World’s oldest genetic evidence for domestic dogs identified in Europe and Türkiye

A new study published in Nature has uncovered the earliest genetic evidence for the existence of dogs. Using ancient DNA analysis, researchers identified dogs at archaeological sites in the UK and Türkiye dating to the Late Upper Palaeolithic, approximately 16,000–14,000 years ago, a time when all humans were hunter-gatherers and agriculture had not yet emerged.

Scientists have known that dogs emerged from grey wolf populations and they suspected that the process took place around the last Ice Age. Evidence from pre-agricultural archaeological sites has been limited and difficult to confirm. During the early phases of domestication, the skeletons of dogs and wolves were likely to have been indistinguishable, and their behavioural differences do not leave traces in the archaeological record.

Previous studies have mostly used very short DNA sequences and skeletal measurements to evaluate the earliest presence of dogs in the archaeological record. In this new study, researchers from 17 institutions recovered whole genomes from archaeological specimens older than 10,000 years excavated from Upper Palaeolithic sites including Gough’s Cave in the UK, and Pınarbaşı in Türkiye. They then compared the genomes with more than 1,000 modern and ancient dogs and wolves from across the world.

The results of these analyses confirmed that these bones belonged to dogs, and pushed back the earliest direct evidence for dogs by more than 5,000 years. Re-analysis of the earlier data also showed that dogs were likely distributed across Epigravettian and Magdalenian hunter-gatherer communities in Europe toward the end of the Ice Age.

Dr William Marsh, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Natural History Museum and co-first author of the study, said: “The genetic identification of two Palaeolithic dogs from Gough’s Cave and Pınarbaşı represents a step-change in our understanding of the earliest dogs. These specimens allowed us to identify additional ancient dogs from sites in Germany, Italy and Switzerland, which clearly show that dogs were already widely dispersed across Europe and Türkiye by at-least 14,000 years ago.”

These new DNA data revealed not only that the Gough’s Cave and Pınarbaşı individuals were dogs, but that they were more closely related to the ancestors of present-day European and Middle Eastern breeds, such as boxers and salukis, than to Arctic breeds like Siberian huskies. This indicates that today’s major dog genetic lineages must have been established by the Upper Palaeolithic.

Dr Lachie Scarsbrook, Postdoctoral Researcher at the LMU Munich and co-first author of the study, explains: “This means that by 15,000 years ago, dogs with very different ancestries already existed across Eurasia, from Somerset to Siberia. This raises the possibility that domestication occurred during the last Ice Age, more than 10,000 years before the appearance of any other domestic plants or animals.”

What role these dogs played in Palaeolithic communities remains unclear. The study suggests they may have been transferred between genetically and culturally distinct groups, including Epigravettian and Magdalenian communities in Europe.

Tantalising clues of close association between humans and dogs were also evident in the analysis of dietary isotopes and morphometric signals led by researchers at the University of York and the Natural History Museum. The isotope analysis showed people at Pınarbaşı likely fed dogs fish, which, together with evidence that the animals were intentionally buried, suggests a close interaction between people and their dogs. Suggestions of similar interaction were also seen at Gough’s Cave and a site in Germany, indicating dogs may have held cultural significance across Palaeolithic hunter-gatherer communities.

This study, entitled Dogs were widely distributed in Western Eurasia during the Palaeolithic, is published today in Nature.

Bringing together a team of experts from 17 institutions internationally, the researchers involved shared their views on this seminal study:

Prof. Laurent Frantz, LMU Munich and co-lead senior author, notes: “The fact that people exchanged dogs so early means these animals must have been important. With limited resources, keeping them implies they served a purpose, and one possibility is that they acted as a highly efficient alarm system.”

Prof Ian Barnes, Merit Researcher at the Natural History Museum and co-lead senior author: “Despite the fact that humans across Europe and Türkiye were culturally and genetically distinct during this period, dogs appear to have been integrated into these societies. It’s amazing to think of how these very different human groups, in very different environments, might have worked with dogs as part of their daily hunting and fishing activities.”

