P. antiquus roamed Europe and Western Asia as recently as 28,000 years ago, meaning they were no strangers to early humans. Near the bones, researchers also identified over 500 small stone tools. However, the lack of cutting and scrapping evidence on the bones implies that the hunters used their stone tools to cut into the animal’s soft tissues. According to the team’s study published today in the journal PLOS One, several bones were later altered to function as larger tools. Multiple other locations in central Italy have butchered elephant remains, small stone tools, and larger modified bones.