Abstract
The history of dog domestication is still under debate, but it is doubtless the process of an ancient partnership between dogs (Canis familiaris) and humans. Although data on ancient DNA for dog diversity are still incomplete, it is clear that several regional dog populations had formed in Eurasia up to the Holocene. During the Neolithic Revolution and the transition from hunter-gatherer to farmer societies, followed by civilization changes in the Antiquity period, the dog population structure also changed. This process was due to replacement with newly formed dog populations. In this study, we present for the first time mitochondrial data of ancient dog remains from the Early Neolithic (8000 years before present (BP)) to Late Antiquity (up to 3th century AD) from southeastern Europe (the Balkans). A total of 16 samples were analyzed, using the mitochondrial D-loop region (HVR1). The results show the presence of A (70%) and B (25%) clades throughout the Early and Late Neolithic Period. In order to clarify the position of our results within the ancient dog population in Eneolithic Eurasia, we performed phylogenetic analysis with the available genetic data sets. This data showed a similarity of the ancient Bulgarian dogs to Italian (A, B, and C clades) and Iberian (clades A and C) dogs’ populations. A clear border can be seen between southern European genetic dog structure, on the one hand, and on the other hand, central-western (clade C), eastern (clade D) and northern Europe (clades A and C). This corresponds to genetic data for European humans during the same period, without admixture between dog populations. Also, our data have shown the presence of clade B in ancient Eurasia. This is not unexpected, as the B haplogroup is widely distributed in extant Balkan dogs and wolves. The presence of this clade both in dogs and in wolves on the Balkans may be explained with hybridization events before the Neolithic period. The spreading of this clade across Europe, together with the A clade, is related to the possible dissemination of newly formed dog breeds from Ancient Greece, Thrace, and the Roman Empire.
Highlights
It has been increasingly assumed that dog domestication was a very early process that began at the end of the Pleistocene
The results from the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and Antiquity periods in Bulgaria, have demonstrated the dominance of A (70%) and B (25%) dog clades, as well as homogenic structures of these haplogroups throughout the whole investigated period; they have demonstrated an absence of clade C and only one case of D clade
Our data have shown for the first time the presence of clade B in ancient Eurasia
Summary
It has been increasingly assumed that dog domestication was a very early process that began at the end of the Pleistocene. Dog domestication is apparently linked to the gradual synanthropy of wolf populations, as a result of commensal relations between man and wolf at the end. The first remains that can be confidently assigned to dogs date from 15,000 years ago in Europe and 12,500 years ago in East Asia [5,6]. Genetic studies of these remains have not shown any similarity to recent wolves or dogs [3,7]. The main questions have been related to place and time of origin, domestication, and the influence of hybridization events between domesticated dog and local wolf populations
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