Just because ancient humans buried an animal doesn't mean it was their pet.
April 14, 2026
Original Paper
Reassessing early ’dog burials’ in the context of wild animal inhumations
SSRN · 6570000
The Takeaway
Archaeologists have long used 'animal burials' as proof of domestication. This study shows that wild animals were also given ritual burials, meaning our history with dogs might be thousands of years shorter than we currently believe.
From the abstract
Canid interment, either alone or as part of a human burial, is a global phenomenon that has been documented over the last 15,000 years. In addition, their burials have been used extensively to support the emergence of dog domestication in human societies based on the presumption that a buried animal is necessarily a domesticated one. Here, we analyse the correlation between domestic status and burials within the general practice of animal inhumations. Our results reveal three general categories