The Paleolithic Domestic Dog Hypothesis

Summary

Using morphological and statistical techniques, Germonpré and colleagues have identified over 40 Paleolithic dogs, ranging from ~36,000 to 13,900 cal yrs BP. These unusual canids have a different dietary signature from wolves at the same sites according to isotopic analyses. MtDNA analyses by Thalmann and others show that at least Paleolithic dog had a unique mtDNA sequence.

I propose that these canids represent early domesticated dogs which significantly improved human hunting success. Eight predictions based on ethnographic, archaeological, and biological information can be used to test the Paleolithic Domestic Dog Hypothesis. 1) Additional early dogs will be identified at human but not at Neanderthal sites. 2) Sites with early dogs will yield higher densities of faunal remains and retouched stone tools than Mousterian sites. 3) Early dogs will be discovered at additional sites yielding many individual mammoths. 4) Sites with early dogs will include many wolf remains. 5) Sites yielding early dogs will suggest longer occupation or larger population size. 6) Isotopic studies at additional sites will reveal dietary differences between early dogs and contemporary wolves. 7) Early dogs will be large-bodied, sturdy animals. 8) Both early dogs and early humans will show adaptations to enhanced communication.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Nose to Tail: An Interdisciplinary Look at Dogs in the Past   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage