Work

Pre-Columbian chickens, dates, isotopes, and mtDNA

Year: 2008

Type: letter

Abstract: Recently Gongora 'et al'. (1) stated that their analyses of chicken mtDNA and potential offsets for dietary marine carbon cast doubt on "claims for pre-Columbian chickens" in the Americas. We present additional data supporting the interpretation of Storey 'et al'. (2) showing that evidence for pre-Columbian chickens at the site of El Arenal, Chile, is secure. Gongora 'et al'. (1) analyzed mtDNA of modern chickens only. They gave no consideration to the fact that both European and prehistoric Pacific chickens are ultimately Asian-derived and thus may be expected to share lineages. European stocks were further influenced by the 19th-century import of Chinese chickens to develop commercial and show breeds (3). The authors also imply that the Indian/Asian/European mtDNA signature identified in our ancient Pacific and Chilean samples would not have been available for dispersal to the prehistoric Pacific. This is refuted by linguistic, archaeological, and ethnohistoric evidence (4).

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0807625105

Authors: Alice A. Storey, Daniel Quiroz, José Miguel Ramírez, Nancy Beavan-Athfield, David J. Addison, Richard Walter, Terry Hunt, J. Stephen Athens, Leon Huynen, Elizabeth A. Matisoo-Smith

Institutions: University of Auckland, Allan Wilson Centre, University of Valparaíso, GNS Science, American Samoa Community College, University of Otago, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, University of Hawaii System, International Archaeological Research Institute, Massey University

Language: English

Topic: Archaeology and ancient environmental studies

Subfield: Archeology

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W1982807427

Cites: 7

Cited by: 49

Related to: 10