Cyprus Study Pushes Human-Pigeon Ties Back 1,000 Years to 1400 B.C.
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 20
Cyprus Study Pushes Human-Pigeon Ties Back 1,000 Years to 1400 B.C.
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 20
Bone analysis from a Late Bronze Age site in Cyprus suggests humans were already closely linked with pigeons by 1400 B.C., about 1,000 years earlier than previously documented.
The Antiquity study does not claim a definitive first date for domestication, but it indicates people were likely managing the birds rather than merely encountering them in the wild.
Researchers said the remains also point to pigeons being raised for ritual feasts, adding a ceremonial role to their long record as food, fertilizer sources, messengers and companions.
The finding deepens Cyprus’s place in pigeon history on an island long associated with Aphrodite, who was often depicted with pigeons and doves.
Our history with pigeons is 1,000 years older than we knew. What other animal stories have we gotten wrong?
How did a bird once central to sacred feasts become the most reviled pest in modern cities?