The basis of my studies on ancient dogs are not only animal finds, works of art and historical documents (when they are reliable), but also genetics.
A 2016 study (Worldwide patterns of genomic variation and admixture in gray wolves) revealed fascinating findings about the origins of the dog and its connections to wolves. In addition to confirming that the first dogs 'originated' in Europe tens of thousands of years ago from an extinct wolf subspecies (as I theorized back in 2012), geneticists have discovered that some wolves have dog ancestors.
This may seem impossible (if the dog is descended from the wolf, it cannot be the other way around), but it has been found that over 30,000 years ago our ancestors hybridized dogs with wolves, and this happened several times. 1/3
For example, wolves from the Iberian Peninsula, during a genetic 'bottleneck', were crossed with dogs by our ancestors to preserve their lineage.
This practice was also used in America: Mesoamerican civilizations, from Teotihuacan to the Aztecs, regularly hybridized dogs and wolves for religious reasons. Today, among wild wolves, we can encounter some with a black coat, the result of natural hybridizations between dogs and wolves, which have led to a variety of 'grey wolves'.
I will write about the hybridizations induced by Mesoamerican civilizations in my next book, "Migrations", due out at the beginning of 2025.
If you are interested in ancient dogs, you can read “ORIGINS - In search of ancient dog breeds” (Prehistory / Ancient Greece) and “ROMA CANES MUNDI” (dogs of the Roman period), available online in paper and electronic format, in English and Italian (ORIGINS also in French, Spanish and Russian). 2/3
What do you think of these fascinating and incredible connections between dogs and wolves? Are you more curious about genetic discoveries or the mythological stories that our ancestors artfully constructed to celebrate their four-legged heroes? 3/3
About hybridiazion of #wolf and #dog in past #time, implication in wolf #genetics and what i discover in my #studylife #achaeology #History #dogs #pets #PuppyLovers
www.amazon.com/ORIGINS-sear...