Major scientific breakthrough reveals even cavemen had pet dogs | World | News

A new study published reveals that dogs lived alongside humans in Europe and Türkiye approximately 16,000 years ago. Researchers analyzed ancient DNA from archaeological sites such as Gough’s Cave in England and Pınarbaşı in Türkiye, dating back approximately 16,000 to 14,000 years ago, when all humans were hunter-gatherers and agriculture had not yet emerged. The findings confirmed that these were some of the oldest known domestic dogs. Although it has long been known that dogs descended from gray wolves, it has been difficult to determine when their domestication occurred. Early dog ​​skeletons often resembled wolves, and previous studies relied on short DNA sequences or skeletal measurements, making early identification uncertain.

However, in this study, scientists from 17 institutions obtained complete genomes from samples more than 10,000 years old. Comparing them to more than 1,000 ancient and modern dogs and wolves confirmed that the bones were dogs, pushing the oldest direct evidence back more than 5,000 years.

From the Natural History Museum, Dr. William Marsh said: “The genetic identification of two Palaeolithic dogs found at Gough Cave and Pınarbaşı represents a step change in our understanding of the earliest dogs. These samples have allowed us to identify other ancient dogs from sites in Germany, Italy and Switzerland. This clearly shows that dogs were already widely distributed across Europe and Türkiye by at least 14,000 years ago.”

Dr. from LMU Munich Lachie Scarsbrook added: “By 15,000 years ago, dogs with very different ancestors were already present in Eurasia, from Somerset to Siberia. This raises the possibility that domestication occurred during the last Ice Age, 10,000 years before other domesticated plants or animals appeared.”

DNA also shows that these early dogs were ancestors of modern European and Middle Eastern breeds such as pugs and salukis, rather than Arctic breeds such as Siberian huskies.

Evidence from dietary isotopes and bone analysis suggests that humans fed fish to dogs and deliberately buried them, indicating close ties.

Professor Laurent Frantz from LMU Munich said: “The fact that people replaced dogs so early means that these animals are important. With limited resources, keeping them means they serve a purpose, and one possibility is that they act as a highly efficient alarm system.”

Professor Ian Barnes, from the Natural History Museum, added: “Although people in Europe and Türkiye were culturally and genetically different, dogs appear to have been integrated into these societies. It is surprising to think how these very different groups of people may have worked with dogs as part of their daily hunting and fishing activities.”

Simon Parfitt from UCL and the Natural History Museum highlighted the cultural importance of dogs.

He said: “The first clue that the Gough’s Cave bones, dated to around 15,000 years ago, were dogs came from their unusually small size, particularly striking when compared to the exceptionally large wolves of the time. DNA now confirms that they were ancient domestic dogs, faithful companions of Ice Age hunters. Some bones in particular show deliberate human modifications, including holes in the lower jaws, suggesting that these dogs had symbolic significance after death as well as companionship throughout life.”

This research, published alongside a related study analyzing 216 dog genomes dating back 14,000 to 1,000 years, sheds light on the deep human-dog bond and shows that our partnership with dogs began long before agriculture and has roots dating back to the Ice Age.