Searching for Domestication Signatures in Fossil Dogs and Wolves of Northern Eurasia. Part 1
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21814074 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Aleksei K Kasparov, Varvara V Ivanova (0000-0002-7614-660X, Physical Sciences (United States)), E Y Pavlova (0000-0002-3010-6290), V Pitulko (0000-0001-5672-2756, Weatherford College), Vladimir V Pitulko |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 70 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Publication date | 2025-10-23 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1812-9323 • E-ISSN: 2541-9390 |
| Publisher | Saint Petersburg State University (PUBLISHER • RU) |
| DOI | 10.21638/spbu02.2025.313 |
| OpenAlex | W7167704581 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 38 |
Despite the long history of research, the problem of reliable morphological identification of fossil canids still stands, especially for the early stages of wolf/dog domestication. Mandibles are best preserved in geological record. Their morphology mostly allows reliable species identification of fossil canid bone remains. Based on the reference wolf and domestic dog samples from recent populations, we developed a method of species identification of bone remains of large canid species (wolves and dogs) using the mandibular curvature index (DD-M index). For assessment of its reliability, it was applied to test a sample of large canid fossils from geological and archaeological contexts of Northern Eurasia within historical Russia. Chronologically, the sample covers the entire coexistence time of humans and dogs for past ~50,000 years. Remains of wolves, dogs and transitional forms were identified. Their relationship over the time mirrors stages of dog domestication. Results can be considered as a certain support for the commensal hypothesis of dog domestication, or self-domestication through scavenging in human-created food niche. Over the entire length of coexistence, special human-canid relationship is observable (dog burials, man-created concentrations of skulls, other symbolic actions). Use of large dogs likely begins in the Late Glacial. Since then, dogs can be viewed as an economically significant cultural phenomenon. Diagnostic approach used in the study demonstrates its reliability; it is most effective when studying fossil samples of primitive dog (that is those which kept wolf-like traits, e. g. husky-like dogs) and wolf remains. Suggested criterion (DD-M index) is sufficiently universal and can be applied to the samples of different geography and temporal depth
Animal species · Domestication · Fossil Record · Zooarchaeology · Human-Animal Interaction Studies · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
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| Highly cited | No |
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