Ancient and modern DNA reveal dynamics of domestication and cross-continental dispersal of the dromedary

Dromedaries have been fundamental to the development of human societies in arid landscapes and for long-distance trade across hostile hot terrains for 3,000 y. Today they continue to be an important livestock resource in marginal agro-ecological zones. However, the history of dromedary domestication and the influence of ancient trading networks on their genetic structure have remained elusive. We combined ancient DNA sequences of wild and early-domesticated dromedary samples from arid regions with nuclear microsatellite and mitochondrial genotype information from 1,083 extant animals collected across the species’ range. We observe little phylogeographic signal in the modern population, indicative of extensive gene flow and virtually affecting all regions except East Africa, where dromedary populations have remained relatively isolated. In agreement with archaeological findings, we identify wild dromedaries from the southeast Arabian Peninsula among the founders of the domestic dromedary gene pool. Approximate Bayesian computations further support the “restocking from the wild” hypothesis, with an initial domestication followed by introgression from individuals from wild, now-extinct populations. Compared with other livestock, which show a long history of gene flow with their wild ancestors, we find a high initial diversity relative to the native distribution of the wild ancestor on the Arabian Peninsula and to the brief coexistence of early-domesticated and wild individuals. This study also demonstrates the potential to retrieve ancient DNA sequences from osseous remains excavated in hot and dry desert environments

The 10,000-year biocultural history of fallow deer and its implications for conservation policy

Over the last 10,000 years, humans have manipulated fallow deer populations with varying outcomes. Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) are now endangered. European fallow deer (Dama dama) are globally widespread and are simultaneously considered wild, domestic, endangered, invasive, and are even the national animal of Barbuda and Antigua. Despite their close association with people, there is no consensus regarding their natural ranges or the timing and circumstances of their human-mediated translocations and extirpations. Our mitochondrial analyses of modern and archaeological specimens revealed two distinct clades of European fallow deer present in Anatolia and the Balkans. Zooarchaeological evidence suggests these regions were their sole glacial refugia. By combining biomolecular analyses with archaeological and textual evidence, we chart the declining distribution of Persian fallow deer and demonstrate that humans repeatedly translocated European fallow deer, sourced from the most geographically distant populations. Deer taken to Chios and Rhodes in the Neolithic derived not from nearby Anatolia, but from the Balkans. Though fallow deer were translocated throughout the Mediterranean as part of their association with the Greco-Roman goddesses Artemis and Diana, deer taken to Roman Mallorca were not locally available Dama dama, but Dama mesopotamica. Romans also initially introduced fallow deer to Northern Europe but the species became extinct and was reintroduced in the medieval period, this time from Anatolia. European colonial powers then transported deer populations across the globe. We argue that these biocultural histories of fallow deer should underpin modern management strategie

The 10,000-year biocultural history of fallow deer and its implications for conservation policy

Over the last 10,000 y, humans have manipulated fallow deer populations with varying outcomes. Persian fallow deer ( Dama mesopotamica ) are now endangered. European fallow deer ( Dama dama ) are globally widespread and are simultaneously considered wild, domestic, endangered, invasive and are even the national animal of Barbuda and Antigua. Despite their close association with people, there is no consensus regarding their natural ranges or the timing and circumstances of their human-mediated translocations and extirpations. Our mitochondrial analyses of modern and archaeological specimens revealed two distinct clades of European fallow deer present in Anatolia and the Balkans. Zooarchaeological evidence suggests these regions were their sole glacial refugia. By combining biomolecular analyses with archaeological and textual evidence, we chart the declining distribution of Persian fallow deer and demonstrate that humans repeatedly translocated European fallow deer, sourced from the most geographically distant populations. Deer taken to Neolithic Chios and Rhodes derived not from nearby Anatolia, but from the Balkans. Though fallow deer were translocated throughout the Mediterranean as part of their association with the Greco-Roman goddesses Artemis and Diana, deer taken to Roman Mallorca were not locally available Dama dama , but Dama mesopotamica . Romans also initially introduced fallow deer to Northern Europe but the species became extinct and was reintroduced in the medieval period, this time from Anatolia. European colonial powers then transported deer populations across the globe. The biocultural histories of fallow deer challenge preconceptions about the divisions between wild and domestic species and provide information that should underpin modern management strategies

