Archaeologists working at the Wadi Nafun site in Oman have discovered that Neolithic people from that region ate shark meat approximately 7,000 years ago. This surprising result suggests that prehistoric Arabia had experienced shark hunters.
Excavations at Wadi Nafun uncovered the remains of around 70 men, women, and children buried within a tomb. Radiocarbon dating shows that these individuals did not belong to a single generation but spanned about 300 years.
“This monument…represents cooperation, shared beliefs, and repeated return to a common ceremonial landscape,” lead author Alzbeta Danielisova told Arkeonews.
Photo: ARUP
The climate of Oman has made it impossible for organic components in the bones and teeth to survive over thousands of years. Instead, the team took a different approach — stable isotope analysis. They specifically examined bioapatite, a long-lived mineral in teeth.
By examining isotopes of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and strontium preserved in the enamel, scientists deciphered where the different individuals obtained their protein. They also figured out the balance between marine and terrestrial foods. In this case, several nitrogen isotopes match those found only in marine predators, specifically sharks.
Photo: ARUP
This chemical detective work aligns with artifacts from the tomb, including several shark tooth pendants.
