Neolithic farmers from middle east brought domesticated pigs to Europe

Pigs, in the west most consumed meat. First domesticated forms came from the middle east to europe (Courtesy of photocase.com)

Researchers from the universities in Switzerland (Joerg Schibler), England (Greger Larson) and Ireland (Keith Dobney) revealed new insights into the origin of modern house pigs and the spread of early agricultural populations in neolithic europe. Scientist from Basel/Switzerland, Oxford/England and Durham/Ireland analysed genetically more then 200 probes of ancient teeth and bones of pigs found at different archaelogical sites of early settlements (7000 years old).

Obviously farmers from more advanced neolithic cultures from the middle east moved westward together with their already domesticated animals stemming from wild boars of the middle east. But some 500 years later these early house pigs were replaced by pigs which were domesticated from local wild boars roaming the early european primeval forests.

This indicates that not only knowledge transfer led to the spread of agriculture in neolithic europe but also through real migration of farmers and their animals from the middle east contributed to the gradual transfer from hunter societies to farming in Europe.
Also evidence of early local domestication of european wild animals is given.

This new study in "Proceedings of National Academy of Science" shows clearly how genetical methods (ancient DNA ) are suitable for combining cultural and biological science to uncover unanswered questions of our ancestors origin and history.

Source: Proceeding of the National Academy of Science, 2007,
http://www.pnas.org

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