Elephant Bones Near Rome Reveal a Lost Chapter of Human Ingenuity

Archaeologists in Rome have discovered a 404,000-year-old site where early humans butchered an elephant using small stone tools.

The remains, found alongside over 500 artifacts, reveal that people not only used elephants for food but also turned their bones into tools. These findings suggest a sophisticated and consistent survival strategy among ancient humans in central Italy during a warm Pleistocene period.

Early Humans in Italy Butchered Elephants for Survival

During a warm phase of the Middle Pleistocene, early humans living in what is now Italy regularly butchered elephants for food and materials, according to research published October 8, 2025, in the open-access journal PLOS One by Beniamino Mecozzi of Sapienza University of Rome (Italy) and colleagues.

Ancient Evidence from Casal Lumbroso

While prehistoric humans often used animal carcasses as vital resources, clear traces of butchery are rare and difficult to identify in the archaeological record. Mecozzi and his team examined the remains of a large elephant found at the Casal Lumbroso site in northwest Rome. Analysis of surrounding ash deposits showed that the remains date back about 404,000 years, a time marked by warmer environmental conditions during the Middle Pleistocene Epoch.

Hundreds of Bones and Tools Uncovered

Researchers uncovered more than 300 bones belonging to a single straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon) together with over 500 stone tools. Many bones displayed fresh breaks created soon after the animal’s death, each accompanied by impact marks that indicate the use of blunt force to crack them open. The absence of clear cut marks suggests that small tools were used to slice soft tissue. Most stone implements measured under 30mm, possibly because larger stones were scarce. Several elephant bones were later shaped into tools themselves.

The characteristics of the Casal Lumbroso site resemble several other Middle Pleistocene sites in central Italy that also contain butchered elephant remains, modified bones, and small stone tools. This pattern points to a recurring survival strategy among early hominins during mild climate periods and identifies central Italy as a key region for studying how ancient humans secured food and raw materials in Europe.

Bringing the Distant Past to Life

The researchers explain: “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.”

Reference: “From meat to raw material: the Middle Pleistocene elephant butchery site of Casal Lumbroso (Rome, central Italy)” by Beniamino Mecozzi, Ivana Fiore, Biagio Giaccio, Francesca Giustini, Stefano Mercurio, Lorenzo Monaco, Alessia Argento, Francesco Bucci Casari degli Atti di Sassoferrato, Isabella Caricola, Cristina Lemorini, Francesco Lucchini, Ilaria Mazzini, Maria Rita Palombo, Raffaele Sardella, Andrea Sposato, Enza Elena Spinapolice and Francesca Alhaique, 8 October 2025, PLOS ONE.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0328840

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