Home / Science / Ancient Arabs Ate Sharks: Study Reveals Diet
Ancient Arabs Ate Sharks: Study Reveals Diet
12 Feb
Summary
- Neolithic tomb in Oman yielded evidence of shark consumption.
- Stable isotope analysis reconstructed ancient diets.
- Findings show adaptive strategies in early human subsistence.
Recent research centered on a 5th millennium B.C. tomb in Wadi Nafūn, Oman, has uncovered evidence that ancient inhabitants of southern Arabia consumed shark meat. Archaeologists analyzing tooth samples from the megalithic tomb utilized stable isotope analysis to reconstruct the diets of these Neolithic communities.
The study, published in the journal Antiquity, is the first to document specialized hunting of marine predators through natural science data. Researchers suggest shark meat may have been a primary food source for the buried population. This finding offers significant insights into the mobility and subsistence strategies of early humans in arid regions.
This discovery highlights a highly flexible and adaptive subsistence strategy, integrating hunting, gathering, herding, and marine resource exploitation. The findings demonstrate global human adaptation to diverse environmental and climatic conditions. Wadi Nafūn served as a central ritual site for over three centuries, connecting various regional groups.