Data sharing reveals complexity in the westward spread of domestic animals across Neolithic Turkey

This study presents the results of a major data integration project bringing together primary archaeozoological data for over 200,000 faunal specimens excavated from seventeen sites in Turkey spanning the Epipaleolithic through Chalcolithic periods, c. 18,000-4,000 cal BC, in order to document the initial westward spread of domestic livestock across Neolithic central and western Turkey. From these shared datasets we demonstrate that the westward expansion of Neolithic subsistence technologies combined multiple routes and pulses but did not involve a set 'package' comprising all four livestock species including sheep, goat, cattle and pig. Instead, Neolithic animal economies in the study regions are shown to be more diverse than deduced previously using quantitatively more limited datasets. Moreover, during the transition to agro-pastoral economies interactions between domestic stock and local wild fauna continued. Through publication of datasets with Open Context (opencontext.org), this project emphasizes the benefits of data sharing and web-based dissemination of large primary data sets for exploring major questions in archaeology (Alternative Language Abstract S1)

Ancient pigs reveal a near-complete genomic turnover following their introduction to Europe

Archaeological evidence indicates that pig domestication had begun by ~10,500 y before the present (BP) in the Near East, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) suggests that pigs arrived in Europe alongside farmers ~8,500 y BP. A few thousand years after the introduction of Near Eastern pigs into Europe, however, their characteristic mtDNA signature disappeared and was replaced by haplotypes associated with European wild boars. This turnover could be accounted for by substantial gene flow from local Euro-pean wild boars, although it is also possible that European wild boars were domesticated independently without any genetic con-tribution from the Near East. To test these hypotheses, we obtained mtDNA sequences from 2,099 modern and ancient pig samples and 63 nuclear ancient genomes from Near Eastern and European pigs. Our analyses revealed that European domestic pigs dating from 7,100 to 6,000 y BP possessed both Near Eastern and European nuclear ancestry, while later pigs possessed no more than 4% Near Eastern ancestry, indicating that gene flow from European wild boars resulted in a near-complete disappearance of Near East ancestry. In addition, we demonstrate that a variant at a locus encoding black coat color likely originated in the Near East and persisted in European pigs. Altogether, our results indicate that while pigs were not independently domesticated in Europe, the vast majority of human-mediated selection over the past 5,000 y focused on the genomic fraction derived from the European wild boars, and not on the fraction that was selected by early Neolithic farmers over the first 2,500 y of the domestication process

Report on the Faunal Remains from Trench K (Roman Pessinus, Central Anatolia)

De Cupere Bea. Report on the Faunal Remains from Trench K (Roman Pessinus, Central Anatolia). In: Anatolia Antiqua, Tome 3, 1995. pp. 161-164

Faunal remains from Neolithic Höyücek (SW-Turkey) and the presence of early domestic cattle in Anatolia

This paper presents the results of a study of the faunal remains from the Neolithic site of Höyücek (Bucak, SW- Turkey). Osteo- metric analysis of the cattle bones reveals that they belonged to the domestic form. A comparison of the raw measuremens to those from other Anatolian sites indicates that small-sized bones of domestic cattle are present from the 8th millennium BP (uncal.) onwards only, i.e. during the first half of the 8th millennium BP in the east of Anatolia at Mersin-Yumuktepe, and in the second half of the 8th millennium BP in western Anatolia at Höyücek.Cet article présente les résultats de l'étude du matériel faunique du site Néolithique ď Höyücek (Bucak, s. -о. de la Turquie). L 'analyse ostéométrique des ossements des bœufs montre qu 'ils appartiennent à la forme domestique. La comparaison des données ostéométriques brutes avec celles d'autres sites anatoliens indique que les os de petite taille de boeufs domestiques sont présents uniquement à partir du 8e millénaire BP (non cal.) с 'est-à-dire durant la première moitié du 8e millénaire BP dans l'est de l'Anatolie à Mersin- Yumuktepe et dans l 'ouest à Höyücek dans la deuxième moitié.De Cupere Bea, Duru Raymond. Faunal remains from Neolithic Höyücek (SW-Turkey) and the presence of early domestic cattle in Anatolia. In: Paléorient, 2003, vol. 29, n°1. pp. 107-120

