Africa's oldest domestic chicken bones are relics of ancient Red Sea trade route
Washington University in St. Louis
Source - http://phys.org/news/2016-11-africa-oldest-domestic-chicken-bones.html
The discarded bone of a chicken leg, still etched with teeth marks from a dinner thousands of years ago, provides some of the oldest known physical evidence for the introduction of domesticated chickens to the continent of Africa, research from Washington University in St. Louis has confirmed.
Based on radiocarbon dating of about 30 chicken bones unearthed at the site of an ancient farming village in present-day Ethiopia, the findings shed new light on how domesticated chickens crossed ancient roads—and seas—to reach farms and plates in Africa and, eventually, every other corner of the globe.
"Our study provides the earliest directly dated evidence for the presence of chickens in Africa and points to the significance of Red Sea and East African trade routes in the introduction of the chicken," said Helina Woldekiros, lead author and a postdoctoral anthropology researcher in Arts & Sciences at Washington University.
The main wild ancestor of today's chickens, the red junglefowl Gallus gallus is endemic to sub-Himalayan northern India, southern China and Southeast Asia, where chickens were first domesticated 6,000-8,000 years ago. Now nearly ubiquitous around the world, the offspring of these first-domesticated chickens are providing modern researchers with valuable clues to ancient agricultural and trade contacts.
Location of the Mezber archaeological site, northern Ethiopia. Credit: Courtesy of International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
The arrival of chickens in Africa and the routes by which they both entered and dispersed across the continent are not well known. Previous research based on representations of chickens on ceramics and paintings, plus bones from other archaeological sites, suggested that chickens were first introduced to Africa through North Africa, Egypt and the Nile Valley about 2,500 years ago.
The earliest bone-based evidence of chickens in Africa dates to the late first millennium B.C., from the Saite levels at Buto, Egypt—approximately 685-525 B.C.
This study, published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, pushes that date back by hundreds of years. Co-authored by Catherine D'Andrea, professor of archaeology at Simon Fraser University in Canada, the research also suggests that the earliest introductions may have come from trade routes on the continent's eastern coast.
"Some of these bones were directly radiocarbon dated to 819–755 B.C., and with charcoal dates of 919–801 B.C. make these the earliest chickens in Africa," Woldekiros said. "They predate the earliest known Egyptian chickens by at least 300 years and highlight early exotic faunal exchanges in the Horn of Africa during the early first millennium B.C."
Despite their widespread, modern-day importance, chicken remains are found in small numbers at archaeological sites. Because wild relatives of the galliform chicken species are plentiful in Africa, this study required researchers to sift through the remnants of many small bird species to identify bones with the unique sizes and shapes that are characteristic of domestic chickens.
Woldekiros, the project's zooarchaeologist, studied the chicken bones at a field lab in northern Ethiopia and confirmed her identifications using a comparative bone collection at the Institute of Paleoanatomy at Ludwig Maximillian University in Munich.
Domestic chicken bones recovered from Mezber include a distal tibiotarsus bone with a cut mark (left) and the shaft of a humerus bone with a human tooth mark (right). Credit: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
Excavated by a team of researchers led by D'Andrea of Simon Fraser, the bones analyzed for this study were recovered from the kitchen and living floors of an ancient farming community known as Mezber. The rural village was located in northern Ethiopia about 30 miles from the urban center of the pre-Aksumite civilization. The pre-Aksumites were the earliest people in the Horn of Africa to form complex, urban-rural trading networks.
Linguistic studies of ancient root words for chickens in African languages suggest multiple introductions of chickens to Africa following different routes: from North Africa through the Sahara to West Africa; and from the East African coast to Central Africa. Scholars also have demonstrated the biodiversity of modern-day African village chickens through molecular genetic studies.
"It is likely that people brought chickens to Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa repeatedly over long period of time: over 1,000 years," Woldekiros said. "Our archaeological findings help to explain the genetic diversity of modern Africans chickens resulting from the introduction of diverse chicken lineages coming from early Arabian and South Asian context and later Swahili networks."
These findings contribute to broader stories of ways in which people move domestic animals around the world through migration, exchange and trade. Ancient introductions of domestic animals to new regions were not always successful. Zooarchaeological studies of the most popular domestic animals such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs have demonstrated repeated introductions as well as failures of new species in different regions of the world.
