00:00 Ancient Egypt is known for its great pharaohs and even greater pyramids.
00:08 But now researchers are beginning to say it should also be known for its venomous snakes.
00:13 One of the oldest human documents ever discovered dates back more than 2,500 years, and experts
00:18 believe it's actually a copy of a much older record.
00:21 So what does it say?
00:22 Well, it's now called the snakebite papyrus, and it lists not only the different types
00:26 of snakes from the period and the area, but also outlines what happens when one is bitten
00:30 and how to treat it.
00:31 It even outlines a rare type of snake, one with four fangs.
00:35 Experts say no such snake lives in or near Egypt today, with the one that fits the description
00:39 most closely calling sub-Saharan Africa savannas its home.
00:43 So where did all the Egyptian snakes go?
00:45 Well, experts say that changing climate no doubt drove them elsewhere.
00:48 Egypt used to be much more humid than it is today, meaning many more snake varieties likely
00:52 could have inhabited the area.
00:54 But the researchers finding that of the 10 snakes they chose from the snakebite papyrus,
00:58 including the venomous black mamba and the puff adder, nine of those would have been
01:01 able to live in ancient Egypt's more humid climate.
01:04 With experts saying that despite Egypt having begun its desertification some 4,200 years
01:09 ago, larger populations and agricultural irrigation may have kept the area more hospitable to
01:14 venomous snakes for longer.
01:16 [Music]
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