Faunal Remains from Archaeological Sites Document Human Impact on the Terrestrial and Aquatic Environment: examples from the last thousand years in Belgium

The aim of this article is to demonstrate how animal remains from archaeological sites can contribute to a better understanding of human impact on the terrestrial and aquatic environment over time. A number of case studies, mainly from Belgium, illustrate the possible effects of deforestation, overhunting, overfishing and water pollution on wildlife. Species extinctions and introductions from the last millennium are also discussed. It is shown how relevant these results are and how they can be communicated to the general public, the wider scientific community and stakeholders

Animal husbandry at the Early Neolithic to Early Bronze Age site of Bademağacı (Antalya province, SW Turkey): evidence from the faunal remains

Excavations at the mound of Bademağacı have yielded faunal assemblages that were retrieved from levels dated from the Early Neolithic up to the Early Bronze Age. These faunal remains have been used to obtain information on the subsistence of the site. Special attention has been paid to the wild or domestic status of pig, sheep, goat and cattle. Osteometry (using raw measurement data, size indices and mixture analysis), kill-off patterns and sex ratios evidence the domestic status of not only sheep and goat but also of cattle and pig from the beginning of the 7th millennium BC onwards. Diachronic size changes of cattle and sheep, changes in the relative abundance of the pig, sheep/goat and cattle remains, and slaughtering ages have been used to indicate changes in herd management through time. These management changes involved a shift from meat production to an emphasis on dairying practices, and the necessity of coping with environmental limitations.Les fouilles du site de Bademağacı ont livré des collections de restes fauniques qui proviennent des niveaux du Néolithique ancien jusqu’à l’âge du Bronze. Ces restes fauniques ont été analysés afin d’obtenir des informations sur la subsistance des occupants du site. Une attention particulière a été prêtée au statut sauvage ou domestique des cochons, des moutons, des chèvres et des bœufs. Plusieurs aspects, c’est-à-dire l’ostéométrie (en employant les données brutes des mesures, les indices de taille et l’analyse des mélanges), les profils d’abattage et les proportions des sexes, mettent en évidence le statut domestique non seulement du mouton et de la chèvre, mais aussi du bœuf et du porc à partir du début du VIIe millénaire av. J.-C. Les changements de la taille du bœuf et du mouton, les variations des proportions des ossements de cochon, de caprinés et de bœufs ainsi que les profils d’abattage ont été employés pour indiquer les modifications de la gestion des troupeaux au cours des différentes périodes. Ces modifications impliquent une conversion de la production de viande aux produits laitiers, et devaient faire face à des limitations environnementales.De Cupere Bea, Duru Refik, Umurtak Gülsün. Animal husbandry at the Early Neolithic to Early Bronze Age site of Bademağacı (Antalya province, SW Turkey): evidence from the faunal remains. In: Archaeozoology of the Near East VIII. Actes des huitièmes Rencontres internationales d'Archéozoologie de l'Asie du Sud-Ouest et des régions adjacentes. Lyon : Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée Jean Pouilloux, 2008. pp. 367-405. (Travaux de la Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée, 49

Foraging and Food production strategies during the Early Neolithic in the Balkans-Carpatian Area. The site Bukova Pusta in Romanian Banat

This volume brings together leading specialists in archaeobotany, economic zooarchaeology, and palaeoanthropology to discuss practices of food production and consumption in their social dimensions from the Mesolithic to the Early Iron Age ...status: publishe