Dog history is really the history of the partnership between dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and humans. That partnership is based on human needs for help with herding and hunting, an early alarm system, and a source of food in addition to the companionship many of us today know and love. Dogs get companionship, protection and shelter, and a reliable food source out of the deal. But when this partnership first occurred is at the moment under some controversy.
Dog history has been studied recently using mitochondrial DNA, which suggests that wolves and dogs split into different species around 100,000 years ago; but whether humans had anything to do with that, no one really knows. Another recent study suggests that the entire population of dogs today are descended from three females near China about 15,000 years ago: these two competing studies probably represent a reworking of the genetic clock as scientists become more familiar with the process.
Dog History and Archaeological Data
Archaeological evidence for dog domestication isn't quite that old. A burial site in Germany called Bonn-Oberkassel has joint human and dog interments dated to 14,000 years ago. The earliest domesticated dog found in China is at the early Neolithic (7000-5800 BC) Jiahu site in Henan Province. European Mesolithic sites like Skateholm (5250-3700 BC) in Sweden have dog burials, proving the value of the furry beasts to hunter-gatherer settlements. Danger Cave in Utah is the earliest case of dog burial in the Americas, at about 11,000 years ago.
Dog History: When Were Dogs Domesticated?
Under normal conditions, I would set a date for the probable domestication of an animal on the conservative side: the date at which the first rock-solid genetic changes were made in an animal. But, if I were a betting woman, I'd say that of all the animals in the world humans have domesticated, the dog would most likely have been the first. So, I'm going to stick my neck out and use the 13,000 year BC date as the probable date of domestication. You (or your teachers) may feel otherwise.
Brief Bibliography
This article is part of the About.com Guide to the History of Animal Domestication.
Bozell, John R. 1988 Changes in the role of the dog in Proto-historic Pawnee culture. Plains Anthropologist 33(119):95-111.
Haag, William G. 1948 Dog Remains in Archeological Sites. Plains Anthropologist 1(3):27-28.
Henderson, Norman 1994 Replicating dog travois travel on the northern plains. Plains Anthropologist 39(148):145-159.
Morey, Darcy F. 2006 Burying key evidence: the social bond between dogs and people. Journal of Archaeological Science 33 158-175.
Snyder, Lynn M. 1991 Barking mutton: Ethnohistoric, ethnographic, archaeological, and nutritional evidence pertaining to the dog as a native American food resource on the Plains. In Beamers, Bobwhites, and Blue-Points: Tributes to the Career of Paul W. Parmalee. James R. Purdue, Walter E. Klippel, and Bonnie W. Styles, eds. Pp. 359-378. Springfield: Illinois State Museum Scientific Papers Vol. 23.
Wapnish, Paula and Brian Hesse. 1993. Pampered pooches or plain pariahs? The Ashkelon dog burials. Biblical Archaeologist 56(2):55-80.
White, Christine D., Mary E. D. Pohl, Henry P. Schwarcz, and Fred J. Longstaffe 2005 Isotopic Evidence for Maya Patterns of Deer and Dog Use at Preclassic Colha. Journal of Archaeological Science 28(1):89-107.
Vila, Carles et al. 1997. Multiple and ancient origins of the domestic dog. Science 276(5319):1687-9.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