"Our study also supports the African Red Sea coast as one possible early route of introduction of chickens to Africa and the Horn," Woldekiros said. "It fits with ways in which maritime exchange networks were important for global distribution of chicken and other agricultural products. The early dates for chickens at Mezber, combined with their presence in all of the occupation phases at Mezber and in Aksumite contexts 40 B.C.- 600 A.D. in other parts of Ethiopia, demonstrate their long-term success in northern Ethiopia."
More information: H. S. Woldekiros et al. Early Evidence for Domestic Chickens () in the Horn of Africa, International Journal of Osteoarchaeology (2016). DOI: 10.1002/oa.2540
Mifupa ya kuku ya Afrika ya kale zaidi ni mabaki ya njia ya kale ya biashara ya Bahari Nyekundu, Chuo Kikuu cha Washington huko St. Louis.Mfupa wa kuku wa zamani zaidi wa Afrika, ambao bado umechongwa na alama za meno kutoka chakula cha jioni cha maelfu ya miaka iliyopita, hutoa baadhi ya ushahidi wa zamani zaidi wa asili unaojulikana kwa kuanzishwa kwa kuku wa nyumbani katika bara la Afrika. Kulingana na uchunguzi wa radiocarbon uliofanywa kwenye mifupa 30 ya kuku iliyopatikana katika kijiji cha kale cha kilimo nchini Ethiopia, utafiti huo umetoa mwangaza mpya kuhusu jinsi kuku waliofugwa walivyovuka barabara za kale na bahari ili kufika kwenye mashamba na sahani za chakula barani Afrika na hatimaye katika kila kona ya dunia. "Utafiti wetu hutoa ushahidi wa kwanza wa tarehe ya moja kwa moja kwa uwepo wa kuku katika Afrika na inaonyesha umuhimu wa Bahari Nyekundu na njia za biashara za Afrika Mashariki katika kuanzishwa kwa kuku, ""alisema Helene Woldekir, mwandishi mkuu na mtafiti wa anthropolojia wa baada ya udaktari katika Sanaa na Sayansi katika Chuo Kikuu cha Washington." Mnyama wa asili wa kuku wa leo, Gallus gallus, ni wa asili ya India, kusini mwa Himalaya, kusini mwa China na Asia ya Kusini-Mashariki, ambapo kuku walianza kufuga miaka 6,000-8,000 iliyopita. Sasa, kwa kuwa kuku hao waliotawaliwa kwanza ni wa kila mahali ulimwenguni pote, watoto wao wanawapa watafiti wa kisasa habari muhimu kuhusu uhusiano wa kale kati ya watu wa nchi hiyo na watu wa nchi nyingine. Eneo la Mazber, kaskazini mwa Ethiopia "Kutoka kwa ""Chicken in Africa"" na njia ambazo ziliingia na kuenea katika bara hilo hazijulikani vizuri." Utafiti wa awali uliotegemea maonyesho ya kuku kwenye vyombo vya udongo na michoro, pamoja na mifupa kutoka maeneo mengine ya akiolojia, ulionyesha kuwa kuku waliingizwa Afrika kwa mara ya kwanza kupitia Afrika Kaskazini, Misri na Bonde la Nile miaka 2,500 iliyopita. Uthibitisho wa kwanza wa mifupa ya kuku katika Afrika ni wa mwishoni mwa milenia ya kwanza KK, kutoka kwa ngazi za Saite huko Buto, Misri, karibu 685-525 KK. Utafiti huo, uliochapishwa katika jarida la International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, unarudisha tarehe hiyo nyuma kwa mamia ya miaka. Catherine D'Andrea, profesa wa akiolojia katika Chuo Kikuu cha Simon Fraser nchini Canada, alisema kuwa utafiti huo unaonyesha kuwa watu wa asili wa Afrika Kusini walianza kuwasili katika maeneo ya mashariki ya bara hilo. "Mengine ya mifupa hiyo yalipatikana kwa kutumia radiocarbon na kuashiria tarehe ya 819 - 755 K.K., na nyingine kwa kutumia makaa ya mawe na kuashiria tarehe ya 919 - 801 K.K.""" "Hizi ni kuku za kwanza kabisa Afrika,"" alisema Woldekiros." "Zinaanza miaka 300 kabla ya