Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – The bond between humans and dogs is one of nature’s longest-lasting partnerships, but its origins have been difficult to pinpoint. A new study has now provided clearer answers by identifying the earliest genetic evidence of domestic dogs yet discovered.
Researchers have shown that dogs were already living alongside humans more than 14,000 years ago, significantly reshaping our understanding of when and how this relationship began. An international team analyzed ancient DNA from animal remains found at archaeological sites in the UK and Türkiye, dating to the Late Upper Paleolithic period, well before the rise of farming.
Their results revealed that bones from Gough’s Cave in the UK and Pinarbasi in Türkiye belonged to early domestic dogs. This finding pushes back the confirmed evidence of dog domestication by over 5,000 years.
“We have long believed dogs evolved from grey wolves during the last Ice Age, but physical evidence of their association with humans has been difficult to confirm.
During the earliest stages of domestication, dogs and wolves looked almost identical, and behavioural differences do not show up in the archaeological record,” Professor Oliver Craig, from the University of York’s Department of Archaeology and Director of the BioArch Centre, explains.
Earlier research primarily used small DNA fragments and skeletal measurements to study ancient canids. In contrast, this new study successfully reconstructed whole genomes from remains more than 10,000 years old and compared them with over 1,000 modern and ancient dogs and related species.
At the University of York, scientists also carried out a dietary analysis of dog, human, and wolf remains from the same archaeological sites. By measuring carbon and nitrogen isotopes preserved in bone collagen—chemical markers that indicate long-term dietary patterns—they were able to determine what these animals and people ate over extended periods.
This shared diet provides strong evidence of a close and cooperative relationship between humans and dogs during the Ice Age.
“A key finding came from Pinarbasi, where the data showed that domestic dogs consumed a diet rich in fish, closely matching that of local humans.
It is unlikely dogs were catching significant amounts of fish themselves, suggesting they were being actively fed by people,” Lizzie Hodgson, PhD student from the University of York’s Department of Archaeology, said.
“This study reveals the beginnings of a human and canine bond that continues to this day. It’s a narrative that began towards the end of the Ice Age but was foundational to many of the modern breeds we see today,” Dr. Sophy Charlton, from the University of York’s Department of Archaeology, said.
14,300-year-old dog jawbone from Gough’s Cave, UK Credit: The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London
The study indicates that dogs were present among various hunter-gatherer groups, including Epigravettian and Magdalenian communities, toward the end of the Ice Age.
Genetic analysis shows that these early dogs were more closely related to the ancestors of modern European and Middle Eastern breeds than to Arctic dogs, suggesting an early diversification of dog lineages and distinct regional histories of domestication.
“These specimens allowed us to identify additional ancient dogs from sites in Germany, Italy and Switzerland, showing they were already widely dispersed across Europe and Türkiye by at-least 14,000 years ago,” Dr William Marsh, from the Natural History Museum, said.
Experts suggest that this evidence indicates dogs may have been domesticated more than 10,000 years before any other animals or plants. In addition to genetic analysis, researchers studied how early dogs and humans might have lived together. Although the precise role of these early dogs is still uncertain, the findings suggest they were closely integrated into human communities. One key piece of evidence is a dog jawbone from Gough’s Cave, dated to around 15,000 years ago, which is now regarded as the earliest known domesticated dog in the UK.
Dr. Lachie Scarsbrook of LMU Munich explained that this evidence suggests major dog lineages were already established around 15,000 years ago. According to him, “Dogs with very different ancestries already existed across Eurasia, from Somerset to Siberia.”
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Additional findings, such as the intentional burial of dogs, indicate that these animals may have held emotional or cultural importance for humans. Researchers say the discovery underscores the deep and long-standing relationship between humans and dogs, dating back to the end of the last Ice Age.
The study was published in the journal Nature
Written by Conny Waters – AncientPages.com Staff Writer
