Abstract
Metric data of 6th century CE pigeons from the Negev Desert, Israel, are employed to test competing hypotheses on flock management strategies: that directed selection for size or shape took place under intensive management; or, alternatively, that stabilizing selection was a stronger determinant of size and shape under extensive management conditions. The results of the analysis support the second hypothesis by demonstrating that the Byzantine Negev pigeons were like wild pigeon (Columba livia) in shape, albeit small-sized. The inferred extensive management system is then discussed in the context of pigeon domestication and human micro-ecologies in marginal regions.
Highlights
The importance of pigeon breeding in the study of evolution [1] contrasts with the limited empirical knowledge on pigeon keeping in antiquity
Linear Discriminant Analysis of skull dimensions shows three relatively distinct clusters (Fig 3): one centered in the upper left quadrant of the chart, comprising of the short-faced breeds of Group III; one in the center of the chart, comprising of wild (Group W) and toy (Group IV) specimens; and other groups comprising of larger pouters (Group I), barbs, runts, carriers (Group II) and racing pigeons (Group R) with positive first and second axis values
The Shivta skull is classified by the analysis as belonging in Group IV, or is, in other words, similar to a wild pigeon
Summary
The importance of pigeon breeding in the study of evolution [1] contrasts with the limited empirical knowledge on pigeon keeping in antiquity. The pigeon tower has been part of an intensively cultivated hinterland of the desert Byzantine settlement of Subeita (present day Shivta, western Negev, Israel; Fig 1)[7], which specialized in viticulture for production of the world-famous Gaza wine. It has been suggested [8] that the numerous pigeon towers dotting the settlement’s immediate vicinity supplied fertilizer for the region’s prohibitively poor soil, and have served as a crucial component of Shivta’s agricultural system
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