Cat Domestication Began in the Near East, Not Egypt
Cat domestication began in the Near East around 7500 BCE, long before ancient Egypt: the earliest known tamed wildcat was buried near a person on Cyprus. Leopard cats were tamed separately in China, but they left no trace in today's house cats.
Where did cat domestication begin?
Cat domestication began in the Near East about 9,500 years ago, not in ancient Egypt. The oldest sign is a wildcat buried near a person on Cyprus around 7500 BCE. Leopard cats were tamed separately in China, but today's house cats do not descend from them.
Explanation
For a long time people thought cats were first domesticated in ancient Egypt, where they were honored from around 3100 BCE. Older evidence has changed that picture.
On the island of Cyprus, archaeologists found an African wildcat buried close to a human grave at Shillourokambos, dated to about 7500 to 7200 BCE. Wikipedia's article on the cat calls it the earliest known sign of a tamed wildcat, and says domestication most likely started in the Near East around that time. House cats are thought to descend from the African wildcat.
In China, a different small cat, the leopard cat, was also tamed in early farming villages. But that line left no trace in the cats people keep today. Egyptian wildcats did add to the house cat's family tree, only later.
Source and verification
- Source
- Wikipedia: Cat Tier B
- Last verified
- Confidence
- 90 out of 100
- Verified by
- Ali Ahmad Chaudhry