Domestic cats have been living among humans for around 2,000 years, but researchers recently discovered that their European story is surprisingly young. A new study analyzing ancient DNA from 87 cat bones across Europe, North Africa, and Anatolia revealed that domestic cats first joined European communities during the Roman era, not in deep prehistory. The team, led by paleogeneticist Marco De Martino, used genetic data to track how animals and people moved across continents.
The study’s findings suggest that earlier theories about domestic cat origins were incorrect, and instead, domestic cats arrived in Europe alongside thriving cities, armies, and merchant fleets around the Mediterranean. Genetic evidence now places North African wildcats at the center of the story for European housecat ancestors.
The research team assembled a dataset by working with archaeologists, museum curators, and geneticists across many countries. They analyzed tiny fragments of jaw, leg, and skin to connect cats from caves, farms, and coastal towns into a shared history. The study also revealed that many so-called “early domestic cats” in Europe were actually European wildcats.
The team’s findings provide valuable insights into the origins of modern domestic cats, which sit inside the lineage of African wildcats on DNA family trees. The discovery highlights the importance of human travel, trade, and belief in rewiring ecosystems and shaping the history of our pets.
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Source: https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-dna-rewrites-the-origin-story-of-domestic-cats