A dog that looks like a gray wolf
These days, dogs all have different faces depending on their breed. Yes, the head of a Chihuahua does not really resemble that of a Boxer, which has little in common with that of a Saint Bernard And yet, all these "modern" dogs - so different be they- would have a common ancestor in which a team of researchers from the veterinary school of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland was interested
Their work, the results of which were unveiled in April 2019, was based on skulls belonging to 24 dogs discovered at the very beginning of the XXth century on the hill of Cuween in Scotland.It is from one of them, whose age has been estimated at nearly 4000 years, that a 3D reconstruction was made possible. Scientists scanned the canine skull to make a 3D impression of it, which served as the basis for forensic artist Amy Thornton to create a realistic model of the dog's head, fashioning its muscles and skin from of clay before molding it all in silicone and covering it with hair.
This reconstruction therefore shows us that the late Neolithic dog looked like a European gray wolf. As for its size, it would bring the dog of 4000 years ago closer to a large Collie.
© Historic Environment Scotland
The dog, a precious pet for Neolithic Man
“Watching this dog helps us better understand the people who cared for and revered these animals,” says Dr Steve Farrar, Head of Interpretation at Historic Environment Scotland, the public body that commissioned the reconstitution.
Indeed, the canine bones that made it possible to carry out this scientific first had been discovered next to a cairn, a pile of stones deposited by man to signal the presence of a funeral site. Their dating also showed that the dogs had been placed there more than 500 years after the construction of the tomb, suggesting that they were ritually buried there.
This discovery allows Dr. Farrar to suggest that:
" “The dogs had a special meaning to the farmers who lived around and used the tomb around 4,500 years ago. Maybe dogs were their symbol or their totem, maybe they thought of themselves as dog people. »"
What seems indisputable is that more than 4000 years ago, dogs were already precious pets, occupying a place of choice alongside late Neolithic men. Their role was certainly that of guardians of the flocks of sheep.