Squamate (lizard and snake) remains are abundant in the terminal Pleistocene Natufian archaeological sites of the Levant, raising the question of whether they constitute part of the broad-spectrum diet characteristic of this period. However, the role of squamates in Natufian diets remains unclear, as they are taphonomically under-studied. We conducted a series of experiments and actualistic observations that tested the impact of pre-and post-depositional processes on squamate vertebrae. We emphasized the multiple destruction processes that leave overlapping or altered marks on the bones, such as digestion marks that were modified by trampling. The resulting bone modification typology provides a tool for studying archaeological squamate remains. the experimental data were compared to the archaeological bone samples of the Natufian sequence of el-Wad Terrace (Mount Carmel, Israel, 15,000-12,000 cal BP). The Natufian squamate samples deviate from all actualistic ones in their lesser evidence of digestion and much greater indications for trampling, erosion and breakage. the taphonomic study, coupled with intra-site analysis, has unraveled the complex depositional history of el-Wad terrace, enabling us to differentiate between cultural and non-cultural contexts and to identify possible human consumption of the European glass lizard and the large whip snake in the Natufian. Squamate (lizard and snake) remains have been sporadically studied in zooarchaeology 1-12 , and rarely has their role in human subsistence been established (but see 8). These remains are known to have been abundant in the early sedentary hamlets of the Natufian culture of the Levant 13 (late Epipaleolithic, ca. 15,000-11,700 cal BP), together with abundant small game remains and naturally-deposited micro-mammals. This raises the question of squamate accumulation mechanisms and especially whether they were part of the broad human subsistence that characterized this period 13-16. The site of el-Wad Terrace (EWT), Mount Carmel, Israel (Fig. 1), one of the major Natufian hamlets of the Levantine Mediterranean region, includes both the Early Natufian (EN) and the Late Natufian (LN) phases, the former characterized by numerous architectural sub-phases 17,18. Recent excavations at the site have exposed dense layers with extremely rich lithic and faunal assemblages that include a high percentage of squamate remains 13. The expansion of diet breadth to include a wide variety of game, often referred to as the Broad Spectrum Revolution (BSR 19), which arguably marks considerable resource intensification, is a prominent topic in Natufian studies. Broadening Natufian diets may signal an early shift to sedentism among the foraging groups of the terminal Pleistocene Levant 13,20-24. This process could be instrumental in the Neolithization process that immediately succeeded the Natufian 25. While squamates are abundant at many Natufian sites and at EWT in particular, they are usually excluded from human subsistence studies that attempt to establish diet breadth by ...