🐍 At El-Wad Terrace in the Nahal Me'arot Nature Reserve on Mount Carmel, researchers found the first-ever cut marks from flint knives on large snake bones — whip snakes and Montpellier snakes — across 20 Natufian occupation layers dated 15,000–12,000 years ago. Venomous vipers were almost never taken. Led by Dr. Maya Lev, published in PNAS. Fascinating stuff!
15,000-year-old snake bones at Mount Carmel reveal Natufian reptile diet
EgyptBioarchaeologyNew Research
Key facts
- Site: El-Wad Terrace inside Nahal Me'ir Nature Reserve on Mount Carmel, Israel
- 20 layers of occupation spanning roughly 3,000 years, radiocarbon dated to 15,000-12,000 years ago
- Associated with the Natufian culture
- First-ever identification of cut marks made by flint knives on large snake bones (large whip snake and eastern Montpellier snake)
- Indirect evidence for European glass lizard consumption
- Led by Dr. Maya Lev of Kiel University with Prof. Mina Weinstein-Evron and Prof. Yuval Rasharani of University of Haifa
- Published in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)
- Venomous species like vipers were almost never taken; large, slow, harmless reptiles preferred
- Target species bones found in every occupational layer, indicating a reliable resource rather than desperation food
Site mentioned
Sources
globaltimes.cn
Linked in video description
info.zcu.cz
Linked in video description
Natufian hunters used Carmel coastal wetlands, not ...jpost.com
Natufian culture hunters on Mt. Carmel systematically hunted waterfowl in freshwater lakes during the Ice Age. El-Wad Terrace
After 80 Years – Deeper in the Natufian Layers of el-Wad ...academia.edu
The northeast terrace of el-Wad has been excavated by us since 1994, revealing a rich Late Natufian layer and thick, multi-phased Early Natufian deposits.
File:Natufian-Burial-ElWad.jpgcommons.wikimedia.org
A reconstruction of a Natufian burial at the "El-Wad Terrace" archaeological site in the "Nahal Me'arot" Nature Reserve, Israel.
A Natufian demographic cycle at el-Wad Terrace, Israelweizmann.elsevierpure.com
by R Yeshurun · 2025 · Cited by 8 — The deep Early Natufian sequence of el-Wad Terrace (Mount Carmel, Israel), provides a high-resolution record (ca. 14.8–13.1 ka) that includes an initial phase ...
New Radiocarbon dates for the Early Natufian of El-Wad ...persee.fr
by M Weinstein-Evron · 1991 · Cited by 34 — The dates, ranging between 12,950 and 10,680 BP represent the oldest and longest Early Natufian sequence in northern Israel. These determinations indicate…
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