Early evidence for pig domestication (8,000 cal. BP) in the Lower Yangtze, South China.

ABSTRACT: The domestication of pigs (Sus scrofa) has had profound socioeconomic and ecological consequences. Although pigs are believed to have been independently domesticated in South China, the timing and initial mechanisms of this process remain debated. This study presents a microfossil analysis of pig dental calculus from two early Neolithic sites in the Lower Yangtze River region: Jingtoushan (8,300 to 7,800 cal. BP) and Kuahuqiao (8,200 to 7,000 cal. BP). Analyses of starch, phytolith, and parasite remains indicate that pigs consumed human-associated foods and waste, including cooked starchy plants and human whipworm (Trichuris trichiura) eggs, likely derived from food preparation and fecally contaminated materials. Identified plant taxa include acorns (Fagaceae), rice (Oryza

SUBMITTER: Wang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12184640 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature