The first evidence of this type was found at the Natufian site in the Nahal cave in Carmel. "It is possible that with the help of the method we have developed we will be able to find even more ancient evidence," said Dr. Reuven Yeshuron, one of the authors of the study
The first evidence of its kind in the world that the ancient man also ate snakes and lizards as part of his diet was discovered in the Nahal cave in Carmel, as part of the excavations by Haifa University researchers in the Hantufi settlement, from about 15 thousand years ago. The findings were published in the prestigious journal Scientific Reports. "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", said Dr. Reuven Yeshuron, one of the study's editors.
The Natufian culture in the prehistory of the Land of Israel (15,000-11,600 years before our time) constitutes the period of transition 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. At the Nahal cave (al-Wad) Nahal site in Carmel, 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, in contrast to the bones of other animals found at the site, such as deer and rabbits, which were cut and burned and therefore clearly indicated that they were used for food, it was not clear whether the bones of the snakes and lizards were part of the diet of our fallen ancestors, or perhaps they arrived there as remains of prey other life.
To answer the question, PhD student Maayan 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 they are 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 (excretions of undigested parts emitted by birds) 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. In contrast to this, the large and non-venomous species, the wood shrike and the black shrike, were apparently captured by the Natopas 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. 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 utilization of the environment, which occurred with the transition from the nomadic life and the beginning of the permanent settlement", concluded the researchers.
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 managed by the Nature and Parks Authority.
More of the topic in Hayadan:
27 תגובות
forbid*
If the world existed for 5700 years then where are the dinosaurs? And you also know the paradox of God?, a human asks a human if God is omnipotent, he can create a stone that no one can lift, the second human answers yes he can, then the first human tells him and God can lift it, he is answered by human no. 2 Yes and then person #1 tells him how can he lift it if he created it in such a way that no one can lift it including God himself then he is not omnipotent if he cannot lift a stone that no one can lift including himself in short this is God Nonsense of a person who just wanted an imaginary friend but then the Jews stole that person's omnipotent imaginary friend and only me or everything that science invents the rabbis forbid to use on Shabbat? Because if they were to pass at all then they would be living in caves trying to figure out how much is 2 divided by 4 (it comes out to half for each)
Even today they eat snakes, what's new, it's even more delicious and healthy, I recommend to the religious to switch to snakes, so we don't have to finance them with food that the parasites will catch on their own
Why do religious people go on the internet, your God does not allow, live in your community and do not invade us, you are not welcome
Bibi is guilty!
?????????
Who is the fool who gives idolaters a keyboard? They may swallow it and suffocate!!
Moshe Cohen where are you and what is your name?
Dear Jew, go back and study and after that give an opinion
You are welcome to come to us for a meeting
And believe me, for sure you stop talking nonsense.
Just one day I ask of you and I will also pay you double of a day's work you earn, are you ready?
An important discovery. I liked the way of thinking and research to draw conclusions.
Thanks to science that conquers ignorance. Can't believe that in the 21st century people still believe that faith can compete with science.
And they don't know that there are also religious archaeologists in the academy and the Palestinian Authority and they know that the world has existed for much more than 5700 years.
Ignorance will disappear already, you are fed up.
5700 years since counting began
Hahahahaha there is no celebrating stupidity. Time after time with inventions and testicle confusions. What nonsense 5780 years the world has existed. And all the investigations and nonsense you try to come up with respect will sell your nonsense to the Chinese
Interesting and important article! Sheds light on society, the environment, and the living conditions that existed in the Land of Israel during the period in question. The data analysis method also sounds original and interesting; Great strength!
I wonder, did they eat bats?
OK, they found snakes, etc... 15 thousand years ago, the problem is where are the remains of those people who ate these animals?
Not an ancient man
These are people like us, Homo sapiens
Protohumans are other types of humans that lived during the evolution of the Homo species in the last 2 million years
hahahahaha what a fool and the doctor who conducts the research you need urgent treatment... the world existed for about 5700 years and then only the first man was created how did you get to 15 thousand hahahaha how many completes are there in the world
Fake news. The world has existed for a little less than 6000 years
As most of the Jewish people believe
The world was created a little less than six thousand years ago
And before that chaos
and God
A lot of blah blah blah
Nonsense . You actually discovered that Agam ate snakes and lizards
When there is nothing to write findings
Put things in order if your God cared so much.. the holocaust would not have happened and there is also a situation 'and a buyer would not have taken much. What does this mean that at the moment it is a fiction even after all, Potter is a good book... on the second day he created two eggs left and right. And don't make fun of yourselves acting like a developed Adele Kadmon.. and you don't have to invent what the scriptures saw? Did you hear something speak to you? No, then shut up for the time being. All of these people get what they want from him. There is nothing uniform, that's why it looks like this. You see that a person wrote it down and not God. Come on...
What does it mean what am I supposed to do if the irrelevant information where is an ancient man and where am I a vegan me. I think this was written by an ancient person who wants to say, here you can meat, there is enough medical equipment, come to a hospital, we will do an operation for you... but you can do as you please, an ancient person also died from Corona because he did not have the brain to think for a minute what he should do, what a redundant article
lies and falsehood
There was nothing here before the creation of the world
And after that they call the "Ydan"??? How much stupidity can your brain contain?? In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth... Go learn a little, what a street cleaner wears a kippah knows, you... oh my...
A really sensational discovery
The difficult questions must be asked: Was he Palestinian? Did he eat the snake on the fire? Was the lizard the dessert or just an apple???
And that justifies an article in the newspaper?
wretched You have the mindset of a talkbackist on Facebook….
In the beginning, God created….
Not neolithitites, not natilils, not natupite
Stupid uneducated fools