The genetic identity of the earliest human-made hybrid animals, the kungas of Syro-Mesopotamia.
Abstract: Before the introduction of domestic horses in Mesopotamia in the late third millennium BCE, contemporary cuneiform tablets and seals document intentional breeding of highly valued equids called kungas for use in diplomacy, ceremony, and warfare. Their precise zoological classification, however, has never been conclusively determined. Morphometric analysis of equids uncovered in rich Early Bronze Age burials at Umm el-Marra, Syria, placed them beyond the ranges reported for other known equid species. We sequenced the genomes of one of these ~4500-year-old equids, together with an ~11,000-year-old Syrian wild ass (hemippe) from Göbekli Tepe and two of the last surviving hemippes. We conclude that kungas were F1 hybrids between female domestic donkeys and male hemippes, thus documenting the earliest evidence of hybrid animal breeding.
Publication Date: 2022-01-14 PubMed ID: 35030024PubMed Central: PMC8759742DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm0218Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research aims to uncover the genetic identity of ancient hybrids – kungas, bred in Mesopotamia prior to the introduction of domestic horses. The study concludes that kungas were first-generation (F1) hybrids between female domestic donkeys and male wild asses (hemippes), providing the earliest evidence of hybrid animal breeding.
Background
- Prior to the arrival of domesticated horses in Mesopotamia in the late third millennium BCE, kungas, a specific breed of equids, held high value in the realms of diplomacy, ceremony, and warfare.
- The exact zoological classification of these creatures, however, has remained inconclusive.
Morphometric Analysis
- The research entailed the morphometric analysis of equids that were unearthed during the exploration of rich Early Bronze Age burial sites at Umm el-Marra, Syria.
- The analysis revealed that these equids were unique, and placed them outside the known ranges of other known species of equids.
DNA Sequencing
- The research team conducted genome sequencing of one of these equids, which is approximately 4500 years old.
- The genome of an ~11,000-year-old Syrian wild ass (hemippe) from Göbekli Tepe was sequenced.
- Two genomes of the last surviving hemippes were also sequenced for the research.
Findings and Conclusion
- Through genome sequencing and morphometric analysis, researchers were able to conclude that kungas were first-generation (F1) hybrids, originated from the mating between female domestic donkeys and male hemippes.
- These findings provide the earliest known evidence of intentional animal hybrid breeding by humans, signaling an advanced understanding and manipulation of animal genetics during that time period.
Cite This Article
APA
Bennett EA, Weber J, Bendhafer W, Champlot S, Peters J, Schwartz GM, Grange T, Geigl EM.
(2022).
The genetic identity of the earliest human-made hybrid animals, the kungas of Syro-Mesopotamia.
Sci Adv, 8(2), eabm0218.
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abm0218 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Institut Jacques Monod, Université de Paris, CNRS, 75013 Paris, France.
- Near East Section, The University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA.
- Institut Jacques Monod, Université de Paris, CNRS, 75013 Paris, France.
- Institut Jacques Monod, Université de Paris, CNRS, 75013 Paris, France.
- ArchaeoBioCenter, Institute of Palaeoanatomy, Domestication Research and the History of Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, 80539 Munich, Germany.
- SNSB, Bavarian State Collection of Palaeoanatomy, 80333 Munich, Germany.
- Department of Near Eastern Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
- Institut Jacques Monod, Université de Paris, CNRS, 75013 Paris, France.
- Institut Jacques Monod, Université de Paris, CNRS, 75013 Paris, France.
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