Prof Greger Larson, the University of Oxford: “By comparing the DNA from these ancient dogs with other ancient and modern populations, we were surprised to see just how closely related the earliest dogs were despite living more than 4,000km apart. This suggests that the first dogs were a game changer and spread rapidly across Europe.”

Dr Selina Brace, Merit Researcher and ancient DNA expert at the Natural History Museum: “Pushing the date of the earliest genetically identified dog back 5,000 years is a significant breakthrough. Morphological analysis performed at the museum suggested dogs were present in Europe 15,000 years ago, but it's great to be able to confirm this with ancient DNA.”

Dr Sophy Charlton, Lecturer at the University of York’s Department of Archaeology: “Working only from fragments of bone, our study is beginning to reveal the long and deeply entwined history of dogs and humans. It's a narrative that, remarkably, began towards the end of the Last Ice Age but was foundational to many of the modern breeds observed today.”

Dr Silvia Bello, Merit Researcher at the Natural History Museum: “Our research into the earliest dogs sheds new light on the complex lives of hunter-gatherer communities at the end of the Ice Age. By examining the close relationship between humans and dogs, we uncover the beginnings of a powerful human–animal bond that changed how people lived and interacted with the natural world."

Simon Parfitt, UCL Institute of Archaeology and Scientific Associate at the Natural History Museum: “The first clue that the Gough’s Cave bones, dating to around 15,000 years ago, belonged to dogs came from their unusually small size – particularly striking compared with the exceptionally large wolves of the time. DNA now confirms they were ancient domestic dogs, loyal companions to Ice Age hunters at the northern edge of the inhabited world. Notably, some bones show deliberate human modification, including perforations in mandibles, suggesting these dogs held symbolic significance after death as well as companionship during life.”

On the significance of the study in understanding our ancestors in the UK, Ceawlin Thynn, the 8th Marquess of Bath, whose estate includes Cheddar Gorge & Caves, noted: “Ongoing research on Cheddar finds continues to inform and expand our knowledge of the lives of our ancient ancestors. The dog jawbone from Gough’s Cave that has been identified as the earliest known domesticated dog in the UK was among many specimens discovered during the excavations in Gough’s Cave between 1927 and 1931 was donated to the Natural History Museum in 1928 by my great-grandfather, Thomas Thynne, 5th Marquess of Bath. Today’s paper is an exciting step in learning more about the history of the caves and the part they played in the lives of our ancestors.”

This study is published alongside a related article in the same issue of Nature entitled Genomic History of Early Dogs in Europe (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10112-7) from the Francis Crick Institute, University of East Anglia and The Max Planck Institute. This study analysed 216 canid genomes dating from 14,000 to 1,000 years ago, and presents the discovery and analysis of a 14,000-year-old dog from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kesslerloch in Switzerland.

NOTES TO EDITORS

With thanks to the Longleat Estate and Professor Douglas Baird, University of Liverpool for their continued close collaboration and providing access to the Gough’s Cave and Pınarbaşı specimens respectively. This work was supported by the Calleva Foundation, UK National Environmental Isotope Facility, the White Rose College of the Arts & Humanities, German Research Foundation, European Research Council, Natural Environmental Research Council, and Brasenose, Merton and Somerville Colleges, Oxford.

Press Contact

For any enquiries or to request interview time/comment, please contact the Natural History Museum Press Office:

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Further Contacts

William Marsh, [email protected], +4407957277290

Lachie Scarsbrook, [email protected], +447784613936

Laurent Frantz, [email protected], +49 151 59106325

Ian Barnes, [email protected]

Greger Larson, [email protected], +447963905362

Selina Brace, [email protected], +447949018261

Silvia Bello. [email protected], +447769555021

Oliver Craig, [email protected], +447976677513

Simon Parfitt, [email protected]

Chris Stringer, [email protected]

Douglas Baird, [email protected], +447786065702

Sophy Charlton, [email protected], +447884415530

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