kuku wa Misri wa kwanza kujulikana na zinaonyesha kubadilishana kwa wanyama wa kigeni katika Pembe ya Afrika wakati wa milenia ya kwanza kabla ya Kristo.""" Licha ya umuhimu wao wa kisasa, mabaki ya kuku hupatikana kwa idadi ndogo katika maeneo ya kiakiolojia. Kwa kuwa kuna viumbe wengi wa aina ya kuku aina ya galliform katika Afrika, watafiti walihitaji kuchunguza mabaki ya ndege wengi wadogo ili kugundua mifupa yenye ukubwa na umbo la kipekee la kuku wa kufugwa. Woldekir, mtaalamu wa vitu vya kale katika mradi huo, alisoma mifupa ya kuku katika maabara ya shambani kaskazini mwa Ethiopia na kuthibitisha utambulisho wake kwa kutumia mkusanyiko wa mifupa ya kulinganisha katika Taasisi ya Paleoanatomy katika Chuo Kikuu cha Ludwig Maximilian huko Munich. Mifupa ya kuku ya nyumbani iliyopatikana kutoka Mezber inajumuisha mfupa wa tibiotarsus wa mbali na alama ya kukata (kushoto) na shaba ya mfupa wa humerus na alama ya jino la binadamu (kulia). "Kutokana na uchunguzi wa utafiti wa ""D'Andrea"" na ""Simon Fraser,"" mifupa ya watu waliochimbuliwa katika eneo la Mazer ni ya asili ya jamii ya wakulima wa kale." Kijiji hicho kilikuwa kaskazini mwa Ethiopia, umbali wa kilometa 30 hivi kutoka katikati ya jiji la kabla ya ustaarabu wa Aksum. Watu wa kabla ya Aksum walikuwa watu wa kwanza katika Pembe ya Afrika kuunda mitandao tata ya biashara ya mijini na vijijini. "Utafiti wa lugha wa maneno ya kale ya ""kuku"" katika lugha za Kiafrika unaonyesha kuanzishwa kwa kuku nyingi Afrika kufuatia njia tofauti: kutoka Afrika Kaskazini kupitia Sahara hadi Afrika Magharibi; na kutoka pwani ya Afrika Mashariki hadi Afrika ya Kati." Wasomi pia wameonyesha utofauti wa viumbe wa kuku wa vijiji vya Afrika vya kisasa kupitia masomo ya chembe za urithi. "Inawezekana kwamba watu walileta kuku Ethiopia na pembe ya Afrika mara kwa mara kwa kipindi kirefu cha muda: zaidi ya miaka 1,000,"" alisema Woldekiros." """Ugunduzi wetu wa kiakiolojia unasaidia kuelezea utofauti wa maumbile ya kuku wa kisasa wa Kiafrika kutokana na kuanzishwa kwa nasaba mbalimbali za kuku zinazotoka katika mazingira ya mapema ya Kiarabu na Kusini mwa Asia na baadaye mitandao ya Kiswahili." Utafiti huu unachangia hadithi pana za njia ambazo watu husafirisha wanyama wa nyumbani ulimwenguni kote kupitia uhamiaji, kubadilishana na biashara. Uingizaji wa kale wa wanyama wa kufugwa katika maeneo mapya haukufanikiwa sikuzote. Uchunguzi wa kihistoria wa wanyama maarufu kama vile ng'ombe, kondoo, mbuzi na nguruwe umeonyesha kuingizwa mara kwa mara na kushindwa kwa spishi mpya katika mikoa tofauti ya ulimwengu. "Utafiti wetu pia unasaidia pwani ya Bahari Nyekundu ya Afrika kama njia moja ya mapema ya kuanzishwa kwa kuku kwenda Afrika na Pembe", Woldekiros alisema. "Inafaa na njia ambazo mitandao ya kubadilishana baharini ilikuwa muhimu kwa usambazaji wa kimataifa wa kuku na bidhaa nyingine za kilimo. "Hii ni kwa sababu ya kuonekana kwa kuku huko Mezber, pamoja na uwepo wao katika hatua zote za utawala huko Mezber na katika muktadha wa Aksumite 40 BC - 600 AD katika sehemu nyingine za Ethiopia, zinaonyesha mafanikio yao ya muda mrefu kaskazini mwa Ethiopia. """ Habari zaidi: H. S. Woldekiros et al. Utafiti wa mapema wa kuku wa nyumbani katika pembe ya Afrika, International Journal of Osteoarchaeology (2016). (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (e) (e) (e) (e) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (f) (