Dogs lived and died with humans 10,000 years ago in the Americas

[Judi Lynn]

Buried remains of the oldest known New World canines came from two sites in Illinois
BY BRUCE BOWER 3:30PM, APRIL 16, 2018

WASHINGTON — A trio of dogs buried at two ancient human sites in Illinois lived around 10,000 years ago, making them the oldest known domesticated canines in the Americas.

Radiocarbon dating of the dogs’ bones shows they were 1,500 years older than thought, zooarchaeologist Angela Perri said April 13 at the annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The previous age estimate was based on a radiocarbon analysis of burned wood found in one of the animals’ graves. Until now, nearly 9,300-year-old remains of dogs eaten by humans at a Texas site were the oldest physical evidence of American canines.

Ancient dogs at the Midwestern locations also represent the oldest known burials of individual dogs in the world, said Perri, of Durham University in England. A dog buried at Germany’s Bonn-Oberkassel site around 14,000 years ago was included in a two-person grave. Placement of the Americas dogs in their own graves indicates that these animals were held in high regard by ancient people.

An absence of stone tool incisions on the three ancient dogs’ skeletons indicates that they were not killed by people, but died of natural causes before being buried, Perri said.

More:
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/dogs-lived-and-died-humans-10000-years-ago-americas

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. It is so clear that dogs and humans have been hanging

together for a very long time.

I am not a huge fan of dogs, but some years back I was doing volunteer work at an animal shelter. I worked the reception desk on Saturdays and Sundays. Volunteers came in to walk the dogs, and they had to walk past me to get outside. I was struck by the fact that every single dog wanted to check in with every single human they came in contact with. I saw this all day long every time I worked there. It was an incredible lesson in how close dogs and humans really are.

Which is why, even though I'm not at all fond of dogs (mainly due to the uncontrolled barking dogs in my neighborhood) I find it easy to smile at dogs I meet and greet them with pleasure.