While it's unclear exactly when humans domesticated pigeons, it's likely 1,000 years earlier than we thought, thanks to new research from Franklin alumna Anderson Carter (BA Anthropology '21). 

Humans and rock doves (also known as common pigeons) have existed in the same spaces for millennia, but the time period when the bird's role went from nearby scavenger to feathered friend is unknown. Previously, the earliest direct evidence for domesticated pigeons had previously come from a site in Hellenistic Greece, dating from 323–265 BCE. Carter's work, which was recently published in Antiquity, found that pigeons were at least semi-domesticated by 1400 BCE. 

Using pigeon bones recovered from a Late Bronze Age site in Cyprus, Carter and her international colleagues found that the birds "lived in sustained close contact with humans" and were likely managed and bred for consumption for ritual feasting. 

Specifically, the team used zooarchaeology to analyze the carbon and nitrogen found in the remains of more than three dozens pigeons, and the data from those analyses can reveal what they ate. Evidence collected from the bones shows that the birds had an omnivorous diet of grains, seeds, and protein or fat from other animals. This is a sign that they were controlled or confined by humans, since other domesticated animals like livestock had the same diet, and because some of the pigeons were still fledglings, or baby birds, the humans were likely breeding them, as well. 

Some of the bird remains were also burned and found in a room that contained a stone table, altar, and other burnt animal remains, further pointing to the pigeon's role in rituals. The researchers noted that Cyprus is identified as the birthplace of the goddess Aphrodite, who had fondness for rock doves.

"Case studies such as this exemplify the intricacies of the domestication process, highlighting the need for more context- and species-specific investigations," the researchers said in the publication. "Further integrative studies, such as this one, will help fill the gaps in the story of pigeon domestication, contributing to our understanding of the prehistory of regions like Cyprus, where this bird was a significant and constant presence in everyday life."

In the days since its publication, the research has garnered attention from publications worldwide, including The New York Times. Phys.org, and France 24. 

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