6,000-Year-Old Dog Remains Show Early Saudi Arabians' Canine Domestication

New research recently analyzed 6,000-year-old Saudi Arabian dog remains found at a burial site and concluded what they discovered is the earliest evidence of dog domestication in the Arabian Peninsula.

According to an Ancient Origin report, what's true of domesticated dogs at present has been a historical and socio-cultural phenomenon developed over thousands of years -- 15,000 years or more, to be exact.

Now, a team of researchers from the University of Western Australia, Perth, and the University of Geneva has a better idea of such a timeline. This new study is funded by the Royal Commission of Al'Ula (RCU), Saudi Arabia.

According to their report entitled, "Monumentality, Social Memory, and Territoriality in Neolithic-Chalcolithic Northwestern Arabia" and published in the Journal Field Archaeology, canine balls excavated in a northwest Saudi Arabian burial site have been dated from 4200 BC and 4000 BC.

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Earliest Dog Domestication Evidence

The same report said, this is the earliest dog domestication evidence in the region, specifically, the earliest 'chronometrically dated domestic dog' in the Arabian Peninsula.

This then takes the present time back an entire 6,000 years in time, outplaying earlier evidence that presented such an occurrence as occurring roughly 5,000 years back.

Diggings which Aerial Archeology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had undertaken shed substantial light on both the funerary and social practices of northwestern Arabia during the Neolithic and Chalcolithic eras.

Archeologists claim that these Saudi Arabian dog remains are not the earliest evidence of dog domestication history has ever had.

There is evidence showing from the Natufian era in Israeli history, going back to 12,000 years back, and Jordan as well has evidence of dogs in hunting outings from more than 11,000 years back.

In a similar way, there are various indigenous tribes scattered around the world, described to have been "semi-domesticated or hunting relationships with dogs" that precede the discoveries in the Arabian Peninsula.

Essentially, what's setting such a discovery apart are two factors: First, the exceptionally harsh weather conditions, and subsequent topography are not allowing for the survival of a lot of species.

Certainly, the Arabian Peninsula is the world's largest region sans any permanent rivers. Second, evidence of the region's evidence, as well as its communities, exhibits a great degree of cultural separation.

The study findings are part of a more extensive project carried out by the monarchy of Saudi Arabia, who have discovered the groundbreaking potential of Al'Ula area, as well as the different sites within.

The area includes Hegra, described by MSN.com as the first UNESCO World Heritage Site of Saudi Arabia, believed to be the Romans' southernmost outpost roughly 106 AD.

Saudi Arabian Dog Remains Found at the Harrat Uwayrid Site

Specifically, at Harrat Uwayrid, the bones of what's believed as a presumable family or community of 11 were discovered, and 26 bones from that of what's described in the study as a single dog.

Looking at the muscles' laceration that was analyzed in the Saudi Arabian dog remains unveiled, it was assumed that this animal had neither been killed nor sacrifice but rather suffered from arthritis.

This specified a long life and probable companionships that it must have offered. Furthermore, the burial with familial members, or simply even other humans, specified the elevated status of the dog among the dead.

A related report is shown on the DAILY-TUBE's YouTube video below: