Who was the first to tame a cat?

While many people still believe that cats are domesticated for the first time in Egypt 4,000 years ago, according to a new study by scientists, the first people to domesticate wild cats into domestic cats are Chinese farmers. National. This mutually beneficial relationship formed 5,300 years ago.

Previously, many people believed that cats were domesticated 4,000 years ago in Egypt. But according to a new study, Chinese farmers may be the first to tame cats to kill vermin.

Archaeologists have discovered that cat skeletons indicate that cats have lived with humans much longer than what we had known before. The bones found in the village of Quanhucun in Shanxi Province, China show that domestic cats appeared 5,300 years ago.

Picture 1 of Who was the first to tame a cat?
A corner of Shanxi Province, China.(Photo: Daily Mail)

Dr. Fiona Marshall of Washington University in St. Louis Louis, USA, who studies the site with Chinese university scientists, said the analysis, including radioactive carbon methods used to determine the age of bones, showed that these cats rodent hunting destroys millet in farmers' fields.

The team analyzed eight bones taken from at least two cats excavated from the site. One of the cats has aging bones, which indicates that it lived at that time. Meanwhile the bones of the other cat showed that he ate less prey and ate more millet than usual, indicating this cat was fed by humans.

Scientists also found an ancient grain pit with thick walls that have been pierced by rodents, which proves the level of rodent infestation at that time. Therefore, according to Dr. Marshall, cats have been domesticated to help villagers destroy and control the number of rodents.

'Our data indicate that cats are attracted to villages by small animals, such as rodents who rely on cereals that farmers grow, use and store' , proceeding. Dr. Marshall said.

She also added: 'The results of this study show that the village of Quanhucun is a source of food for cats 5,300 years ago, and the relationship between humans and cats formed in the style of eating, or is beneficial to cats'.

Dr. Marshall emphasized: 'Even if these cats are not tamed, our evidence still confirms that they have lived close to the farmer, and this relationship brings common benefits.' .

DNA research has shown that most of the 600 million domestic cats in the world today are descended from wild cats in the Near East, still living in northern Africa and the Middle East. So the new discovery of cats in China has led archaeologists to suffer with the question of whether the cats here have been brought from the Middle East, or whether they are a completely different breed.

Dr. Marshall said: 'We are not sure whether cats that have come to China originated from the Near East, or whether they were bred with Chinese wild cats, or even whether the cats were Cats in China have played a role in the domestication of human animals. '