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Ancestry and history of domestication |
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Written by Admin
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Thursday, 24 November 2005 |
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Page 1 of 5 Ancestry and history of domestication
Molecular systematics indicate that the domestic dog is descended from a
wolf-like ancestor. As reflected in the nomenclature, dogs are a subspecies of
wolf and are thus still able to interbreed.
The relationship between man and canine is a long-standing tradition. Wolf
remains have been found in association with hominid remains dating from 400,000
years ago. Dogs were, and are, valued for their aid in hunting. Dog burials at
the Mesolithic cemetery of Svaerdborg in Denmark indicate that in ancient Europe
dogs were valued companions. The molecular genetic data suggests that the
domestic lineage separated from modern wolves around 150,000 years ago (Vilà et
al, 1997). Conservative estimates propose that the domestication of the dog
probably occurred at least 14,000 years ago. There is archaeological evidence of
dog remains that are morphologically different from wolves from that time frame.
However, in the early 2000s some research indicated that domestication in fact
had already begun to occur as early as 100,000 years ago.
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Dogs in the Past 
