The primary finds at GBY include a butchered, straight tusk elephant, indicating the early hominins’ ability to process large game.

[3] In addition, a minimum of seven fallow deer carcasses exposed in a single layer of GBY Area C evidence the large game hunting of numerous animals.

[6] The sediments of the site have been waterlogged since their accumulation, creating anaerobic conditions enabling the exceptional preservation of botanical remains, including pollen, seeds, fruits, and wood.

Her primary contribution is in establishing the presence of sophisticated technology, modern behavior, and advanced cognitive abilities within the framework of the early Paleolithic, pushing the chronology of such phenomena hundreds of thousands of years back in time.