The Fall's Curse Upon the Serpent Recorded in Egypt

Across the river from Thebes, in the Valley of the Kings, frescoes in the tomb of Sethos I (Seti) tell a strange story. Snakes on the wall have been painted with legs and scaly feet. They grin menacingly, and the accompanying hieroglyphs indicate an ancient knowledge that snakes were not always without legs. According to the Sethos I inscriptions, "the serpent's forebears possessed feet." [...]

The Sethos I inscriptions connect the snake's ancestors with an evil curse, which was cast upon them for one offense or another when the world was still very young. The nature of the offense is not described, but the punishment is clear: Their legs were taken away, and henceforth they were obliged to crawl upon their bellies.

Pellegrino, Charles, Return to Sodom and Gomorrah: Bible Stories from Archaeologists, New York: Random House, 1994, pp. 51-53.