Construction crews in northern Israel were about to break ground near a small town called Fureidis when archaeologists asked for one more look before the digging started. This decision led to one of the most important prehistoric discoveries in decades, a cave sealed off from the outside world for 400,000 years.
The Israel Antiquities Authority and the University of Haifa researchers discovered flint tools, including hand axes, scrapers, and blades, that pushed the age of the cave back much further than anyone expected, CNN reports. Archaeologist Kobi Vardi said his team had originally dated the site to about 200,000 years ago, citing research from the 1970s.
