Disputes about how the domestication of dogs occurred have been going on for quite some time. It was possible to put an end to this issue only after the complete decoding of the genome of these animals. Today it is absolutely obvious that these of our pets are the descendants of ancient wolves, as well as the closest relatives of modern wolves. How did domestication happen? In which territories and at what time? These and many other questions are answered in this article.
Territories
One of the main questions that the researchers asked was information about where and when exactly the domestication of the dog occurred. Most scientists come to the conclusion that this happened about 25 thousand years ago, that is, long before human development of agriculture. Domestication of the dog has become an important stage in the history of the human race, since this particular species of animals is the first domesticated. In addition, it is clear that this happened on the Eurasian continent. However, the researchers sought the exact place of domestication of the animal for many years.
Understanding in what century the process of domestication of dogs began, we can conclude that this happened around the 15th century BC.
Recent studies have shown that dogs are not descended from one, but from two completely different populations of ancient wolves. In addition, it turned out that double domestication of dogs occurred on opposite ends of the Eurasian continent.
Where to look for a clue?
More recently, some researchers believed that the very first domestic dogs appeared in Europe, and others in Asia. The situation was significantly complicated by various archaeological research, which indicated that ancient dogs had settled on both sides of the Eurasian continent many millennia ago.
Recent studies on the history of domestication of dogs demonstrate that both sides are right.
When comparing genetic data with archaeological research, an international team of scientists came to the conclusion that dogs came from two completely different wolf populations. More precisely, the extinct animals that are considered the ancestors of not only modern dogs, but also modern wolves. Therefore, most likely, the taming of a dog by a man took place twice on different parts of the mainland.
Oxford University representatives led these studies. They found that these wolf populations lived in the west and east of Eurasia, being unconnected.
Based on this, it can be concluded that the domestication of a dog by a person occurred in the Paleolithic era. The discovery was made by two groups of people independently of each other. At about the same time, they came to the conclusion that these useful and intelligent four-legged animals can be tamed and raised so that they can live next to a person and help him in everything.
Genome decoding
An important step in resolving the issue of domestication was the findings found in a Neolithic corridor tomb in Ireland called Newgrange. Here archaeologists found the remains of an ancient small dog. Her age was about 4,800 years. DNA was extracted from these remains for further research.
The authors of this work from Irish Trinity College noted that it was just from the remains of this dog that DNA was isolated, which has become the most informative of all that has been preserved at present. Thanks to her, I managed to get a prehistoric genome of rare quality.
Comparative analysis
Further work was carried out together with the staff of the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. Mitochondrial DNA from the remains of 59 ancient dogs that lived from 3 to 14 thousand years ago was analyzed and collected. The genetic signatures of this animal, including the signature of the same dog from Newgrange, were compared among themselves and with the previously studied genomes of two and a half thousand modern dogs.
Scientists noted that reconstruction of the past using modern DNA is the most accurate way of research, which can be conditionally compared with reading a history textbook. But at the same time, as in reading the textbook, one can never thoroughly know what information, possibly important, was irretrievably lost or lost. A completely different situation arises when you have ancient DNA in your hands. In this case, the situation is more reminiscent of the ability to use a time machine, which allows the researcher to study the past, literally observing it with his own eyes.
Composition of the population
DNA-based data show a significant genetic difference between dogs from two different geographical regions. It also indicates a cardinal change in the composition of the population on the European continent. As a result, the earlier dog population was simply crowded out.
Apparently, this was directly related to the massive influx of dogs from other regions, for example, from East Asia. According to research, the ancestors of modern dogs arose in Eastern and Western Europe about 12 thousand years ago, but in the regions of Central Asia they appeared only about eight thousand years ago.
With a high degree of probability, it can be argued that the original population of ancient wolves was divided into western and eastern Eurasian wolves. They were domesticated independently of each other, but the wild species itself eventually died out for an unknown reason.
At some point after this domestication, supposedly about 6,400 years ago, dogs from the east set off with their owners towards Europe. It was some kind of massive and important relocation. There they were already mixed with ancient European dogs, they even partially replaced them.
Europeans and Asians
Currently, most dogs today are a cross between Western and Eastern ancestors. For this reason, for such a long time, it has been so difficult for scientists to establish the truth about modern DNA-based dogs. Researchers now claim that some of the oldest four-legged breeds, which include the Greenland sled dog and Siberian husky, have genes that are characteristic of both East Asian and Western Eurasian branches.
The new work, completed by scientists quite recently, allowed them to find the answer to many questions, but at the same time they note that there is still a lot of research ahead. Some points remain unclear to this day. For example, with regard to Eurasian dogs, which then ended up in Europe. The theory of their single common origin seems unlikely to many. The main problem is to refute or finally confirm these conclusions.
Future research
In the future, researchers expect to combine modern and ancient data collected on genetics, conduct detailed archaeological research, and then analyze them in detail so that there are no white spots in the history of domestication of dogs. To do this, you will already need to create a detailed chronology of events that have been restored literally bit by bit, and then fully explore the geography of the origin of a person’s best friend.
In the future plans of geneticists to compare the DNA of ancient dogs with the Australian dingo dog, which, in all probability, came from a branch of East Asian dogs. If the dingo does not have any traces of the European DNA of their ancestors, then this will be further evidence in favor of the theory of double domestication of this animal by man.
Early period
Researchers distinguish several periods in the history of the domestication of cats, dogs and other wild animals. It was the era of the Upper Paleolithic. At the same time, it is rather difficult to determine the centers of domestication of dogs, the reasons for this and more accurate time periods.
Some archaeological finds, drawings and cave paintings allow us to conclude that the dog was represented throughout the Mesolithic in the Volga-Oksky interfluve. At that time, she was most likely the only pet. Mesolithic dogs were distinguished by powerful jaws and large sizes. There are also suggestions that the local population ate them. Bones and skins were used to make needle needles; her main role at that time was to help on the hunt.
At the same time, cats were domesticated only about seven and a half thousand years BC in the Middle East and Cyprus.
Application
In addition to participating in the hunt, the dog in the initial stages was actively used as a guard animal. Moreover, it was her hunting qualities that became the key factor in her domestication. The main thing in the struggle for survival for the ancient people was to find the most perfect method of obtaining food.
The existing hypothesis about the use of dogs to increase hunting efficiency was experimentally confirmed in 2004 by reputable Finnish scientists.
Breed history
Many researchers are trying to establish the regions and centers of domestication of dogs of different breeds. Today, there are a large number of breeds completely different from each other. Moreover, they differ in character and appearance. Their height can already vary from a few centimeters at the withers, like a chihuahua, to almost a meter, like a dog and an Irish wolfhound.
A similar variety has existed since ancient times. Aristotle describes different breeds of dogs in Greece, which get their names depending on the region of origin. For example, Molossian dogs came from Molossia, Spartan dogs from Sparta, and Melitian dogs from the island of Malta. In ancient Rome, the Phoenician breeds originally from Carthage were widespread.
So, Iberian dogs called large shepherds, which were common in Western and Eastern Iberia. Currently, there are about five hundred dog breeds in the world, while breeding work is constantly ongoing.