Ancient Humans in the Sahara Desert Were Feasting on Fish 10,000 Years Ago

[Judi Lynn]

Aristos Georgiou 5 hrs ago

Researchers have found a vast number of animal remains—including those of fish—at a site in the Sahara Desert, casting new light on the ancient peoples who used to live there.

Recent investigations at the Takarkori rock shelter in southwestern Libya's Acacus Mountains revealed nearly 18,000 individual specimens, almost 80 percent of which were fish—such as catfish and tilapia—according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.

The remains have been dated to between 10,200 and 4,650 years ago, covering much of the early middle and Holocene period—the current geological epoch. The rest of the remains consisted of mammals (around 19 percent,) while the team also found a small quantity of bird, reptile, mollusk and amphibian remains.

The researchers say that the animal remains were human food waste given that they displayed cut marks and signs of burning. This has implications for our understanding of the people who used to live in the area, indicating that fish was an important food.

More:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/ancient-humans-in-the-sahara-desert-were-feasting-on-fish-10000-years-ago/ar-BB10aE95?li=BBnb7Kz