Duration:
2015–2017
Client:
Czech Science Foundation (Registration No. 15-06446S)
Department:
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Arts, University of West Bohemia
Principal Investigator:
Mgr. Martina Lázničková Galetová, Ph.D.
Abstract:
The project aims to investigate the roles that large canids (wolves/domesticated dogs) played in Gravettian society. To achieve this, a multidisciplinary database will be analyzed, incorporating aspects of morphology, health, genetics, diet of canids, and anthropogenic marks on their remains.
The dog was the first domesticated animal and remains the only large carnivore to have been domesticated. Its ancestor is the gray wolf. Our team has recently highlighted the ancient origins of dog domestication, a process that began during the Aurignacian period.
The Gravettian site of Předmostí in the Czech Republic is an extraordinary site for the study of canids, with over 4,000 bones of this taxon discovered, including seven complete skulls. Three of these skulls have recently been identified by our team as belonging to Paleolithic dogs.
This exceptional assemblage allows us to explore the significance of fossil dogs and wolves for humans during the Gravettian period. The project will test various hypotheses regarding the roles (practical, ritual, or symbolic) that large canids played in the lives of Gravettian people.
This is a unique opportunity to study the canid assemblage from Předmostí using a multidisciplinary approach.