News Archaeology What did Homo sapiens eat 170,000 years ago? Roasted, supersized land snails Charred bits of shell at a southern African site reveal the earliest known snail-meal prep Small groups of people roasted and ate large land snails, much like this modern land snail, at a rock-shelter in southern Africa starting around 170,000 years ago, a new study finds. NunoLopes/iStock/Getty Images Plus Share this:EmailFacebookTwitterPinterestPocketRedditPrint By Bruce Bower April 3, 2023 at 7:00 am Slow-motion large land snails made for easy catching and good eating as early as 170,000 years ago.