When did the six kinds of domestic animals, horse, cow, sheep, pig, dog and chicken, appear?

In ancient China, there was a saying that "five crops are abundant and six livestock are prosperous". The word "six animals" originated from "the six animals in ancient times were incompatible with each other" in Zuozhuan Xigong Nineteenth Year (64 BC1). In addition, in Zhou Li, it is recorded that "its livestock should be disturbed by six roots". Zheng Xuan in the Han Dynasty noted: "Six factors, horse, cow, sheep, dolphin, dog and chicken." It can be seen that horses, cows, sheep, pigs, dogs and chickens were the six major domestic animals in ancient China. It is an important academic subject to study the time, place and function of the origin or appearance of these six kinds of livestock.

In the early Neolithic period in China, no domestic animals were found. It belongs to the Xianrendong site in Wannian County, Jiangxi Province and Yuchanyan site in Daoxian County, Hunan Province in the early Neolithic period in China, both dating back to 12000. In these sites, researchers found phytolith, pottery, stone tools and bone implements for growing rice. Based on this, we can trace the origin of crops and pottery in ancient China back to about 12000 years ago. However, it is worth noting that the species and genera of animals found in these sites belong to wild animals, and there is no evidence that domestic animals existed at that time.

According to research, livestock in China first appeared about 10000 years ago, about 2000 years later than the origin of cultivating crops and making pottery. This is a feature of China's ancient history. Here, the emergence of major domestic animals such as dogs, pigs, sheep, cows, horses and chickens are introduced in chronological order.

dog

According to the known materials, the earliest domestic animals in China were dogs. Dogs are domesticated by wolves. A dog's left mandible was unearthed at Nanzhuangtou site in xushui county, Hebei Province, about 10000 years ago. Its mandibular margin is obviously curved, which is different from that of wolves. The length of dentition is 79.40 mm, which is smaller than that of wolf. Its teeth are also closely arranged, which is obviously different from wolves. Every measuring point on its mandible is smaller than that of a wolf.

According to these judgments, it can be determined that the mandible unearthed at Nanzhuangtou site belongs to a dog. About 9000 years ago, there were 1 1 dogs buried in residences and cemeteries. This was a conscious treatment of dogs at that time, which showed the special relationship between people and dogs at that time. The mandibular dentition and measuring points of dogs in Jiahu site are smaller than those in Nanzhuangtou site. It can be seen that in the process of human feeding, with the passage of time, the length of dog dentition gradually becomes shorter. Because the dentition of dogs unearthed from Nanzhuangtou site has been obviously shortened compared with that of wolves, the researchers believe that the history of keeping dogs in China will not stay at Nanzhuangtou site more than 10000 years ago, but may be traced back to it.

What needs to be emphasized here is that dog domestication can lead to some changes in human hunting strategy, tactics or technology. This kind of feeding behavior has not provided many stable meat sources for human beings, nor has it had a significant impact on human lifestyle. However, dogs, as the earliest domesticated livestock, helped human beings accumulate the experience of domesticating wild animals into domestic animals, and laid the foundation for domesticating a variety of domestic animals later. From this perspective, the appearance of dogs is of great significance in the development of human civilization.

pig

Domestic pigs are domesticated from wild boars. At present, the earliest known domestic pig in China comes from the Jiahu site in Wuyang County, Henan Province about 9000 years ago. Through the study of pig bones unearthed from Jiahu site, it is found that the dentition distortion caused by the reduction of the size of the alveolar bone in pig mandible. The measurement results of tooth geometry are similar to those of domestic pigs. The age of pigs is concentrated in a specific age group, which is different from the age structure model of wild boar population. The number of pigs accounts for a high proportion in all mammals, far greater than the proportion of wild boar population in all mammals in the natural state; Burying the pig's mandible in the tomb opened the precedent of finding the pig's mandible in many sites thousands of years later; The research results of DNA prove that it belongs to the pedigree of domestic pigs; The results of stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen prove that the recipes of these pigs are related to artificial feeding, and a series of judgment results prove that there were domestic pigs in Jiahu site about 9000 years ago.

