r/AskAnthropology • u/Atypical_cat_mother • 2d ago
How and why did ancient humans domesticate cats?
Did this serve as some sort of survival advantage for us? Or did we just want their companionship?
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u/FritillairePintade 2d ago
There are evidences in Cyprus leading to think that cats were domesticated during early Neolithic period (cat deposited in a grave with a human, it's skeleton is big enough to think it was well fed). The hypothesis is that cats can help to regulate rodent population, and so can help protecting the grains. The digging was lead by Jean-Denis Vigne and Jean Guilaine. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8629197_Early_Taming_of_the_Cat_in_Cyprus
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u/tengallonfishtank 2d ago
one of my favorite pieces of evidence! cyprus is an island so it’s more than likely that the feline companion was intentionally brought along to new human settlements on the island
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u/JoeBiden-2016 [M] | Americanist Anthropology / Archaeology (PhD) 2d ago
Hello all, please remember our rules regarding answers.
Responses so far have failed to meet these standards. Please note that references to YouTube videos, or repeating things that you're pretty sure you remember from an archaeology class lecture or article, aren't sufficient as answers.