The karstic cave attracted considerable attention in December 2010, when reports suggested Israeli and Spanish archaeologists had found the earliest evidence yet of modern humans.

[1] Selective large-game hunting was regularly done followed by butchery of desired carcass parts for transport back to a residence for food sharing and cooking.

The cave exists in Turonian limestone in the western mountain ridge of Israel between the Samaria Hills and the Israeli coastal plain.

[7] All archaeological finds at Qesem Cave have been assigned to the Acheulo-Yabrudian Cultural Complex (AYCC) of the late Lower Paleolithic.

[12][13][14] The date for the end of the occupation has been problematic, with an early estimate of "before 152,000,"[2] subsequently revised to "between 220 and 194 ka" but rounded to "ca.

[4] Using the concentration of cosmic ray created Beryllium-10 it has been argued that the flint used at Qesem Cave was surface-collected or only dug from shallow quarries.

[15] A 2020 study led by researcher Ella Assaf from Tel Aviv University concluded that shaped stone balls discovered at Qesem cave were used to break the bones of large animals in order to extract the nutritious marrow inside.

Large quantities of burnt bone, defined by a combination of microscopic and macroscopic criteria, and moderately heated soil lumps suggest butchering and prey-defleshing occurred near fireplaces.

Layers of ash was discovered in the pit, and burnt animal bones and flint tools used for carving meat were found near the hearth, suggesting it was used repeatedly and was a focal point for the people living there.

[23] Moreover, the presence of fetal bones and the absence of deer antlers implies that much of the hunting took place in late winter through early summer.