What did the settlers on the shores of the Sea of ​​Galilee eat 12 thousand years ago?

what is on the menu? Archaeological research at a 12-year-old prehistoric site reveals surprising local eating habits: They had a huge variety, but they ate mostly geese and three types of fish from the carp family

A new study by a group of female researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of Connecticut, published in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, Examine the assemblages of animal bones from marine sources in the Natufian village Nahal Ein Geb II, 12,000 years before our time, which sits on the terrace of Nahal Ein Geb about 2 km east of the Sea of ​​Galilee, the largest permanent source of fresh water in the Levant at that time. The results of the study indicate a deliberate choice of the local residents to eat certain species of animals and the special specialization and specialization of the residents of the site - in fishing and hunting fish and fowl, with an emphasis on large carp and geese, and in processing the skins of various animals for cultural-social needs.

Prof. Natalie Monroe from the University of Connecticut studied the animal bones at the site. Findings of bird and fish bones in the animal assemblage in Nahal Ein Gev II should not have surprised her considering the location of the site on the bank of Nahal Ein Gev, and at a distance of two kilometers from the Sea of ​​Galilee. Indeed, many bird and fish remains were found in many sites in the Kinneret region. At that time there were about 19 different species of fish in the Sea of ​​Galilee, the largest of them being the common catfish. Also, the Upper Jordan Valley is known today and in the past as a major migration route for birds and poultry, so there is a wide and seasonal variety of species around Hima. In fact, the inhabitants of the site did not have to exert themselves excessively to obtain food to eat. But what is particularly interesting is that the wealth and diversity that exists in the natural habitats is not represented in the assemblage of bones at the site itself, and that we witness a very limited variety of marine species that were brought to the site. In fact, more than 98% of the marine species represented in the assemblage consist of three species of large fish from the carp family (large scaly midge, long-headed midge, Israeli goshawk) and 96% of the waterfowl species represented in the assemblage are related to a single species of goose (gray goose).

Is this the first ever evidence of a human diet? Prof. Lior Grossman, from the Prehistoric Archeology Section and Head of the Laboratory for Computational Archeology at the Hebrew University, who took a central part in the research and is the manager of the project, explains the importance of the find: "The findings at the site refer to the border between the Natopian and Neolithic cultures, when humans moved to agriculture and permanent settlement in villages, and no longer lived as hunters to take In other sites from the same area, such as in 'Ohalo II' and 'Einan' (Ein Malacha), it was possible to notice that the ancient humans ate from all the goodness that surrounded them, be it fish, mammals and birds, while at the site in Nahal Ein Gev the inhabitants Eat only certain types of fish and birds. They also preferred to walk two kilometers to the Sea of ​​Galilee to fish for their favorite fish and not settle for the stream next to which they lived. odd? Not if you ask the local residents who probably preferred to consume their favorite and familiar foods over and over again, regardless of diet."

The repeated and targeted selection of the inhabitants of Nahal Ein Gav II in individual species shows a preference and deliberate choice of very specific food - mainly of large-bodied species, but not of all large species. The researchers hypothesized that it is possible that the choice of the specific species reflects a certain cultural preference. For example, the common catfish is the largest fish in the Sea of ​​Galilee and perhaps has the most nutritional value at that time, and it is also relatively easy to fish during the mating season in shallow areas, but it was clearly not fished.

The focus and specialization in the utilization of marine resources in the Ein Gav II stream go hand in hand with other extensive evidence from that period of specialization or specialization in a variety of fields reflected on the site, mainly for the development of advanced fishing techniques. Most of the tools used for fishing found at the site are made of organic materials that do not last long, therefore there is limited evidence of the tools used for these activities. No ancient fishing hooks were found at the site (since they were found at other sites of the same period in the Upper Jordan Valley), but 22 stone tools were found with a unique shape and an average weight of about 56 grams, which allows for a string to be tied around them and were probably used as weights in fishing nets.

Moreover, the representation or lack of representation of bones from certain parts of the body, in the animal assemblages found, mainly teaches about the hunting behaviors and the processing of the hunted animals by the primitive man, before bringing them to the living site. The study found that in the fish species there is a very low representation of the bones of the head, which indicates that the fish were processed near the place where they were caught. A similar phenomenon is also seen among the bones of the geese and it seems that only bones bearing a lot of meat, the parts of the chest and wings were brought to the site. That is, there was treatment of the animals at the hunting and fishing sites, in which the parts of the body that did not have a high 'usefulness', i.e. no meat on them, were separated, and these did not reach the site. This is in contrast, for example, to species that are not used for food, such as birds of prey, of which parts are represented on the site that do not bear meat but bear wings and leg bones that were probably used for decorative and symbolic purposes. "This proves that at that time people began to specialize in different fields, whether it is people who specialized in hunting, those who specialized in fishing or making cultural symbols. In terms of the period, these are very exciting conclusions, this is one of the first sites in history to present specializations in various fields," explains Prof. Grossman.

It is also possible to learn from the findings in the field about the season in which these animals were hunted. The large fish, the intermediate and the overlap, can be fished all year round, but are most convenient for catching and fishing in the winter, when they come to mate and eat in the shallow areas on the shore of the sea. The residents of the site were not afraid to go out in the cold seasons and get their favorite types of food in the field. Geese are also more abundant in the area around winter and early spring during migration. In any case, this does not mean that they lived on the site only during these seasons, as other species were discovered that were hunted around the summer and fall, and you can even see evidence of hunting and food gathering activity in all seasons of the year at the site.