Archaeological evidence suggests that dogs diverged from wolves during the Palaeolithic, more than 15,000 years ago1–7. The earliest unequivocal genetic evidence, however, is associated with dog remains from Mesolithic archaeological contexts (roughly 10,900 years ago)8,9. Here we generate both nuclear and mitochondrial genomes from canid remains at Pınarbaşı in Türkiye (roughly 15,800 years ago)10 and Gough’s Cave in the British Isles (roughly 14,300 years ago)11, as well as from dogs excavated from two Mesolithic sites in Serbia (Padina 11,500–7,900 years ago and Vlasac roughly 8,900 years ago)12,13. Our analyses indicate that a genetically homogeneous dog population was already widely distributed across Europe and Anatolia during the Late Upper Palaeolithic (by at least 14,300 years ago). This finding suggests that dogs were exchanged among genetically and culturally distinct Western Eurasian Late Palaeolithic human populations, namely the Magdalenian, Epigravettian and Anatolian Hunter-Gatherers10,14–16. Last, we identify a major influx of Eastern Eurasian dog ancestry during the Mesolithic, concomitant with the movement of Eastern Hunter-Gatherer populations into Europe14, which led to the establishment of the primary ancestry characteristics that define European dog populations today.
Dogs were widely distributed across western Eurasia during the Palaeolithic / Marsh, William A.; Scarsbrook, Lachie; Yüncü, Eren; Hodgson, Lizzie; Lin, Audrey T.; De Iorio, Maria; Thalmann, Olaf; Thomas, Mark G.; Goor, Mahaut; Bergström, Anders; Noseda, Angela; Amiri, Sarieh; Biglari, Fereidoun; Boric, Dusan; Bougiouri, Katia; Carmagnini, Alberto; Giannì, Maddalena; Higham, Tom; Lebrasseur, Ophelie; Linderholm, Anna; Mannino, Marcello A.; Middleton, Caroline; Mustafaoğlu, Gökhan; Perri, Angela; Peters, Joris; Richards, Mike; Sarıtaş, Özlem; Skoglund, Pontus; Stevens, Rhiannon E.; Stringer, Chris; Tabbada, Kristina; Talbot, Helen M.; Van Der Sluis, Laura G.; Bello, Silvia M.; Dimitrijevic, Vesna; Martin, Louise; Mashkour, Marjan; Parfitt, Simon A.; Vukovic, Sonja; Brace, Selina; Craig, Oliver E.; Baird, Douglas; Charlton, Sophy; Larson, Greger; Barnes, Ian; Frantz, Laurent A. F.. - In: NATURE. - ISSN 0028-0836. - 651:8107(2026), pp. 995-1003. [10.1038/s41586-026-10170-x]
Dogs were widely distributed across western Eurasia during the Palaeolithic
Boric, DusanMembro del Collaboration Group
;
2026
Abstract
Archaeological evidence suggests that dogs diverged from wolves during the Palaeolithic, more than 15,000 years ago1–7. The earliest unequivocal genetic evidence, however, is associated with dog remains from Mesolithic archaeological contexts (roughly 10,900 years ago)8,9. Here we generate both nuclear and mitochondrial genomes from canid remains at Pınarbaşı in Türkiye (roughly 15,800 years ago)10 and Gough’s Cave in the British Isles (roughly 14,300 years ago)11, as well as from dogs excavated from two Mesolithic sites in Serbia (Padina 11,500–7,900 years ago and Vlasac roughly 8,900 years ago)12,13. Our analyses indicate that a genetically homogeneous dog population was already widely distributed across Europe and Anatolia during the Late Upper Palaeolithic (by at least 14,300 years ago). This finding suggests that dogs were exchanged among genetically and culturally distinct Western Eurasian Late Palaeolithic human populations, namely the Magdalenian, Epigravettian and Anatolian Hunter-Gatherers10,14–16. Last, we identify a major influx of Eastern Eurasian dog ancestry during the Mesolithic, concomitant with the movement of Eastern Hunter-Gatherer populations into Europe14, which led to the establishment of the primary ancestry characteristics that define European dog populations today.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
