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Updated February 21st, 2020 at 15:15 IST

Study: Ancient humans in Sahara Desert were dependent on fish 10000 years ago

Researchers have discovered plenty of animal remains which includes those of fish at a site in the Sahara Desert where ancient people used to live there.

Reported by: Sounak Mitra
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Researchers have discovered plenty of animal remains which includes those of fish at a site in the Sahara Desert where ancient people used to live there. The recent investigations revealed nearly 18,000 individual specimens, mostly which were fish at the Takarkori rock shelter in southwestern Libya's Acacus Mountains, according to a study published in the journal PLOS ONE. 
The remains have been estimated to be dated between 10,200 and 4,650 years ago, known as the early middle and Holocene periods.

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Humans feasted on fish 10000 years ago

The rest of the remains comprised of mammals and the researchers also found a small quantity of bird, reptile, mollusk, and amphibian remains. The researchers claimed that the animal remains were human food waste where they found cut marks and signs of burning.  The study said that the people who used to live in the area indicated that they were feasting on fish 10000 years ago. Savino di Lernia, from the Sapienza University of Rome and the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, told the media that the findings are no doubt the fish remains. He added that the quantity of fish they have found and studied are unprecedented in the central Sahara.

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Study find fish as a common diet of ancient humans

The study indicated fresh information about climate change and cultural adaptations. He also added that the study found that the fish was a common diet of ancient human beings. But over thousands of years, the area became increasingly dry and less capable of sustaining water bodies that are home to fish.  Nearly 90 per cent of all the animal remains dated to between 10,200 to 8,000 years ago were fish. The figure decreases to 40 per cent for those dated between  5,900 and 4,650 years ago. The researchers revealed that the changing environment forced the hunters who once dependent on fish to alter their diet. 

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Published February 21st, 2020 at 15:15 IST

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