For the first time it was discovered - the ancient man who lived 15 thousand years ago, fed not only on meat and plants
In a cave in Carmel, located about 17 km south of Haifa, remains were found, the first of their kind in the world, which indicate that the ancient man used to eat also Snakes and lizards.
The first evidence of this type was found at the Natufian site in the Nahal cave in Carmel.
Dr. Reuven Yeshuron, one of the editors of the study said to Lahi Fa
We know from historical sources that humans ate snakes as far back as the Middle Ages, but until now there was no evidence that they did so even 15 years ago. It is quite possible that with the help of the method we have developed we will be able to find even more ancient evidence.
Natofi settlement in Carmel
The evidence was discovered in the Nahal cave in Carmel, by the researchers of the University of Haifa, as part of the excavations of the researchers of the University of Haifa in the Hantufi settlement, from about 15 thousand years ago.
The Natufian culture in the prehistory of the Land of Israel (about 11 to 15 thousand years before our time), constitutes the transition period between the hunter-gatherer cultures of the Paleolithic period and the early farmers of the Neolithic period, and is characterized by the expansion of the human diet.
Remains of a meal in prehistoric houses in Carmel
At the Natufian site of the Nahal Cave (Al-Wad) in Carmel, which was excavated by Dr. Reuven Yeshuron and Prof. Mina Weinstein-Evron from the Zinman Institute of Archeology at the University of Haifa, thousands of bones of snakes and lizards were discovered in the past on the remains of prehistoric house floors.
However, unlike the bones of other animals found at the site, such as deer and rabbits, which were cut and burned (thus clearly indicating that they were used for food), it was not clear whether the bones of snakes and lizards were also part of the diet of our fallen ancestors, or if they arrived there as remains of prey of other animals.
So how do you know?
In order to answer the question, the doctoral student Ma'an Lev from the Department of Archeology at the University of Haifa conducted a series of experiments that examined how the bones of snakes and lizards would look when roasted, digested by birds of prey or crushed by trampling and the pressure of the earth. The results of the experiments were compared to the remains of the reptiles found at the site in order to understand what processes the archaeological find went through from its arrival at the site to its excavation.
The inspection revealed that many species of lizards and small snakes arrived at the site as part of the droppings (emissions of undigested parts) of birds of prey that nested in the cliff of Nahal Merot, fell and were then exposed to processes of erosion and trampling by the inhabitants of the site.
Cut marks on a snake
In contrast to this, the large and non-venomous species, (the forest curlew and the black wagtail), were apparently caught by the Natopim for eating purposes. "The Kamtan is a large lizard and the bones that were found were especially common in the Natufian houses and rare outside of them, where we mainly found the remains of the tsonifat. Cut marks were discovered for the first time on the vertebrae of the Black Zaman as a result of dissection with flint knives.
The researchers tell Live here
These findings add to the many testimonies of the consumption of small animals in the broad diet of the Natufian villages as a result of the significant changes in the lifestyles and the use of the environment, which occurred with the transition from the nomadic life and the beginning of the permanent yeshiva
The research is based on Ma'ayan Lev's doctoral thesis under the guidance of Dr. Reuven Yeshuron and Prof. Mina Weinstein-Evron in the Department of Archeology at the University of Haifa and funded by the university president's scholarship for a direct path to a doctorate and the Nathan Rothenstreich Fund for outstanding doctoral students.
The Nahal Cave is located in the Nahal Merat Reserve which is located south of Haifa.