New research shows that wild chickens were domesticated from the rice granaries of Southeast Asia

Rice and chicken have long been the widely favored 'combo', but new archeology data suggests the relationship between chicken and grain is older than previously thought. New research suggests that without flowering granaries, modern chickens would not exist.

The scientific report suggests that chickens may have been domesticated much later than previously thought, starting only when humans began cultivating rice in the forested areas near wild chickens.

According to archaeologist Dale Serjeantson at the University of Southampton, who did not contribute to the new study, the rice fields of Southeast Asia have contributed greatly to the domestication of wild chickens. She claims the new study has 'smashed many myths regarding the origins of modern chickens'.

Thai red-feathered wild chicken.

Charles Darwin suggested that modern chickens are descendants of the red junglefowl, one of four species of chickens in the genus Gallus gallus. Looking at their appearance, we can see that Charles Darwin has a valid opinion.

However, it is not easy to prove Darwin's claim, as the wild fowl subspecies is diverse, stretching from India to northern China. Moreover, fossil chicken bones are very rare in archaeological areas.

In 2020, genetic analysis of 863 chickens confirmed that the wild chicken subspecies Gallus gallus spadiceus, also known as Myanmar junglefowl, is the ancestor of modern chickens; Chickens today have more DNA matches with Gallus gallus spadiceus than any other subspecies. Based on the research results, scientists can confirm that the domestication process took place in Southeast Asia.

In the photo below, from left to right are the red junglefowl subspecies: Gallus gallus jabouillei - Vietnamese junglefowl, Gallus gallus bankiva - Javan junglefowl, Gallus gallus gallus - Indochinese junglefowl, Gallus gallus spadiceus - chicken Myanmar forest, Gallus gallus murghi - Indian junglefowl, and domestic chicken - Gallus gallus domesticus.

Gallus gallus jabouillei - Vietnamese junglefowl, Gallus gallus bankiva - Javan junglefowl, Gallus gallus gallus - Indochinese junglefowl, Gallus gallus spadiceus - Burmese jungle fowl, Gallus gallus murghi - Indian jungle fowl.

In the past, many organizations and experts have tried to find the time when chickens were domesticated but failed. They were unable to collect enough DNA from fossilized chicken bones to indicate the mysterious time period. To solve the conundrum, paleontologist Joris Peters and paleontologist Greger Larson, also an expert in animal domestication, set out to find the answer in a huge collection of bones.

Diligently scouring more than 600 archaeological sites around the world, re-evaluating all the chicken bones found, two experts and a team of experts are determined to find the answer. They also published a separate study dating chicken bones from Western Eurasia and North Africa.

The team discovered the oldest chicken bones from the excavation site in Ban Non Wat village, Thailand. Here, farmers grew rice between 3,250 and 3,650 years ago, and worked to bury the bones of chickens of the genus Gallus along with many other domesticated animals - this is evidence of individual chickens. This is a domesticated chicken, not a wild chicken.

According to the researchers' inference, the stork-winged granaries attracted wild chickens in the forest. They nest at the edge of the rice fields, and have gradually become accustomed to humans.

Tracing chicken bones across Asia to the Middle East and Africa, the team found surprising correlations between grain farming and the presence of chickens. About 3,000 years ago, chickens began to exist in China and India, they reached the Middle East and North Africa about 2,800 years ago. The study also confirmed that previous scientific reports were wrong, having analyzed the non-chicken fossils, or the dating was wrong.

Ancient chicken bones with familiar shapes.

To find out when chickens first arrived in Europe, scientists directly re-examined the bones of 23 oldest chicken fossils. In a report just published in Antiquity, the team claims the oldest European chicken bones are located at the Etruscan archaeological site in Italy, dating back 2,800 years.

Historical texts also partly support the views of scientists, among them the Bible. "Chickens do not appear in the Old Testament," said lead author of the study, archaeologist Naomi Sykes. 'They suddenly appeared in the New Testament'.

It took another 1,000 years for chickens to set foot on English soil (when hitchhiking with the Romans), to Scandinavia and to Iceland. According to archaeologist Julia Best, who participated in both studies involving chickens, subtropical birds had to find a way to adapt to the cold climate.

In general, the research results show that people only use chicken as the main food source. According to Ms. Sykes, in the past, people considered chickens as a valuable item thanks to their beautiful feathers and outstanding colors, in addition to their ability to crow loudly in the morning. Looking at how they are depicted in pictures and properly buried, one can also see the importance of chickens in culture. Moreover, the ancient domesticated chickens did not carry much nutritional value, as their size was still quite limited.

The report also outlines a sad timeline for chickens: about 500 years after they set foot everywhere, they lost their place in society and became a daily food for humans.

Was chicken's decision to live near a rice field a mistake?

According to palaeontologist Masaki Eda of Hokkaido University, the new study shows that 'the dispersal of domesticated chickens is a very close to contemporary event, much closer than previously thought'. However, researcher Eda still believes that chicken bone samples in Thailand should be re-examined, to confirm that they are domesticated chickens, not red jungle fowl buried with humans.

At the same time, he wanted to survey other Southeast Asian regions, looking to find the way of domesticated chickens throughout the Indochinese peninsula as well as throughout Eurasia.

According to paleontologist Greger Larson, even if chickens were domesticated later than other animals, chickens are still the most successfully domesticated species on the planet. The number of chickens is overwhelming humans with a ratio of 10:1. Archaeologist Naomi Sykes also stated: 'This study is not only about chicken or rice. The way humans relate to chickens is a lens that helps us see clearly how humans relate to the natural world.