October 2022
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250 Reads
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1 Citation
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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October 2022
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250 Reads
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1 Citation
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
June 2022
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951 Reads
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49 Citations
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
SignificanceChickens are the world's most numerous domestic animal. In order to understand when, where, and how they first became associated with human societies, we critically assessed the domestic status of chicken remains described in >600 sites in 89 countries, and evaluated zoogeographic, morphological, osteometric, stratigraphic, contextual, iconographic, and textual data. Although previous studies have made claims for an early origin of chickens, our results suggest that unambiguous chickens were not present until ∼1650 to 1250 BCE in central Thailand. A correlation between early chickens and the first appearance of rice and millet cultivation suggests that the production and storage of these cereals may have acted as a magnet, thus initiating the chicken domestication process.
June 2022
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898 Reads
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25 Citations
Antiquity
Little is known about the early history of the chicken ( Gallus gallus domesticus ), including the timing and circumstances of its introduction into new cultural environments. To evaluate its spatio-temporal spread across Eurasia and north-west Africa, the authors radiocarbon dated 23 chicken bones from presumed early contexts. Three-quarters returned dates later than those suggested by stratigraphy, indicating the importance of direct dating. The results indicate that chickens did not arrive in Europe until the first millennium BC. Moreover, a consistent time-lag between the introduction of chickens and their consumption by humans suggests that these animals were initially regarded as exotica and only several centuries later recognised as a source of ‘food’.
May 2021
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428 Reads
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5 Citations
Antiquity
Astonishingly little is known about the early history of the chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). To better understand their spatiotemporal spread across Eurasia and Africa, we radiocarbon dated presumed early chicken bones. The results indicate chickens were an Iron Age arrival to Europe and that there was a consistent time-lag of several centuries between their introduction to new regions and incorporation into the human diet. Well-dated evidence for Britain and mainland Europe suggests chickens were initially considered exotica and buried as individuals, were gradually incorporated into human funerary rites, and only much later came to be seen as just ‘food’.
April 2021
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1,217 Reads
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8 Citations
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
Determining the age of bird remains after the cessation of growth is challenging due to the absence of techniques such as tooth eruption and wear available for mammals. Without these techniques it is difficult to reconstruct hunting strategies, husbandry regimes and wider human‐animal relationships. This paper presents a new method, developed from a collection (n = 71) of known‐age specimens of domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus L. 1758), for assessing age based on the fusion and size of the tarsometatarsal spur. Using this method we reconstruct the demographics of domestic fowl from Iron Age to Early Modern sites in Britain to reveal the changing dynamics of human‐domestic fowl relationships. We highlight the advanced age that cockerels often attained in their early history and how their life expectancies have subsequently declined.
February 2020
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375 Reads
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15 Citations
Quaternary International
The exceptional eggshell assemblage from Çatalhöyük was studied using an integrated approach combining morphology (by optical and scanning electron microscopy) and palaeoproteomics (by mass spectrometry). We provide taxonomic classification for 90 fragments, of which only 11 remain undetermined. The striking predominance of Anseriformes (probably including greylag geese, as well as ducks and swans) in all types of deposits examined, particularly middens and burial fills, suggests that these eggs were exploited as food and, at the same time, had a special significance for the inhabitants of the site. We detected the presence of crane eggshell in contexts associated with both the world of the living and the world of the dead (consistent with the well-known importance of this bird at Çatalhöyük), as well as the possible but infrequent occurrence of bustards and herons. Overall, we suggest that eggshell analysis, together with osteological data and the archaeological context, can provide the basis for a nuanced understanding of the relationship between humans and birds in the past.
August 2019
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77 Reads
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6 Citations
Journal of Archaeological Science Reports
Microscopic analyses can be used to determine whether fragments of eggshell come from hatched, incubated or non-incubated eggs. This information is essential for their interpretation since the developmental state of eggs often permits archaeologists to draw conclusions about the function of these finds at a site. However, what has often been neglected in previous studies is the fact that not only incubation but also taphonomy may affect the microstructure of shells. This preliminary study aims to demonstrate that taphonomic processes can in fact imitate site specific dissolution features that are commonly interpreted as traces of incubation. One likely cause of this could be bacteria or other microorganisms. The paper further introduces an approach by which a distinction between taphonomic and embryonic dissolution may be possible. The successful application of this technique on seemingly incubated eggs from a late Roman burial of Ober-Olm (Germany) indicates that these shells were altered only by taphonomy and not by embryonic development as initially assumed. It is finally emphasized that the preliminary data of this investigation need to be validated in future research.
... However, they also present an interesting photo of a bronze rooster that is dated, based on style, to around the Shang period, older than 3,000 years ago and recovered from Sichuan. Peters et al. 68 replied, by simply noting that they read the original site reports for the three sites that Peng et al. mention, do not provide direct dates, and the single bone from Dadianzi is described in the original publication as "possibly domesticated". Ultimately, the bronze figurine may turn out to be the oldest evidence for chickens or possibly jungle fowl in southern China. ...
October 2022
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
... It should be noted that the remains of domestic chickens from Yabalkovo [8] were subsequently radiocarbon dated [9] (2022) to 1060-115 AD, and those from Hotnitsa to 1959-1962 AD. Neolithic bone samples of Chavdarova Cheshma and Dyadovo were obviously mixed with some subrecent bird bones, including chickens' bones. ...
June 2022
Antiquity
... Archaeological evidence for domestication of red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus) and subsequent introduction of chickens to regions outside Southeast Asia has been the subject of considerable research. Through redating and morphologically reexamining chicken bones at the Neolithic site of Ban Non Wat in central Thailand, it was found that the earliest domestic fowl dated to 1650 to 1250 BC (Peters et al. 2022). The domestic status of the birds is based on frequency in the assemblage and presence of juvenile birds (Eda et al. 2019). ...
June 2022
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
... The site was furnished with a large ornamental garden to the south, which from the 1st century was home to a variety of imported fauna, including fallow deer 71 and chickens. 72 However, by the 3rd-century, the palace was in an increasing state of disrepair and was abandoned in c.CE 270 following a fire. The early date and short duration of occupation is supported by direct radiocarbon date of cat remains to 96 BCE-CE 17 (Fishbourne_1; OxA-38875, 2038 ± 16) and 4-85 AD (Fishbourne_2; OxA-38877, 1950 ± 17) respectively, at 95.4% probability. ...
May 2021
Antiquity
... In particular, avian species only develop secondary ossification once they hatch (Skawiński et al. 2021). Only the distal and proximal ends of the tarsometatarsus and tibiotarsus ossify (Doherty et al. 2021). Vitamin D3 aids calcium absorption, and calcium levels in the blood boost the strength of bones (Kakhki et al. 2019). ...
April 2021
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
... Much earlier, at the site of Çatalhöyük (7500-6000 BC) in central Anatolia, Sidell and Scudder (2005, p. 118) identified the presence of graylag goose eggshell and noted "[t]he eggs could have been collected from nests of wild birds in the nearby wetland environments and/or they could represent eggs produced from birds kept on site." A more recent study using proteomics to identify the eggshell (Demarchi et al. 2020) indicates that the eggs were dominated by Anseriformes and included numerous geese as well as ducks. Sidell and Scudder (2005) found that some of eggs were possibly hatched or from eggs with well-developed embryos, but it is not unusual for people to consume eggs at this stage of incubation (Alejandria et al. 2019). ...
February 2020
Quaternary International
... Lastly, each image was assessed for evidence of embryogenesis and/ or taphonomic damage. Both of these processes result in destruction of the mammillary cones and thus it can be difficult to reliably distinguish taphonomic damage from incubation (Sichert et al., 2019). Beacham and Durand (2007) describe three categories for eggshell resorption: (i) 'No Resorption' is shown in eggs from day zero to 16 of incubation; (ii) 'Minimal Resorption' (MR), shown by days 18-22; and (iii) 'Significant Resorption' (SR), shown from day 24 to hatching. ...
August 2019
Journal of Archaeological Science Reports