The emergence of domestic pigs is of great significance. For thousands of years, no domestic animal has been the most important meat resource of China people like domestic pigs, and it has also played an important role in the spiritual field. In the historical period, the breeding technology of domestic pigs has also spread to the whole East Asia, which has played an important role in promoting the development of economic life and cultural life of human society in this region.

sheep

Sheep may have been domesticated from extinct red sheep. So far, the earliest sheep that can be confirmed in China appeared in Gansu and Qinghai 5600-5000 years ago. From 5600 to 5000 years ago, sheep bones buried with them were suddenly found in Tomb No.5 of Zhao Shi Village Site in Tianshui City, Gansu Province and Majiayao Cultural Tomb of Walnut Village in Minhe County, Qinghai Province. Sheep bones were found in many sites in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River from 5000 to 4000 years ago, and the number increased gradually with the update of the age. In some sites, there are also sheep shoulder blades with burning marks, which is related to divination; The measurement data of all sheep bones are very close to those of domestic sheep in Shang and Zhou Dynasties. The results of DNA research confirmed that sheep with these genetic characteristics originated in West Asia. The study of recipes found that sheep's food contains artificially fed millet straw and other feeds; According to the sudden appearance of sheep and DNA evidence, it is probably through cultural exchange that domesticated sheep were introduced into China from outside China.

Domestic sheep and later goats can provide meat and dairy products for human beings. Sheep also played an important role in ancient sacrificial activities. Wool can also provide raw materials for human clothes and improve human ability to resist cold. Obtaining wool and knitted wool products has also promoted the development of handicraft industry.

cattle

Modern domestic cattle originated from bison in West Asia about 10000 years ago, and gradually spread to the east and west after domestication. Yellow cattle in ancient China were introduced from Central Asia about 5,000 years ago. Up to now, the earliest discovered yellow cattle in China is located in Gansu Province more than 5,000 years ago. The number of yellow cattle unearthed in many sites generally has a gradual increase process from morning till night; The measurement results of cattle bones confirmed that it was very close to the data of domestic cattle in Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Since 4500 years ago, many sites in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River have found the phenomenon of burying yellow cattle. For example, in the site of Shantai Temple in Zhecheng County, Henan Province, about 4,500 to 4,000 years ago, nine oxen were found buried together, which were arranged in a relatively regular way; The results of DNA determination prove that it belongs to the same pedigree as the yellow cattle originated in West Asia. Recipe research confirmed that it ate artificially fed millet straw.

The emergence of domestic cattle, in addition to diversifying the sources of human meat resources and playing an important role in the spiritual field, its greatest use is to use Niu Gengdi. Niu Geng greatly improved the productivity of ancient agricultural labor, and the emergence of this new productivity effectively promoted the development of ancient agricultural economy, which is an epoch-making progress in the history of agricultural development in China.

horse

About 5,500 years ago, wild horses in Central Asia domesticated Ma Jia. So far, the earliest domestic horse in China has been found. Horse bones were suddenly found in many sites in Gansu Province from 4000 to 3600 years ago. In the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, Ma Jia suddenly appeared about 3,300 years ago, belonging to the ruins of Yin Ruins in Anyang City, Henan Province in the late Shang Dynasty. Many chariots and horses pits were found there, usually 1 chariot and 2 horses. On the northwest mountain of Yin Ruins, more than 65,438+000 horse pits were dug and drilled. The number of horses in each pit ranges from 65,438+0 to 37, and these horses are likely to live in harmony with each other. Because almost no horse bones were found in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River about 3,300 years ago, many sites with horses and chariots and buried horses were found around 3,300 years ago. Researchers think that Gan Qing area may be one of the channels for horses to enter the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. Because the emergence of domestic horses in Gan Qing is thousands of years different from the earliest domestic horses in the world, the technology of domestic horses or domestic horses raised in China is probably imported from China.

The emergence of domestic horses has a specific role in providing meat resources and spiritual fields, but its more important role is to greatly improve the transportation capacity of human beings, especially as war horses, which have played an important role in promoting human migration, ethnic integration, the spread of language and culture and the progress of the whole society.

chicken (as food)

Domestic chickens originated from primitive chickens living in southwest Asia. Now it can be proved that the earliest domestic chicken raising in China was discovered in Yinxu site in Anyang City, Henan Province about 3,300 years ago. Now there are only two evidences, one is the observation of bone morphology, and the other is that the word "chicken" and "pheasant" have been separated in Oracle Bone Inscriptions.

In view of the fact that chicken bones are rarely found in archaeological sites, the explanation that chickens are raised only to eat meat seems incomplete.

Chickens can lay eggs, and getting eggs may be another reason to raise chickens. It is recorded in the Book of Songs that raising chickens is related to crowing, which may be one of the reasons for raising chickens at that time.

To sum up, according to the results of animal archaeology research so far, the time, place and species of six main domestic animals in China are as follows: about 10000 years ago, dogs appeared in southern Hebei Province; About 9000 years ago, pigs appeared in the south of Henan Province. About 5600-5000 years ago, sheep appeared in Gan Qing. About 5000 years ago, yellow cattle appeared in the upper reaches of the Yellow River. About 4000-3600 years ago, horses appeared in eastern Gansu. About 3300 years ago, chickens appeared in the eastern part of Henan Province. These domestic animals originated or appeared in different times and places, but they are basically located in the north of China.