Radiocarbon dating redefines the timing and circumstances of the chicken’s introduction to Europe and northwest Africa

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: Astonishingly little is known about the early history of the chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). To better understand their spatiotemporal spread across Eurasia and Africa, we radiocarbon dated presumed early chicken bones. The results indicate chickens were an Iron Age arrival to Europe and that there was a consistent time-lag of several centuries between their introduction to new regions and incorporation into the human diet. Well-dated evidence for Britain and mainland Europe suggests chickens were initially considered exotica and buried as individuals, were gradually incorporated into human funerary rites, and only much later came to be seen as just ‘food’.

Source: White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York)

Language: English

Topic: Archaeology and ancient environmental studies

Subfield: Archeology

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: green

Funders: University of Pittsburgh, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Arts and Humanities Research Council, Natural Environment Research Council

Awards: Cultural and Scientific Perceptions of Human-Chicken Interactions, Exploring the Easter E.g. - Shifting Baselines and Changing Perceptions of Cultural and Biological "Aliens", G7810406083

OpenAlex ID: W3171979535