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Insights into early pig domestication provided by ancient DNA analysis
Amke Caliebe1, Almut Nebel2, Cheryl Makarewicz3
1Institute of Medical Informatics and Statistics, Kiel University, 24105 Kiel, Germany.
Scientific Reports
|March 17, 2017
Summary
Early European pig farming saw a shift. Initially, northern pigs (Sus scrofa) came from southern domesticated stock, but by 4000 BC, local wild boars became dominant, changing suid management strategies.
Area of Science:
- Archaeogenetics
- Ancient animal husbandry
Background:
- Pigs (Sus scrofa) were domesticated in the Near East ~8,500–8,000 BC and introduced to Europe.
- Early European farmers incorporated local wild boars into domestic herds, leading to the domestication of European wild boars.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a precise geographic and temporal framework for early suid population management in Northern Europe.
- To investigate the origins and matrilineal ancestry of Neolithic domestic pigs in Northern Europe.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of mitochondrial DNA haplotype data from 116 Neolithic Sus specimens.
- Development of a quantitative mathematical model to trace domestic pig haplotypes to their geographic origins.
Main Results:
- Between 5000–4000 BC, northern pig matrilines primarily originated from domesticated animals in south-central Europe.
- From 4000–3000 BC, 78–100% of northern domesticates had northern matrilineal origins, largely from local wild boars.
Conclusions:
- A significant shift in suid management strategies occurred in south-central and Northern Europe after 4000 BC.
- This transition indicates increased reliance on local wild boar populations for domestic pig herds in Northern Europe.
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