Jerusalem, 19 August, 2026 (TPS-IL) — A new study conducted at the University of Haifa and published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found that members of the Natufian culture who lived in the Carmel Region approximately 15,000 years ago systematically ate snakes and lizards.
The Natufians were a semi-sedentary prehistoric culture that lived in the Levant (modern-day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria).
The researchers found that reptile consumption was higher during periods when habitation at the site was more permanent and intensive, as they abandoned the nomadic way of life.
“The transition to permanent settlement involved prolonged reliance on food resources in the immediate surroundings,” explained Dr. Maayan Lev, who led the study.
The study identified cut marks on 82 vertebrae of large snakes, in the same location on the vertebrae, providing direct evidence that the snakes were systematically prepared as food by humans. Numerous remains of snakes and lizards were found in all twenty archaeological layers examined.