Ancient Menu Revealed: Foragers in the Levant Consumed Snakes and Lizards for 3,000 Years

A recent study has revealed that lizards and snakes were regularly consumed by foragers in the Levant across three millennia, utilizing preparation techniques passed down through generations. Researchers examining fossils discovered at El Wad Terrace in present-day Israel, which date back 11,700 to 15,000 years, found that reptiles formed a core component of the diet of the Natufian culture that inhabited the region during that period. Recognized as the first hunter-gatherers to establish permanent villages prior to the advent of agriculture, these communities left behind archaeological records that shed light on their dietary habits.

Maʻayan Lev, Mina Weinstein-Evron, and Reuven Yeshurun of the University of Haifa discovered that fossilized remains of squamates—including lizards and snakes—accounted for over a third of animal remains linked to food consumption. This total featured 82 snake vertebrae bearing cut marks that indicate butchering. The researchers observed that longer periods of settlement corresponded to a greater proportion of squamates in the local diet, with European glass lizards, large whip snakes, and eastern Montpellier snakes being the most prevalent varieties.

Publishing their findings in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers noted that while large-bodied, easily caught, and safe species were the primary targets, squamates remained a consistent and substantial part of the Natufian diet over a span of three millennia. Dr Lev explained to The National that snakes served as a continuous, reliable supplementary food source alongside primary prey like the mountain gazelle, as well as smaller species such as mole rats, hares, small carnivores, water birds, and tortoises.

Although direct evidence regarding the hunting and cooking methods is limited, Dr Lev indicated that parallel research on hunter-gatherer groups points to techniques including catching by hand, using nets, rope nooses, sharpened sticks, small bows and arrows, or hand-held spears. Repeating cut marks found consistently on the left side of trunk vertebrae across the site's occupation indicate that snakes were butchered using the same method for thousands of years, reflecting a culturally inherited practice. Furthermore, burning marks identified on the bones suggest the reptiles were typically roasted directly over an open fire.

The shift toward consuming reptiles was driven by the intensity of site occupation, according to Dr Lev. Lower population levels meant reduced pressure on food resources and less necessity to hunt snakes and lizards, whereas longer stays by larger numbers of people increased resource pressure and led to heavier exploitation of reptiles.