"A new study of ancient DNA has revealed that cats only became our companions around 3,500 years ago. And it wasn't until 2,000 years ago that the first domestic kitties finally made their way into Europe and the UK. Scientists analysed feline remains from 97 archaeological sites dating back 10,000 years from across Europe and the Near East. This revealed that cats were first truly domesticated somewhere in North Africa, before being picked up and brought to Europe by Roman traders."
"Lead author Dr Claudio Ottoni, a palaeontologist from the University of Rome Tor Vergata, told Daily Mail: '2,000 years is a relatively short time in evolutionary terms, 'It is striking that in such a short time, cats were able to "conquer the world".' All modern domestic cats are descendants of the African wildcat, which gradually transformed into the friendly pets we know today."
Analysis of ancient feline DNA from 97 archaeological sites dating back 10,000 years across Europe and the Near East shows that domestic cats (Felis catus) emerged around 3,500 years ago. The first domestic cats appeared in multiple regions of North Africa roughly contemporaneously. Domestic cats reached Europe and the UK about 2,000 years ago, largely via Roman trade networks. All modern domestic cats descend from the African wildcat. Earlier assumptions placing cat domestication around 10,000 years ago in the Levant now appear incorrect. The domestication process likely involved gradual behavioral changes rather than a single origin event.
Read at Mail Online
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