Physical Remains

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Domestic dog skeletons at Valsgärde cemetery, Uppland, Sweden: Quantification and morphological reconstruction

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X21000870

Abstract
Thirty inhumations have been excavated at the cemetery of Valsgärde in central Sweden, of which twenty-one have been dated to the Vendel Period and Viking Age (c. 550–1100 CE). Of these graves, twelve contain the positively-identifiable remains of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris). This study aimed to quantify and describe these dogs in terms of withers height and morphological type (morphotype). A minimum of twenty dogs was identified. The majority of dogs were determined to be of medium-large size, with a variety of types represented. The Viking Age graves contain fewer dogs on average than those of the Vendel Period, symptomatic of a general scaling-down of funerary assemblages at the site during this time. Despite this reduction in numbers, their persistence throughout this transition indicates the species held a significant position in the funerary traditions of the region, and certain individuals also appear to have held great personal value for their masters.

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Dogs in the Ancient World

www.worldhistory.org/article/184/dogs-in-the-ancient-world/

Dogs have been a part of the history of human beings since before the written word. The ancient temple of Gobekli-Tepe in Turkey, dated to at least 12,000 years BCE, has provided archaeologists with evidence of domesticated dogs in the Middle East corresponding to the earliest evidence of domestication, the Natufian Grave, (c. 12,000 BCE) discovered in Ein Mallaha, Israel, in which an old man was buried with a puppy.

In southern France, footprints of a young child walking beside a canine have been preserved in the earth of the Chauvet Cave, dating to 26,000 years ago and a 2008 CE study concluded that dogs were domesticated in Europe between 32,000-18,800 years ago with the oldest dog remains in the world found thus far dated to 31,700 years ago (Viegas, 1). This Paleolithic dog most resembled a Siberian Husky (Viegas, 1). The findings of the 2008 study are challenged by dog remains found in the Goyet Caves of Belgium which date to 36,500 years ago.

However old the first dog was, or how they came to be domesticated, they became friends to humans quite early in history and have remained so. In many cultures throughout the ancient world, dogs figured prominently and, largely, were regarded in much the same way that they are today. Dogs were seen as faithful companions, hunters, guardians, spirit-guides, and as a treasured part of the family.

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