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Domestication of the donkey: timing, processes, and indicators
Stine Rossel1, Fiona Marshall, Joris Peters
1Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, 2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark.
Summary
The earliest evidence of donkey domestication and transport use comes from 5,000-year-old skeletons found in Egypt. These ancient donkeys show signs of load-bearing and were still phenotypically changing, indicating a slow domestication process.
Area of Science:
- Archaeology
- Paleontology
- Genetics
Background:
- Donkey domestication from the African wild ass significantly impacted ancient societies in Africa and Asia.
- Pinpointing the exact timing and location of donkey domestication has been difficult due to limited archaeological evidence and challenges in identifying early domestication markers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present new evidence for the earliest transport use of donkeys.
- To identify novel paleopathological indicators for early donkey domestication.
- To analyze skeletal data from ancient Egyptian asses to understand their domestication status.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 10 ancient ass skeletons (approx. 5,000 years old) from Abydos, Egypt.
- Comparative morphometric and paleopathological study of modern donkey and African wild ass skeletons (n=53).
- Examination of metacarpal proportions, midshaft breadths, depths, and distal breadths.
Main Results:
- Skeletal data from Abydos revealed donkeys exhibiting osteopathologies consistent with load carrying, indicating early transport use.
- Morphometric analysis showed Abydos metacarpals were proportionally similar to wild asses but with intermediate measurements, suggesting ongoing phenotypic change.
- The findings indicate that donkeys were still undergoing significant physical changes during Egypt's early Dynastic period.
Conclusions:
- The study provides the earliest evidence for the transport use of donkeys.
- Paleopathological indicators offer new insights into the early stages of donkey domestication.
- Donkey domestication was a gradual and non-linear process, as evidenced by the phenotypic variation observed in ancient Egyptian asses.
