Foxes were domesticated by humans in the Bronze Age – HeritageDaily

In the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula, between the third and the second millennium BC, a widespread funeral practice involved burying humans with animals.

Scientists have found that foxes and dogs are domesticated, their diet similar to that of their owners.

The discovery of four foxes and a large number of dogs at the sites of Can Roqueta (Barcelona) and Minferri (Lleida) is among the many examples of graves in different parts of the Northeast Peninsula. These burials reveal a widespread funeral practice that has proliferated during the middle to middle bronze age: that of burying the man with domestic animals.

The most striking thing about these sites is how to bury the dead in big silos, with their dogs and some foxes. "We discovered that in some cases dogs received a special kind of food. We believe this is related to their working dog function. In addition, one of the foxes is showing signs of being a domestic animal at this time, "Aurora Grandal -Anglade, co-author of a study on the relationship between humans and dogs in their published diet. in the journal Archeological and Anthropological Sciencessaid to Sinc.

By studying stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in bone collagen, as well as archeological, archaeobiological and anthropological studies, researchers were able to compare the diet of buried animals to the diet of their owners. A total of 37 dogs, 19 domestic ungulates and 64 humans were analyzed. The results indicate that the dog diet was similar to that of humans.

The isotopic study of Minferri foxes shows a varied diet: in some cases, it looks like that of the dogs of this site and, in another, it looks more like that of a wild animal or who has had little contact with the man.

"The case of the Can Roqueta fox is very special because it is an old animal with a broken leg. The fracture is still in the healing phase and shows signs of immobilization (healing) by the man. The feeding of this animal is very unusual because it looks more like that of a puppy dog. We interpret it as a domestic animal that has long lived with humans, "says Grandal.

Large dogs used for carrying loads

The study indicates that, in some cases particular to Can Roqueta, there was a cereal-rich food preparation for large dogs, probably used for carrying loads, and for at least one of the foxes.

"These specimens also show signs of spinal disorders related to the transport of heavy objects. Humans were probably looking for a high carbohydrate diet because they were developing a more active job, requiring immediate caloric expenditure. It may seem odd that the dogs were fed with cereals, but this has already been recommended by the first-century Hispano-Roman agronomist, Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella, in his De re rustica, "explains Silvia Albizuri Canadell , co-author of the book and archaeozoologist at the University of Barcelona.

Other animals, such as cows, sheep or goats, are known for their herbivore diet. Their function was probably to provide milk, meat or wool rather than serve as a work force. "The horse was not yet widespread in these societies, no trace of it can be found until later," adds the scientist.

In general, humans and dogs have slightly higher isotopic signals than ungulates, indicating some (not very high) consumption of animal protein, "not necessarily a lot of meat; they could be, for example, derived from milk, "explains Grandal. Archaeological objects include sieves used as "apparatus for making cheese".

In addition, men seem to have included more meat than women in their diet. In the case of dogs, their diet could come mainly from the remains of what humans ate, which most often resembled those of women and children. "That's why we thought they were more connected to these domestic environments," says the researcher. There are many ethnographic parallels that indicate this relationship between women and dogs.

Food and treatment of foxes and dogs

The fundamental role of dogs in the Bronze Age, when livestock and agriculture formed the basis of the economy, was that of herd surveillance and surveillance. They were also responsible for the management of human settlements, taking into account the risk posed by the frequent presence of dangerous animals such as wolves and bears.

"The characteristics of the dogs include their great intelligence, their ease of training and, without a doubt, their defensive behavior. As if that were not enough, this animal was used until the nineteenth century in North America, Canada and Europe for light-weight transport on the back and for pulling carts and sleds. He also served as a beast of burden on the Peninsula in the Bronze Age, "says Albizuri Canadell.

Some archaeological specimens from North America report bone disorders due to traction of the travois. The early colonizers also reported on the use of dogs in these tasks by Indian populations up to the nineteenth century AD, although they were only identified in Europe as a few years ago.

"It is the specimens of Can Roqueta under investigation that have triggered the alarm about the use of this animal for light loads since ancient times, and they are an exceptional case in Europe," says Albizuri Canadell.

Similar pathologies have also recently been identified in the vertebrae of Siberian Paleolithic dogs, suggesting that one of the first tasks since their first domestication was the drawing of sleds and travois, in addition to hunting.

His role as a transport animal in early migrations and in human movements across glacial Europe could have been fundamental and far more important than it was thought until recently. .

The reason for the offerings of animals

Exceptional discoveries, such as those of graves Nos. 88 and 40 of the Minferri (Lleida) site, show that in the Bronze Age there were already well-differentiated funerary treatments in human communities.

"In the two structures mentioned above, the remains of three individuals were found with animal offerings. In the grave No. 88, there was the body of an old man with the remains of a whole cow and the legs of up to seven goats. We also found the remains of a young woman with the offering of a whole goat, two foxes and a bovine horn, "says Ariadna Nieto Espinet, archaeologist at the ############################################################################################### 39, University of Lleida and co-author of the study.

Structure No. 405 discovered the body of an individual, possibly a woman, with whole bodies of two cattle and two dogs. "We still do not know why only a few people would have had the right or the privilege of being buried with this type of offering, unlike what happens with the vast majority of burials," emphasizes L & # 39; ;expert.

In Can Roqueta, clear differences were also observed in the pet depots in the graves of adult men and women, which are reflected even in children's graves. We can deduce the existence of a social status inheritance from birth.

"It is tempting to think that if we understand domestic animals as a very important part of the agro-pastoral agro-pastoral economy of the Bronze Age and the property of some people in life, these This could be an indicator of the wealth of society. dead person or his clan or family, "says Nieto Espinet.

"It seems that species such as cattle and dogs, two of the most recurrent animals in funeral offerings, are those that could have played a fundamental role in the economy and work, as well as in the symbolic world. , becoming elements of ostentation, prestige and protection, "she concludes.

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