PREVIEW

BY MARK WORGAN

Scientists have identified the first evidence of domesticated dogs at sites in the UK and Turkiye dating back to around 15,000 years ago.

Using ancient DNA analysis, researchers identified dogs at archaeological sites dating to a period when all humans were hunter-gatherers and agriculture had yet to emerge.

Scientists have long understood that dogs evolved from grey wolves and suspected this process began during the Ice Age. However, evidence from pre-agricultural sites has been scarce and difficult to verify. In the early stages of domestication, dog and wolf skeletons were likely indistinguishable, while behavioural differences leave little trace in the archaeological record.

Previous research has relied largely on short DNA sequences and skeletal measurements to identify early dogs. In this latest study, researchers from 17 institutions analysed whole genomes from archaeological specimens more than 10,000 years old. These were excavated from Upper Palaeolithic sites including Gough’s Cave in the UK and Pınarbaşı in Türkiye, and compared with more than 1,000 modern and ancient dogs and wolves worldwide.

Dr William Marsh, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Natural History Museum and co-first author of the study, said: “The genetic identification of two Palaeolithic dogs from Gough’s Cave and Pınarbaşı represents a step-change in our understanding of the earliest dogs. These specimens allowed us to identify additional ancient dogs from sites in Germany, Italy and Switzerland, which clearly show that dogs were already widely dispersed across Europe and Türkiye by at-least 14,000 years ago.”

The findings confirmed the bones belonged to dogs and pushed back the earliest direct evidence of domesticated dogs by more than 5,000 years. A re-analysis of earlier data also suggests dogs were likely spread among Epigravettian and Magdalenian hunter-gatherer communities across Europe towards the end of the Ice Age.

Dr William Marsh, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Natural History Museum and co-first author of the study, said: “The genetic identification of two Palaeolithic dogs from Gough’s Cave and Pınarbaşı represents a step-change in our understanding of the earliest dogs. These specimens allowed us to identify additional ancient dogs from sites in Germany, Italy and Switzerland, which clearly show that dogs were already widely dispersed across Europe and Türkiye by at-least 14,000 years ago.”

The DNA evidence also revealed that these early dogs were more closely related to the ancestors of present-day European and Middle Eastern breeds, such as boxers and salukis, than to Arctic breeds like Siberian huskies. This suggests that the main genetic lineages of modern dogs were already established by the Upper Palaeolithic period.

Dr Lachie Scarsbrook, Postdoctoral Researcher at LMU Munich and co-first author, said: “This means that by 15,000 years ago, dogs with very different ancestries already existed across Eurasia, from Somerset to Siberia. This raises the possibility that domestication occurred during the last Ice Age, more than 10,000 years before the appearance of any other domestic plants or animals.”

Researchers say the role these dogs played in Palaeolithic communities remains unclear. However, the study suggests they may have been exchanged between culturally and genetically distinct groups.

Further clues of close human–dog relationships were found through dietary isotope analysis and morphological studies led by teams at the University of York and the Natural History Museum. Evidence from Pınarbaşı indicates people may have fed dogs fish, and the animals appear to have been intentionally buried - pointing to a close bond between humans and dogs. Similar signs were found at Gough’s Cave and a site in Germany.

Simon Parfitt of UCL Institute of Archaeology said: “The first clue that the Gough’s Cave bones, dating to around 15,000 years ago, belonged to dogs came from their unusually small size – particularly striking compared with the exceptionally large wolves of the time. DNA now confirms they were ancient domestic dogs, loyal companions to Ice Age hunters at the northern edge of the inhabited world. Notably, some bones show deliberate human modification, including perforations in mandibles, suggesting these dogs held symbolic significance after death as well as companionship during life.”

Ceawlin Thynn, the 8th Marquess of Bath, whose estate includes Cheddar Gorge and Caves, added: “Ongoing research on Cheddar finds continues to inform and expand our knowledge of the lives of our ancient ancestors. The dog jawbone from Gough’s Cave that has been identified as the earliest known domesticated dog in the UK was among many specimens discovered during the excavations in Gough’s Cave between 1927 and 1931 was donated to the Natural History Museum in 1928 by my great-grandfather, Thomas Thynne, 5th Marquess of Bath. Today’s paper is an exciting step in learning more about the history of the caves and the part they played in the lives of our ancestors.”

This study is published alongside a related article in an issue of Nature and is entitled Genomic History of Early Dogs in Europe.