A Zooarchaeological Study on the Origins of Animal Domestication in Ancient China

A series of criteria such as morphological metrics, pathology, age structure, sex ratios, relative proportions, archaeological phenomena, diet analysis, and DNA studies are established for identifying the origins of domestic animals in ancient China in a scientific way. Using these criteria, it is established that the earliest domestic dog has been found in southern Hebei Province (ca. 10,000 BP), and the earliest domestic pig in southern Henan Province (ca. 9000 BP). Domestic sheep have been found in the Gansu–Qinghai region dating from 5600–5000 BP, and domestic cattle in eastern Gansu Province (ca. 5000 BP). Domestic horses from the period 4000–3600 BP have been discovered in eastern Gansu, and domestic chickens have been identified from sites in eastern Henan Province dating to ca. 3300 BP. Although the locations and time of the origins of animal domestication vary, they are mostly located in northern China.